
Hope Is a Song
A Musical Journey Through Iran's Struggle and Spirit
Film:
About the film
The hour long film is available free on Youtube and explores the history and tradition of music in Iran and how Iranians are using music today to express their protest. The film begins with examining traditional Persian music and I travel to Egypt where we explore the role of music in the ancient Middle East. As the film progresses, I visit Los Angeles to meet with Persian scholars where we converse on the interplay between music and poetry. I had the great honor of interviewing the Empress Farah Pahlavi for this film and she sheds light on music during the 1970s and how she strove to promote the arts as the Empress. The film touches on the Iranian Revolution and how music was shut down during this time, resulting in the birth of the underground music scene. The film follows the role of music as a protest tool up through the Woman, Life, Freedom movement to end on an uplifting note from the Empress.
Special thanks to interviewees
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Khaled Ezzat - Egyptologist
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Dr. Samuel Dayan - Persian Scholar
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Ahmad Sigari - Persian Scholar
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Empress Farah Pahlavi
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Arash Sobhani - Rock and Roll Musician
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Professor Nahid Siamdoust - Professor of Middle Eastern Studies
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Ziba Shirazi - Singer-Songwriter
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Simin - Owner of Tehran Restaurant in Los Angeles