Film screening: 1001 Nights Apart

You are not allowed to dance in Iran – and it is even forbidden to use the word dance. Nevertheless, in a hidden studio in Tehran, a group of young people are nevertheless trying to teach themselves. They know little of the rich history of Iranian dance before the 1979 revolution. The internationally recognized dancers of the time had been forced into exile before these ambitious young people were born.

The filmmaker Sarvnaz Alambeigi discovered rare film footage of the former national ballet in Tehran. When she shows this footage to the young dancers and witnesses their enthusiasm, the idea arises to bring together the old and new generations of Iranian dancers. The film unfolds on two levels: The young dancers develop small choreographies in their hidden studio about their very personal questions about sexuality, faith, society or feminism. In the second storyline, the film team visits the old dancers abroad to persuade them to collaborate with the young generation in Tehran. Ultimately, however, only one exiled dancer is interested in the contemporary dance culture of his homeland.

Working as a stage technician at the famous Scapino Ballet in Rotterdam, he is able to convince the director to invite the young group from Tehran to Rotterdam. Everyone is eagerly awaiting their departure. Then the USA kills the Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani and the visas are not granted… But a small ray of hope remains and the group will not give up.

Documentary film
Duration: ca. 1 h 20 min
Language: English, Farsi with German subtitles

In cooperation with the Thalia – Kino