1001 Night Apart, Sarvnaz Alambeigi

In the organizer's words:

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 trying to teach themselves to dance. 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.

Filmmaker Sarvnaz Alambeigi discovered rare footage of the national ballet of the time 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 today's dance culture in his home country.

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 young troupe will not give up.

Documentary film
Duration: approx. 1 hr. 20 min.
Language: English, Farsi with German subtitles