by Shoja Azari, USA 2003, 57'
| WRITTEN, DIRECTED AND PRODUCED BY: Shoja Azari |
PHOTOGRAPHY: Ben Wolf | |
| SOUND: David Abir | ||
| ASSISTANT DIRCTOR: John Dickie | PRODUCTION: MadApple Films | |
| CAMERA: Serjio Caballero |
Presented at The Screen of the Arts 2010The film is a behind-the-scenes look at the video installation Tooba (2002), by Shirin Neshat (Qazvin, Iran, 1957). The work was inspired by the novel Women Without Men by Shahrnush Parsipur, from which the artist drew material for her first film, which won the 2009 Leone d’Argento at the 66a Mostra del Cinema in Venice and was shown in a special premiere at Lo schermo dell’Arte in Florence.
For months, the artist, the director and their collaborators wandered around Mexico, passing through villages around Oaxaca, searching for the “tree of paradise” and the work’s female protagonist. But no tree met expectations, and casting for the right actress proved arduous. After many discussions, long road trips and an endless series of failed attempts, the lone tree finally appeared and the troupe discovered Maria De Los Angeles. In a light, poetic manner, Shoja Azari tells the story of how the film was made, of the work done with the local population and the encounter with the extraordinary figure who incarnates the symbolic woman in Neshat’s video.
Shoja Azari
Born in Shiraz, Iran in 1958, author and director, he has had many films presented at the main international festivals, including The Story of the Merchant and the Indian Parrot, based on the Iranian poet and mystic Rumi, and the trilogy titled K (2000-2002), based on three short stories by Franz Kafka. After the films Maria De Los Angeles (2003) and Windows (2006), came the collaboration with Shirin Neshat, directing Woman Without Men (2009), which won the Leone d’Argento at the 66a Mostra del Cinema in Venice. He has lived in the United States since 1983.
Selected Filmography
1998 The Story of the Merchant and the Indian Parrot; 2000-2002 K; 2003 Maria De Los Angeles; 2006 Windows; 2009 Women Without Men (con Shirin Neshat).
Azar Productions: shojaazari@aol.com