The world première of Dance Iranian Style at the 35th Cambridge Film Festival
Festival diaries by the director Farshad Aria - Day 4
Screening of Dance Iranian Style - II It’s the day after the screening of #DanceIranianStyle. At my last day in Cambridge I’m sitting in the cafe at the main location of the film festival and am reviewing my experiences of the last days. The 35th Cambridge Film Festival was a great first step for our film and especially for me as a débutante filmmaker, who has tried to frame a rather unusual form of story-telling. It’s undeniable that when you, as an artist, come with some new or let's say unusual ideas, you’ll have your doubts until your product has met it’s audience. Only then you can make a conclusion if, and in what measure, you’ve been succeeded in what you’ve tried to achieve with your work of art. This is why presenting Dance Iranian Style at this film festival and to the wonderful audience there was a great help for me to get over those doubts for a great deal. It all started with my first serious interview with a film radio-journalist. He said the film has reminded him of the works of the masters of Iranian cinema, especially the Close-Up by Kiarostami. He broadcast the interview in two parts, together with a review about the film; part one was broadcast a day before the screening and the second part at the day it was screened. I haven't heard non of them, but I (may be like you) am looking forward for the pod cast to publish on-line (in the coming weeks). >> Right now, while I’m sitting and writing in this cafe at the Cambridge Arts Picturehouse, somebody walks to me and says he enjoyed the screening of my film last night. He says he is working for the festival, however he saw the film for the first time on big screen last night. He adds that he was already a fan of Iranian cinema and kiarostami and this tradition of blurring borders between reality and fiction. And he thinks that Dance Iranian Style was amazing in this wonderful genre. While I was thanking him, I felt proud from inside, because he wasn’t the only one who was touched by the film after the screening last night. Many people started their questions during the Q&A wiht their word appreciation for such nice/interesting/touching/etc. film! << So as I said to this man, I really needed to share my film with the audiences; especially with the festival audiences. Because I need to sit with them and observe their reactions to every piece and every scene of the film in order to be able to review my own work. But I also need to hear their reactions after they have seen the film. And the Q&A’s after the screenings are the best way to hear the audience. In this sense I’m very thankful to the Cambridge Film Festival that gave us the fist opportunity to hear our first amazing audience of our film. 
Meet Philip Ward and his book: The Comfort Of Women in our picture together.
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>> It happens again! While I'm writing this diary/report: somebody else walks towards me. I remember this one from last night during the Q&A. He was one of those who spoke and gave me and the Iranian cinema big compliments. He was also one of the few who wanted to make a picture with me!! Today he walked to me again to say once more how much he appreciated it to be able to see the film in this festival. And then he gave me one of his books as an act of thank and remembrance. I was speechless, so I thanked him repeatedly for being such big fan of Iranian films and mine as well. << But let me now finish what I started, before I leave to watch my last piece of a film at the festival Arena: BBC Arena at 40. (It’s a beautiful 24 hour film project, in which a compilation is made of the most memorable tv moments, taken from the BBC program Arena, at it’s 40st anniversary.) 
Meet Tom Woodcock, who run the Q&A after the world premiere of Dance Iranian Style.
What I especially want to end my last diary/report on the festival with, is that the last night Q&A, was truly a big success fro me and for the film. I’m not sure if this success will repeat itself in the future screenings, but let’s now talk particularly about this one. The most important reason why I call this Q&A a success, is just because of the recognition that we've got by all of whom were familiar with the Iranian cinema amongst the audience, who believed that they recognise clearly a link between Dance Iranian Style and the Iranian cinema, and in some cases with the work of the masters like Kiarostami and Jafar Panahi.
Hearing this from the audience, means that we’ve succeeded in one of our main missions with this film project from the beginning, namely: “to make a typically Iranian Film in the Netherlands for the western audience”. Even though the film was completely shot in Amsterdam, the audience, generally, seem to taste and smell the Iranian cinema throughout the film. If this is true, then that means a big feast for Dance Iranian Style. Can't wait for the next screening to happen. \ |
Festival diaries by the director Farshad Aria - Day 3
Screening of Dance Iranian Style
At last! It happened; the first public screening of #DanceIranianStyle. I have prepared myself for the worst. That's normal to do, I think, when you try to introduce something different, or somehow new. So, I expected some walk outs during the screening. But it didn't happen. I expected at least some angry walk outs when the film ended. But it didn't happen either. Then the long, but rather beautiful title scene at the end, made me worried: "Will some of the audience walk out now and skip the Q&A?" Only about 5 people walked out, but everybody else stayed.
Now it was time for the most important part, that was about to begin: The Q&A! Tom Woodcock (a film teacher, based in Cambridge) did a great job at the Q&A. Interesting questions from him and later on from the very enthusiastic audience made the first screening of the film (worldwide) a great success. There was only one person who honestly said to feel cheated, because she expected to see a 'different movie'. But except for her the most of the questions were motivated and started with a great appreciation for making this movie, calling it "beautiful" or "touching”. Anybody in the audience who was familiar with the Iranian cinema made undoubtedly a clear link between the film and this tradition of blurring borders between documentary and fiction in the Iranian cinema.
Unfortunately I don't have images or sound recordings ready to share with you right now, but as soon as I have them ready I'll publish and share them with you.
P.s.: the second radio program with an interview with me and a review about Dance Iranian Style was also broadcast Today at around the same time as the screening of the film at the local Radio in Cambridge. The link to the pod cast will be published in less than two weeks.
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Screening of Dance Iranian Style
At last! It happened; the first public screening of #DanceIranianStyle. I have prepared myself for the worst. That's normal to do, I think, when you try to introduce something different, or somehow new. So, I expected some walk outs during the screening. But it didn't happen. I expected at least some angry walk outs when the film ended. But it didn't happen either. Then the long, but rather beautiful title scene at the end, made me worried: "Will some of the audience walk out now and skip the Q&A?" Only about 5 people walked out, but everybody else stayed.
Now it was time for the most important part, that was about to begin: The Q&A! Tom Woodcock (a film teacher, based in Cambridge) did a great job at the Q&A. Interesting questions from him and later on from the very enthusiastic audience made the first screening of the film (worldwide) a great success. There was only one person who honestly said to feel cheated, because she expected to see a 'different movie'. But except for her the most of the questions were motivated and started with a great appreciation for making this movie, calling it "beautiful" or "touching”. Anybody in the audience who was familiar with the Iranian cinema made undoubtedly a clear link between the film and this tradition of blurring borders between documentary and fiction in the Iranian cinema.
Unfortunately I don't have images or sound recordings ready to share with you right now, but as soon as I have them ready I'll publish and share them with you.
P.s.: the second radio program with an interview with me and a review about Dance Iranian Style was also broadcast Today at around the same time as the screening of the film at the local Radio in Cambridge. The link to the pod cast will be published in less than two weeks.
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Festival diaries by the director Farshad Aria - Day 2
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The first person I met this morning is the festival director Tony Jones, who is there to welcome me to the festival. Tonny is a nice, easy going, friendly person with a big heart and passion for beautiful/artistic films. He and Nafiss Nia, the producer of our film, have had an interesting meeting at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year. "Her passionate, resolute and insistence behaviour and her way of approach", says Tony, "has resulted to the official selection of the World premiere of Dance Iranian Style." After having a nice chat, while Tony and I were trying to make a picture together next to the poster of DIS (Dance Iranian Style) on the wall, Toby arrives (a little late). He lets me know that he's ready for the interview in about 5 minutes. 
The film journalist, Toby, is following the Iranian cinema for years and knows the best to ask the right questions about Dance Iranian Style, what is it trying to say and what is the relation between the film and the Iranian cinema. From this recorded interview Toby woill edit two exclusive programs about our film. The first one has been broadcast Tonight to announce the screening of DIS Tomorrow. The second one will be broadcast Tomorrow after the film has been shown at the festival. He promises me to send the link of the pod casts as soon as they're published online. This will take some weeks he said. We both were happy with the interview at the end, so I thought I deserve now to treat myself with watching a nice film. But in between I met a couple of filmmakers: a young woman, a German director and an older guy (originally from Barcelona - Spain and based in the New York). Both have an interesting film in the festival. I missed his film Today, but I hope I have enough time Tomorrow to watch hers, right before the screening of my own film in the same cinema. In the evening there was a network meeting organised by the festival where I met more young and interesting filmmakers. There I met two other British filmmakers. Before the network meeting I've had just enough time to watch an interesting fiction film (a co-production between Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary) called "Why me?". It was a nicely directed film, based on true events and characters in Romania. In the mean while one part of the interview was edited and has been broad cast, which I wasn't able to listen to. Toby said anyway he was happy with his interview and the broadcasting. It's very late in the midnight, and I need to go to bed. Tomorrow is the ?Big Day: the "World Premiere" of Dance Iranian Style! And it's the first time I can test the reactions of an unknown audience to the public screening of the film. \ |
Festival diaries by the director Farshad Aria - Day 1
Around midday, after a nice delay-free flight and a one hour ride by a kind driver (originally Bulgarian) from Luton Airport to the beautiful city of Cambridge, in a shiny sunny day, I went to the festival guest desk where an originally Portuguese young girl welcomed me with a nice cup of coffee. Soon after I had my welcome package as you can see in this picture.
It's nice and makes me proud to see my first feature film #DanceIranianStyle, marked with the words "WORLD PREMIERE", among the other films like 'The Company You Keep' by Robert Redford (UK Premiere) and 'The Clearstream Afair' by the French director Vincent Gareng (UK premiere), all in one row in the festival brochure.
However as soon as I entered the somehow quiet building of Cambridge Arts Picturehouse (which is the main cinema for the screenings and also the location of the festival organisation), I became a little nervous. 'If there are not much of visitors for the festival at all, then how crowded I can expect the screening of my film to be?' With this question keep hanging in my mind, I tried to look in the brochure to find interesting films to watch during my stay at the festival. It was still around 3 in the afternoon and there was still not much of festival visitors.
Later on a crowd showed up at last. Around 5 or 6pm some of the films for the same night were even sold out. Even though I saw now a well attended festival, deep down I was still worried about the screening day of my own film. I was still engaged with the idea of witnessing an screening without any audiences. That would be a nightmare! With these thoughts in my mind, right behind me the voice of somebody brought me out of those nightmare thoughts. He was making a reservation for the film Dance Iranian Style. He repeated many time the name of the film and the date of the screening in order to make sure that he gets the tickets for the right film on Saturday. Is it naive to say 'it was a relief to me'? But it was! I decided not to look back to see who that man was. Maybe because I prefer to remain unknown until they have seen the film.
After that I felt suddenly less worried, because now I knew that at least that man and his companions will be watching the film with me at the first public screening of DIS. Even with them only I'll be glad now, but I wish still for a sold out screening!
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Festival Brochure
