In Iran, dancing is forbidden – but some young people in Tehran go against this. They strive to learn, dance and practice behind closed doors. Director Sarvnaz Alambeigi collects interviews and rehearsal material from the present-day performers and combines this with rare film footage of the National Ballet from before the revolution. Two generations of dancers appear on screen as this documentary showcases in an honest and subtle way the dichotomy of an artform that is sanctioned by the state. The film, released in July 2022, won the VFF Documentary Production Award in Munich.
Director: Sarvnaz Alambeigi
Screenplay: Sarvnaz Alambeigi
Cinematography: Mahdi Azadi
Colour correction: Dirk Meier
Editing: Hamid Najafirad
Sound design: Ensieh Maleki
Sound: Shahin Pourdadashi, Meysam Hasanlou, William Morris, Jarra Schirris
Sound mixing: Tomas Bastian
Music: Masoud Sekhavatdoust
Production Company: Filmpunkt GmbH (Germany), Rabison Art (Iran)
In collaboration with: Louise Rosen Ltd (USA)
In co-production with: AVROTROS (Hilversum), Südwestrundfunk (SWR) (Baden-Baden).
In collaboration with: ARTE Germany, TVO (Canada), SVT (Sweden)
Producer: Stefan Tolz, Thomas Riedelsheimer, Sarvnaz Alambeigi
Co-producer: Louise Rosen
Line producer: Alyssa Koske
Original distributor: Real Fiction Filmverleih (Cologne)
Funding: Film- und Medien Stiftung NRW (Düsseldorf) and (IMS) Denmark
