One Man and One Hundred Documentaries

Kioumars Derambakhsh has been making documentaries for the past 40 years. During those years he has produced 100 documentaries, the most prominent of which is Blind Owl, which is an adaptation of a namesake book by renowned Iranian writer, Sadeq Hedayat. Bride of Tribe is the last and 100^th documentary

to be made by this striving director. He hates narrative films because he believes that “narrative films only tell lies.”

Kioumars Derambakhsh is one of the few Iranian documentarians who are well-known at an international level. Attention to Iranian culture and traditions is the main feature of his films. His last film won special prize of jury from one of the most creditable documentary film festivals.

Bride of Tribe was among 117 documentary films from 44 countries which won special jury prize of Croatia’s Split Film Festival. 

 

 Q : Please introduce yourself.

A : I was born at the end of World War II in 1945, in a cold winter. Perhaps it was the effect of two atomic explosions in Hiroshima and Nagasaki that has made me an environmentalist. I am a member of Greenpeace Society of London. I watched the best French documentarians from the time that I enrolled at Saint Louis school when I was 6 years old. I used to hide in the wardrobe of our house and to look through the keyhole at whatever that was happening outside. My father was very instrumental in making me interested in documentary films. My mother taught me a lot. She encouraged me to go to France when I was 20. Once in Paris, I registered at cinema school of Sorbonne University. I obtained my doctorate in ethnology many years after Islamic Revolution in Iran.

 

 

Q : As a documentarist who has made 100 documentary films, please explain about standards that should be observed in making a documentary film to make it internationally acceptable.

A : Documentary cinema is, in fact, a registry of a nation’s identity. If such films are to be accepted internationally several points should be taken into consideration:

1)   The running time of films should be 9, 26, 52 or 74 minutes; and

2)   The film should enjoy an international sound band along with narration and subtitles. In this way, the film could be screened in any country with subtitles.

Documentary films should be recorded on DVDs, or Master Betacam taps or DVCam and their quality should be high and conform to correct DPI norms. The films should be accompanied with a text or synopsis as well as photos and posters.

 

Q : What are the main conditions to become a documentarian?

A :  Nobody learns to make documentary films at universities and colleges. You should be born a documentarian. The only thing that universities do is to flourish innate inclinations of the person and impart technical aspects to them.

The next condition is that you should be very knowledgeable with regard to myths and you should be aware of filed field research methodology. You should also be a good photographer many years before becoming a documentarian. Photography will help you understand perspective as well as the effects of light and color.

Another condition is to know lenses. You should be aware of the field of vision that is provided by any type of lens as well as its impact on the viewer.

Documentary cinema is a multilayer entity like an onion. Of those layers are arranged in an orderly manner, that film could be successful. Music plays a great role in documentary cinema provided that the source of music is seen in the film. You cannot play a piece made by a symphonic orchestra on a film of nomads without showing the shepherd blowing his pipe.

There are two types of documentary cinema: cinema of reality and cinema of truth.

The first type of documentaries is merely reportage of realities without any interventions in the scenes including lighting and dialogues.

The cinema of truth includes those documentaries in which director are allowed to arrange the scene. Aesthetics and statics play a great role in the second type of documentary cinema.

The main difference between cinema of reality and truth is that the former depicts realities as they are while the latter depicts them as they should be. We do not change the reality of life in cinema of truth. We only add aesthetic aspects to it and set the stage. Traditions, customs and lullabies are shown exactly as they appear in the original environment.

 

Q : Is Iran a good location for making documentaries?

A : Iran is paradise of documentarians. It enjoys a kind of cultural mosaic and enjoys various tourism attractions as well as rich civilizational background. Iran is home to 10 big tribes and 101 nomadic ramifications. So, documentarians can find good motifs wherever they go. Civilization in Iran dates back to 8,000 years ago. That is, a documentarian explore 8,000 years of history including various languages and diversified music, garments, songs and traditions.

 

Q :Please explain about new series of documentary films that you are making about religions?

A :  Iran is a land of religions. It contains resting-places of 25 prophets. It also boasts 270 churches (the oldest of which is 1,500 years old) and 120 synagogues where Jews are free to carry out their rituals. There are about 80 fire temples in Iran, the most important of which is Varharam fire temple in Yazd, whose fire has been alight for 3,850 years. Even now, the followers of John the Baptist baptize on the side of Karoun River. Iran is the birthplace of the first prophet that taught monotheism to his followers, which was later known as Mithridatism. Since he was born in winter, nobody witnessed his birth, but the cypress tree. It is for this reason that Aryans considered cypress as being sacred. In Mithridatism four elements of water, wind, soil, and fire are revered highly. Later, Zoroaster attached the greatest importance to protection of environment and, therefore, he can be considered as the first protector of nature in the world.

 

Q : Please explain about you national and international achievements?

A :  “the Bell” was my first film to be screened at international ABU festival. It depicted the life of cameleers in the Iranian deserts. It won Golden Statute of ABU festival, which is festival of television films in Asia. The film was 16 mm and ran for about 20 minutes.

The film also won the prize for the best professional film from Monte Carlo festival of documentary films.

Immigration (1975) won the best prize for an environmental film from Prague festival.

The Blind Owl won the best price for stage design and the best actor (the late Parviz Fannizadeh).

My other film, The Color of Blood Is Red, was candidate of the special prize of jury at Canada’s Planet in Focus Festival.

Domestic events in which my films have been screened include:

1)   The first international festival of environmental films in Iran – Fall 1998

2)   The first international festival of maritime films – Kish Island: Fall 2001

3)   The first international festival of tourism films – Bam city: September 2003

Also, my international achievements include:

1)   A review of my works and Golden Book Statue of Roshd Festival;

2)   Golden Statue of Asian ABU Film Festival;

3)   Golden Wing Statue of International Festival of Tourism Films;

4)   Golden Medal of Toulon in France for Warning from International Film Festival of Maritime Films;

5)   Golden Statue as secretary of International Festival of Maritime Films of Kish Island.

My films cover five major fields: 1. Iran’s nomads and ethnic groups; 2. Iran’s cultural heritage; 3. environment; 4. autobiography of famous Iranian figures like Sadeq Hedayat, the writer of the Blind Owl; and 5. modern Iranian poets. I have also made two films underground: one film about coal miners at agate mines of Neishabour, which is called Eclipse and another film, The Night. I practically lived one and a half years underground to make those films! 

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