Ebrahim golestan film a fire

The 4K restoration was based on the only two surviving elements: a 35mm print dubbed in English held by the University of Chicago, used for the image, and a 35mm print with original Persian soundtrack and burnt-in French subtitles preserved bygd the Historical Archive of Contemporary Arts of the Venice Biennale, used for the sound.

Ebrahim Golestan’s lifelong cinematic fascination with earth, water and fire found its earliest expression in the simply titled A Fire, which became his first major international success. In April 1958, an oil well located in southwest Iran caught fire. Golestan, who also worked as a producer, sent director Abolghassem Rezaie to man a documentary about the disaster. When Golestan saw the black-and-white footage, he saw that the story held even greater potential and decided to produce his own version of the events – this time in colour.
Golestan’s brother Shahrokh filmed the process of putting out the conflagration, while the poet Forough Farrokhzad (so

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Jewels of the Earth: 3 Films by Ebrahim Golestan

Yek Atash (A Fire)
Ebrahim Golestan, Iran 1961, 25 min. Farsi with English subtitles, DCP (German premiere of a new restoration by Cineteca di Bologna)

Ganjine-haye Gohar (Crown Jewels of Iran)
Ebrahim Golestan, Iran 1965, 15 min. Farsi with English subtitles, DCP (German premiere of a new restoration by Cineteca di Bologna)

Kharman o Bazr (Harvest and Seed)
Ebrahim Golestan, Iran 1966, 30 min. Farsi with English subtitles, DCP

Ebrahim Golestan's life-long cinematic fascination with earth, water and fire found its earliest expression in Yek Atash, a film which became his first major international success. Golestan's brother, Shahrokh, filmed the process of putting out the conflagration, while the poet Forough Farrokhzad (who was soon to direct her debut The House Is Black) edited the film, combining her poetic sensibilities with Golestan's more symbolic approach.

In Ganjine-haye Gohar,as with his previous "commissioned"

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Yek atash

A look at Ebrahim Golestan’s oil documentaries, which also examine his collaboration with poet and filmmaker Forough Farrokhzad. In 1958, an oil well in southwest Iran caught fire. Abolghassem Rezaie, the son of one of the pioneers of Iranian cinema, made FIRE-FIGHT AT AHWAZ about the disaster. When Golestan saw the black-and-white footage, for which he wrote the narration, he saw that the story held even greater potential and decided to produce his own version of the events – this time in colour. Golestan’s version, A FIRE, proved to be his first major international success. It was edited by Farrokhzad, who combined her poetic sensibilities with Golestan’s more symbolic approach.

Farrokhzad also acted in COURTSHIP, a short made for Canadian television, in which Golestan demonstrates a marvellous ability with mise en scène, especially in his assured use of the camera. In the same year, Farrokhzad made THE HOUSE IS BLACK, set in a leper colony in northwest Iran. Celebrat