Docunight #34 [Toronto]: Six Centuries, Six Years

Six Centuries, Six Years
Directed by Mojtaba Mirtahmasb
2014 / 82 Mins
Persian with English Subtitles

Six Centuries, Six Years portrays the endeavors of a group of Iranian master musicians who are trying to locate, restore and record a repertoire of compositions attributed to Abd al-Qadir Maraghi, a prominent composer who lived six centuries ago and greatly influenced the Middle Eastern classical music. During their six-year journey, the group is finally able to reassemble a major portion of these ballads by sifting through manuscripts and other documents deeply buried in the annals of Iranian and Turkish art history. This film follows these musicians as they rediscover forgotten music that deepens the roots of our music as far as six centuries.

Mojtaba Mirtahmasb, born 1971, graduated from Art University of Tehran in 1995. The following year, he directed his first documentary film titled “Banner”, one part of the 52-part series titled “Children of Iran”. Since then he has made about 30 documentary films, including This Is Not A Film, 2011 (with Jafar Panahi), Lady of the Roses, and Back Vocal (last two have been screened at Docunight). He joined Iranian Documentary Filmmaker’s Association (IRDFA) as a member in 1998. From 2004 to 2010, he served as a member of the board of directors of IRDFA for three consecutive terms and one term as the chairman of the board of directors. He has collaborated with prominent Iranian directors such as Parviz Kimiavi, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Ebrahim Mokhtari and Rakhshan Banietemad.