Song of God with Director Talkback and Performance by Wen Zhao

Dir. Aref Mohammady, 2018, documentary, 60 min, rated E*

Join us for an evening of film, live music, and conversation exploring the connections between music, culture, and spirituality. We begin with a performance from Wen Zhao on the pipa — a Chinese string instrument closely related to the tanbūr, which plays a central role in the film Song of God.

Song of God follows Iranian-Canadian filmmaker Aref Mohammady as he travels to western Iran on a mission to discover more about Ghadamyar, a Kurdish 120-year-old spiritual master and tanbūr player. Amidst rugged landscapes, Mohammady unearths the ancient teachings of Ghadamyar’s faith known as Yarsanism and its relationship to the mysterious and meditative tanbūr.

Be sure to stay after the film for a talkback session with Mohammady about his quest to connect to his homeland and experience spiritual awakening.

Song of God was associate produced by the Aga Khan Museum, and this screening is part of our 2019/20 season, Listening to Each Other, which pays tribute to the role of the performing arts in preserving culture, spurring social change, and celebrating diversity.

*Exempt: contains material not subject to classification such as documentaries, nature, travel, music, arts and culture, sports, and educational and instructional information, according to the Motion Picture Association – Canada.