'Aras, the Roaring River': A Narrative of History, Nature, and Life Along a Border River / Documentary Cinema: A Cultural Opportunity for Exports, Not a Threat
At a Q&A session for the documentary 'Aras, the Roaring River,' held at the Cinematheque hall of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Hadi Afarideh discussed the film's production challenges, its multifaceted portrayal of the Aras River, the state of documentary cinema in Iran, and the use of symbols and the role of audience imagination in understanding a documentary's meaning.
According to the reporter of Arya's Heritage, the documentary film "Ares, the Roaring River" by Hadi Afrideh was screened on Tuesday evening on October 21, 1405 at the Cinematheque hall of the Museum of Contemporary Arts, and after the screening of this 70-minute documentary, a question and answer session was held with the presence of the filmmaker and Frank Arta, the head of the Cinematheque and the secretary of the meeting.
Juniper; Beyond an environmental documentary
At first, Hadi Afrideh said about choosing Aras River as the subject of the film: I usually examine cultural and environmental issues with a social approach, and for this film I wanted to make an environmental film that is not just an environmental film.
According to him, the path of research and film production gradually revealed the historical, social and environmental dimensions of Aras; Especially the life of the people who live on the banks of this river.
Referring to the fact that Aras is one of the few big rivers in Iran that still flows, Afrideh expressed his concern about the consequences of damming upstream of this river in Turkey and the possibility of damage to its life.
Three years of production between ineffective licenses
Pointing out that the production of the film started about three years ago and its filming was done in East Azarbaijan, West Azarbaijan and Ardabil provinces, the director of "Ars, Rood Khoroshan" talked about the production difficulties and explained: despite receiving numerous permits, the film crew faced implementation obstacles many times and even in some cases, the border guards detained the group.
Afrideh stated that no one takes us documentary makers by the neck and no one accepts the permission of another device, adding: about 80% of the film was filmed secretly and from the sides of trees and boxwoods; Even though the project has received the financial support of the Center for the Development of Documentary and Experimental Cinema, almost the only organization that helped was the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, and the border guard of Ardabil province also supported the group in the production process.
research; From geography to people's lives
Afride considered the research as one of the most important stages of making the film and said: After the initial studies, I traveled to the region to review the locations and expanded my research, because the written studies are not always consistent with the realities of the day in the region. I tried to work with a monographic approach and present a comprehensive picture of the region by examining a climate from different cultural, social and environmental aspects; The method that was of interest in the thirties to the fifties and Mehrdad Bahar was one of the prominent people who worked in this field.
The director of the movie "Ars, the Roaring River" also explained: Unlike my previous works, in this documentary I minimized the use of archival images and tried to place the dramatic burden of the narrative on the shoulders of the film's narrator.
The first-person narration of Aras River; From nature to characterization in documentary cinema
About choosing the first-person narrative from the Aras river and the importance of narration in documentary cinema, Afrideh mentioned the collaboration with Shabnam Moghadami in this film and said: My goal was to create a closer feeling between the audience and the river, and I tried to make the narrator, Aras, a living and understandable character for the audience. The narrator of the documentary should not only read the text, but should give character to the narration and strengthen its dramatic dimensions.
The formation of a common language between the director, cameraman and editor; Three sides of the documentation triangle
This director said about the collaboration with Reza Timuri, the documentary film maker of "Ares, Rood Rood", he said: He is definitely one of the most prominent film makers in the field of documentary and from the generation of analog cinema. He knows the medium of documentary cinema very well, especially in the field of anthropological cinema, due to the fact that he has been working in this field for more than thirty years. When you work with him, you are never satisfied and we have reached a common language during the 15 years we have worked together.
He believes that in making a successful documentary, the director, the cameraman and the editor all play an authorial role and the final quality of the work is formed by the interaction of these three sides of the triangle.
Juniper; The passage of history and the connection of cultures
Afride said that the making of many of his films started from travel and added: I have been and am interested in the history and geography of this region, the Aras region has witnessed important geographical changes, wars and historical transformations in the past four centuries and is still culturally and economically important. This area has also been a meeting place of different cultures and ethnicities, including Armenians.
Referring to his conversations with the villagers of the region, the director of "Ars, Rood Khoroshan" added: Some Turkish-speaking Iranian residents, under the influence of political, social and economic conditions, thought that they would have a better life by migrating to the other side of the border. But some of these experiences have led to disappointment.
documentary cinema; A bridge for cultural dialogue and getting to know each other
Afride emphasized: In a situation where the country needs a cultural dialogue, it is better to get to know each other more through such films before the political dialogue.
Criticizing the economic situation of this area, the director of "Kariz Qaseh Ab" said: Instead of being considered a cultural and historical opportunity, this cinema in Iran is sometimes seen as a threat. Iran has a high capacity to transform documentary cinema into a cultural industry and even export to other countries, but the lack of effective support and cultural perspective in the management of this field has prevented the exploitation of this capacity.
storks, waves and fire; Narration with symbolic and contemporary signs
Afride explained about the use of repeated images of storks in the film: these birds are both part of the region's ecosystem and play a dramatic role in the narrative; It is as if they move along the river from the beginning of the journey to the end of the film and finally appear above the Caspian Sea.
He also mentioned trying to find visual equivalents instead of using archival documents and images and added: Because of not using image archives, I tried to find symbolic examples and contemporary equivalents.
Symbols and signs, a window to the audience's imagination
Referring to the sequences related to Lieutenant Kathiri's island, the director of "Ars, Rood Khoroshan" continued: He is a national hero and I thought if we don't want to use the photo of the military card and existing documents, how can we show Lieutenant Kathiri. During the filming days, I saw a teenage boy swimming in rough waves, and although he wasn't in my decoupage, I thought his resistance to rough waves could be an interesting symbol.
According to Afrideh, in another scene, the burning of fields in the Karabagh region refers to an image of wars, destruction and transformations.
In the end, this director explained: His goal is not only a direct representation of reality, but he wants to create a space for the audience's imagination by using visual signs and symbols so that he can participate in completing the meaning of the film.