Movie Music Matchups | Grass: A Nation’s Battle for Life

  • Movie Music Matchups | Grass: A Nation’s Battle for Life Event Image

    Date

    Sunday, May 5, 2024
    2:00 pm - 3:15 pm
    In-Person

    Location

    Freer Gallery of Art
    Meyer Auditorium

Description

Live musical accompaniment by Kamyar Arsani

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In 1924, filmmakers Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack (who would later go on to make King Kong together) set off with Marguerite Harrison, a writer and occasional spy, to document the migration of the Bakhtiari people of what is now Iran. Twice a year, fifty thousand Bakhtiari and their half a million animals make the treacherous trek to seasonal pasture lands. The filmmakers captured harrowing images of strength and endurance as the Bakhtiari and their herds cross the raging, half mile–wide Karun River and scale the snow-covered, fifteen thousand–foot Zardeh Kuh mountain. Musical accompaniment will be provided by Iranian American musician Kamyar Arsani, a master of the traditional Iranian frame drum called the Daf. He will perform as part of a trio creating music inspired by Bakhtiari folk traditions. (Dir.: Merian C. Cooper & Ernest P. Schoedsack, United States, 1925, 72 min, DCP, English intertitles)

Musicians:

  • Kamyar Arsani: vocals, daf
  • Maya Renfro: violin, sound modulations
  • Kajwan Ziaoddini: santur

Film admission policy: Films are shown in the 300-seat Meyer Auditorium. Pre-registration (up to four tickets per person per film) is encouraged but not required. Seating is available on a first come, first served basis for patrons without tickets. 
Image credit: Grass courtesy of Milestone Films

EDAN ID

event:173233430