The extraordinary early silent masterpiece made in 1925, GRASS, will be screened at the Castlemaine Documentary Festival accompanied by a live-music performance.
GRASS is testament to the sheer forces of nature and the human spirit as we witness the annual migration of the nomadic Bakhtiari tribe across Iran with half a million animals.
This classic adventure film by the makers of King Kong is cited as one of the greatest documentaries of all time.
In 1924, filmmakers Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack hooked up with journalist and sometime spy Marguerite Harrison and set off to film an adventure.
They found excitement, danger and unparalleled drama in the migration of the Bakhtiari tribe of Persia (now Iran).
Twice a year, more than fifty thousand people and half a million animals surmounted seemingly impossible obstacles to take their herds to pasture.
The filmmakers captured unforgettable images of courage and determination as the Bakhtiari braved the raging and icy waters of the 800 metres wide Karun River.
Cooper and Schoedsack almost froze when they filmed the breathtaking, almost unbelievable, sight of an endless river of men, women and children – their feet bare or wrapped in rags – winding up the side of the sheer, snow-covered rock face of the 4500-metre-high Zardeh Kuh mountain.
Few people have actually ever seen this legendary silent masterpiece that is sure to astonish today’s audiences with its beautiful photography and heart-stopping adventure.
It will be accompanied by a live music score by ZÖJ – a Ballarat-based duo featuring the exquisite voice of Gelareh Pour, playing the Persian kamancheh, and Brian O’Dwyer on drum-kit.
Details and tickets at cdocff.com.au.