Koffar (Infidel)

Finding Romanistan - The London International Gypsy Film Festival in association with the Iran Heritage Foundation.

Just outside Behshar, a city located in Mazandaran, Northern Iran, the Godars or Chulehs, a group of gypsies of Indian descent, make their home. The Godars, who number around three thousand households in this region, are musicians and performers. Koffar (Infidels), directed by Bahman Kiarostami, is the first filmic record of the Godars, their lives, and their efforts to maintain the independence of their culture. Most Godar men play an instrument called the dotar, and some play other instruments--one of the most famous living ethnic kamancheh players, Taghi Katuli, is a Godar. Chuleh women sing and perform. The performances focus on religious themes, often centering on the rituals associated with death and mourning. Godar do not find work easily--the men are sometimes invited to play at Muslim weddings, but this happens less and less frequently. They are very poor. Still they maintain their commitment to their art and to their age-old rituals, customs, and language. To survive they have taken up hunting wild boar, which they sell to non-Muslims. Because they have resisted conversion to Islam, they are ostracized and sometimes persecuted, which has made their existence more difficult and tenuous. In Koffar (Infidels), the Godar tell the ancient tales of their heritage, sing songs, and speak out about their poverty and disenchantment. This is an extremely rare glimpse into the art, lives, and livelihood of the Godars, whose culture may one day disappear in the tide of global cultural homogenization. The film features an original score by Reza Derakshani, a musician featured in the two-part documentary Kamancheh-Kesh.

Iran (2003), Persian and English with English subtitles, 40mins, Director: Bahman Kiarostami, Producer: Butimar Productions, Marjaneh Moghimi.

6.50 GBP / 4.50 GBP concs.

For directions to Genesis Cinema, see 'Genesis Map' on the left column of this page.

The screening of Koffar (Infidel) is part of the Finding Romanistan, the London International Gypsy Film Festival, which takes place from 16 to 30 March 2005. For more details about the festival see www.ligff.org.uk. The film is screened together with two other films (The Sorrow of Black Gold and No Man is a Prophet in his Own Land) in one session.