A Simple Happening, Reminiscent of Sohrab Shahid Saless
January 4, 1999 - 0:0
TEHRAN Some 25 years ago, an important event happened in Iran's cinema. Reputation of Sohrab Shahid Saless, a young Iranian director, went beyond Iran's borders after he directed the film A Simple Happening, through which he reflected international honor on the Iranian cinema. Nowadays that every body talks about progress in the Iranian cinema, it is a good opportunity to commemorate this veteran filmmaker whose bright and surprising appearance in cinema was the greatest achievement of the Iranian cinema during the last 25 years.
An achievement which was the outcome of his humble and honest but attractive films portraying the people's every day life. In his films, deep feelings of a fisherman's son, an old switchman and a Turk laborer in Germany could easily be conveyed without restoring to words and dialogues. Although these films contain short dialogues, they are able to convey the irresistible emotional sufferings and loneliness of man.
The following is a life sketch of Saless, who died on July 5, 1998. Shahid Saless, born in 1944 in Tehran, was eduacted in Austria and France in the field of filmmaking. He started filmmaking in late 1960s and directed 22 documentary and short films. He directed A Simple Happening when he was working on short films. Direction of this film made Shahid Saless the focus of attention.
Still Life, his persuasive and praiseworthy film, helped him enter the circle of international filmmakers. For the direction of this film, the prize of the best director and Berlin Festival's Silver Bear were awarded to him. Shahid Saless left Iran for Germany in 1974 due to the suffocating situation dominating the motion-picture industry in Iran at that time. In his last interview in Chicago, he said, Filmmaking is not concerned about language and race.
Cinema is an international language. I had to leave Iran at that time, and language of cinema was in my pocket at the time of my departure. I left Iran when shah was ruling over the country. They had made life very difficult. Probably I could have made films of higher quality if I were living in Iran. He employed common people in his films to maintain realism.
His simple films may give the impression that filmmaking is a simple job. But it should be considered that this simpleness has some unique qualities. Shahid Saless himself said in this regard, Cinema at present cannot be a story-teller. A Simple Happening' was aimed at depicting the reality, showing the life of those who are not heros but are very naive and common.
He can be called the pioneer of Iran's realistic and noncommercial cinema who promoted this kind of cinema and then passed away. After 23 years of living in Germany, he left for Canada and then moved to the U.S., where he lived until the end of his life in 1998. Shahid Saless directed several films abroad. Time of Maturity, Memories of a Lover, Long Holidays, Discipline<170>, The Last Summer, Chekhov: A Life, Willow Tree, Hans, a Young Boy From Germany, Utopia, Anonymous Receiver, Destroyer Adopted Child and Rose Flowers for Africa are among his films directed abroad.
An achievement which was the outcome of his humble and honest but attractive films portraying the people's every day life. In his films, deep feelings of a fisherman's son, an old switchman and a Turk laborer in Germany could easily be conveyed without restoring to words and dialogues. Although these films contain short dialogues, they are able to convey the irresistible emotional sufferings and loneliness of man.
The following is a life sketch of Saless, who died on July 5, 1998. Shahid Saless, born in 1944 in Tehran, was eduacted in Austria and France in the field of filmmaking. He started filmmaking in late 1960s and directed 22 documentary and short films. He directed A Simple Happening when he was working on short films. Direction of this film made Shahid Saless the focus of attention.
Still Life, his persuasive and praiseworthy film, helped him enter the circle of international filmmakers. For the direction of this film, the prize of the best director and Berlin Festival's Silver Bear were awarded to him. Shahid Saless left Iran for Germany in 1974 due to the suffocating situation dominating the motion-picture industry in Iran at that time. In his last interview in Chicago, he said, Filmmaking is not concerned about language and race.
Cinema is an international language. I had to leave Iran at that time, and language of cinema was in my pocket at the time of my departure. I left Iran when shah was ruling over the country. They had made life very difficult. Probably I could have made films of higher quality if I were living in Iran. He employed common people in his films to maintain realism.
His simple films may give the impression that filmmaking is a simple job. But it should be considered that this simpleness has some unique qualities. Shahid Saless himself said in this regard, Cinema at present cannot be a story-teller. A Simple Happening' was aimed at depicting the reality, showing the life of those who are not heros but are very naive and common.
He can be called the pioneer of Iran's realistic and noncommercial cinema who promoted this kind of cinema and then passed away. After 23 years of living in Germany, he left for Canada and then moved to the U.S., where he lived until the end of his life in 1998. Shahid Saless directed several films abroad. Time of Maturity, Memories of a Lover, Long Holidays, Discipline<170>, The Last Summer, Chekhov: A Life, Willow Tree, Hans, a Young Boy From Germany, Utopia, Anonymous Receiver, Destroyer Adopted Child and Rose Flowers for Africa are among his films directed abroad.