The House Is Black (1962)

Original title

خانه سیاه است

Directed by

Forugh Farrokhzad

Genre

documentary film

Country

Iran

Runtime

22 min

Rating

7.4 of 10 from 147 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

This documentary looks at the daily life of people living in a leper colony. It shows both their suffering and moments of beauty, with narration that mixes religious texts and poetry. The director made this as her only film and later adopted a child from the colony.

rawcontemplativepoeticintimatesomberstarkmeditativehumane

What happens

The House Is Black (Persian: خانه سیاه است) is an acclaimed Iranian documentary short film directed by Forugh Farrokhzad. The film is a look at life and suffering in a leper colony and focuses on the human condition and the beauty of creation. It is spliced with Farrokhzad's narration of quotes from the Old Testament, the Qur'an and her own poetry. The film features footage from the Bababaghi Hospice leper colony. It was the only film she directed before her death in 1967. After shooting this film she adopted a child from the colony, her son Hossein. In 2019, a restored print of the film was debuted at the Venice International Film Festival. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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