'The Song of Sparrows'
Movie of the month, Saturday, March 28th at 8.30 pm on UTV World Movies, sponsored by Vodafone
-- UTV World Movies, India’s pioneering international movie channel brings to you this March, a deep humanistic story set among society’s underprivileged “The Song of Sparrows”. The film stars Reza Naji, Maryam Akbari, Kamran Dehghan and Hossein Aghazi. Oscar nominated director Majid Majidi, creates a tale more resonant than most domestic children’s films and literary works covering the same ground.
Majid Majidi’s contribution to cinema is noteworthy, because his films reflect the expertise of the director to show philosophical truths in very simple situations that life bring. The most important feature of his films is that they do not dictate the rules of what it ought to be. His stories are like philosophical proverbs — they are told as a matter of fact and not as a matter of judgment.
Majidi begins his fable on an Iranian ostrich farm outside Tehran, where Karim (Naji) has just been fired for letting one of the flightless, long-necked birds escape into the hills. Unemployment couldn’t come at a worse time. His oldest daughter Haniyeh’s hearing aid has dropped into a sludge-filled pit outside their home and requires repair. In Tehran to fix the hearing aid, Karim is mistaken for a motorcycle taxi; an unforeseen opportunity he embraces in earnest because his fares pay cash. And lots of it.
Contributions from editor Hassan Hassandoust and sound recordist Yadollah Najafi also underscore the turmoil of the modern world. Grammy-nominated composer and musician Hossein Alizadeh, a master tar and setar player, provides the haunting score.
Song of Sparrows was selected as Iran representative for foreign film in 81st Academy Awards. It won the Best Actor Silver Bear award at the 2008 Berlin International Film Festival for the brilliant performance of its lead actor, Reza Naji. It was also nominated for the US Golden Globe award for the Best Foreign Language Film among 53 foreign competitors.
So tune in to witness one of World’s most brilliant Iranian film, “The Song of Sparrows” Saturday, March 28th 2009 at 8.30 pm only on UTV World Movies, sponsored by Vodafone.