Bandar Band

In March 2019, 26 of the 31 Iran provinces flooded because of excessive rainfall. These tragic events, during which the houses of thousands of people, and even whole cities were completely flooded, form the background of the often light-hearted film Bandar Band from director Manijeh Hekmat. It is a road movie that takes us through Khuzestan Province in the southwest of Iran. The entire area is flooded. We follow Navid, Amir and heavily pregnant Mahla on their way to Teheran, where they want to compete with their band in a music competition that could skyrocket their career. Even though they face lots of obstacles and detours on their way, they keep being in high spirits and make their way to a brighter future in their newly acquired tour bus. Director Hekmat uses their journey through the country to observe the scenery, the uprooted societies and changes around them. It is almost completely seen through the windows of the bus in dimension 4:3.

Bandar Band is a tribute to the variety of Iranian sceneries and music. It is a deeply metaphorical film in which the water is a symbol for the harsh reality for the present-day Iranian artists. The water is filled with problems, but also with hope and it is constantly moving. More than half of the Iranian population is younger than 30 and these young Iranians crave a ‘normal’ life like the youth in other countries. But still the crippling international sanctions and economic malaise prove a hindrance for their dreams. In a metaphorical sense, they are confronted with closed off streets and broken bridges. An endless flooded landscape without any possibility of a way out seems like the perfect metaphor for a lot of present-day problems.