CULTURE

Amazing Isfahan – Paradise in the Heart of Iran

2018

52' (ENG, GER), 45' (GER)

Take a look at this natural beauty. Isfahan – the Florence of Persia, the blue pearl of Iran.

The city in the heart of Iran is the most charismatic city in the country and often uttered in the same breath as Bagdad, Constantinople or Cairo. The former capital of the Persian Safavid Empire has long since lost the status of cosmopolitan city, but it still radiates a cosmopolitan charm of which the inhabitants are extremely proud. With its Iranian and Persian national consciousness, Isfahan emits a form of comeliness that attracts people near and far. Following the 30-year-old carpet dealer Shanty as he tries to establish a business for himself and his fiancée Nina, we discover the soul of the city with mesmeric shots, intimate portraits and true to life portrayals of daily life.

For 120 years his family has been dealing with noble Persian carpets, but Shanty dreams of a modern coffee shop, driven by a youthful eagerness to experiment and with passion for the new. In the cozy little espresso bar on the city’s famous Imam Square Shanty’s barista conjures up the best créma in Isfahan while Pink Floyd, The Grateful Death and Led Zeppelin boom from the loudspeakers; nothing new in Berlin or Paris but almost revolutionary here. In intimate pictures, we accompany the youngest son of an old Isfahan family through his bulging everyday life and see how many young Iranians try to unite the culture and traditions of their country with the present.

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Facts

Original Title

Der Teppichhändler von Isfahan - Eine alte Tradition wird neu gelebt
Year

2018
Length

52' (ENG, GER), 45' (GER)
Resolution

HD
Film by

Sebastian Kentner
Produced by

Autentic, IRIB, ZDF, arte