Voices of Bam

After the earthquake in Iran that almost wiped away the historical city of Bam, it took quite some time before the repairs started. What was done meanwhile was collecting the remains of what once was a society. Photographer Parisa Damanden initiated the Bam Photographic Rescue Project, which aimed at archiving all photographs and negatives that were found. Some of these pictures formed the basis of the poetical documentary Voices of Bam, for which inhabitants of the city were filmed during their daily activities in lives they resumed after losing goods, chattels and beloved ones. They do so with an imposing casualness and zest. Their thoughts are heard in voice-over with the sometimes heartrending but at the same time gorgeous images. Despite the intimacy of the scenes (a sleeping family in a room, people watching a photo of their deceased parents), the camera remains at an appropriate distance, registering but never obtrusive. (Nederlands Film Festival)