Synopsis
The Holy Wedding captures on film a ritual that is said to be a thousand years old or even more. According to tradition, Pir-e Shalyar was a renowned Zoroastrian priest, who lived in the old Huramane Takht village sometime in the VIII century. Legend has it that the deaf and mute princess of Bukhara was sent to his home by her father, the king. As the girl approached the holy man’s abode she was magically cured. So the thankful king decided to marry his daughter to him. Now, more than a thousand years later, the Pir-e Shalyar wedding festivity is held annually in the Uraman Takht village of Iranian Kurdistan. Although it is referred to as a wedding, in essence this ritual is a ceremony during which Kurds pray to God, make sacrifices, play the daf, Sama dance and prepare a special soup.
Farhad Varahram
Born in 1948 in Borujerd, Farhad Varahram is a famed Iranian filmmaker, recognized for his striking ethnographic documentary films. Since 1974, Varahram has produced and directed over 50 documentary films, among which The Holy Wedding (1996) and The Blacks of Southern Iran (2013). His cinematic work has been honored with screenings and awards across the world, including in Iran, Austria, Germany, Canada, France, Russia and Armenia in 2016 within the frames of the 2nd Apricot Tree IDFF.
Selected Filmography
Bazaar in Ardahal (1986), Waterhouse (1987), Taraz (1988), The Holy Wedding (1996), Memory and Memorial (2001), Sky (2007), The Blacks of Southern Iran (2013), Nobody (2015), Zeinat's Son's Wedding (2018), Ojaq Navaz (2024).
