SYNOSPIS

When filmmaker Tara Aghdashloo’s work made her an exile from her native Iran, she was cut off from her already distant father, a famously charismatic, self-absorbed artist. Now, Tara must find a way to get to know, and confront, her celebrated patriarch, Aydin Aghdashloo. CHIAROSCURO is about a daughter driven to face the man who defined her complex past, so she can be free to live her own future. 

Aydin is a first-generation Iranian whose parents migrated from Azerbaijan to escape the Bolsheviks. He became a household name as an artist before the Iranian Revolution. Having lost everything — including almost his life — in the bloody aftermath of the revolution, Aydin remained in Iran, and slowly re-emerged into the spotlight, rising to the heights of the international art scene. It’s in this context that the filmmaker, having moved to Canada with her brother and mother at 14, pieces together her father’s story. We journey to Tehran where Aydin lives, to London where Tara lives, to Toronto where they became immigrants, and to the small village of Aghdash in Azerbaijan in search of Aydin’s roots. This literal and metaphorical journey examines how family bonds affect us, even in their absence. CHIAROSCURO begins as an intimate portrait of one of Iran’s most influential artists, unravels into a search for a father’s heart and a maestro’s attempt to forge his legacy in his daughter’s eyes.

TARA AGHDASHLOO

Tara Aghdashloo is a writer and director born in Iran. Her broadcast work has appeared on BBC, Channel 4, and Manoto TV, while her essays and articles have been published in The Guardian, Real Life, The New Inquiry, TANK, Ibraaz, and more. Most recently she has focused on independent filmmaking, directing music videos, fashion films, and promos, and is currently in preproduction for her first narrative short. Tara is a member of Women in Film and Television and has completed a filmmaking course with director Mohsen Makhmalbaf.

CREDITS

Written, directed and produced by Tara Aghdashloo; edited by Babak Salek; executive produced by Mahyad Tousi; original score by Amir Konjani; edit consulting by Ilaria Fraioli. Cinematography by Gelareh Kiazand, Hamid Ahmadi, Joyce Wong. Sound edit by Ben Goodall, animation and graphics by Kajart Design and Production, colour grade by Pooya Kooshanezhad. Produced by t.a studios, in association with BoomGen Studios and Panchroma Studios.

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