A BRIEF PEACE
Director: Ata Hayati
Crew:Producer: Katayoon Shahabi - Editor: Mastaneh Mohajer, Special thanks to Mohammad-Reza Moghaddasian, Mahnaz Mostafazadeh - Sound: Behrooz Shahamat - Music: Behrooz Shahamat
Sales:Katayoon Shahabi c/o Sheherazad Media International, 2, 3rd Sarvestan, Pasdaran St, Shariati Ave, Tehran 16619, Iran - T: +98 (21) 286 32 60/61 - F: +98(21) 285 89 62
Email:Katysha AT dpimail.net
Synopsis
Twenty years after the disappearance of the young Iranian Ali, his mother can finally bury him. He used to work for the air force and died as a martyr, she explains. She is not the only one who found her loved one after searching for years; many Iranians have only recently had the opportunity to identify their disappeared relatives. At a special cemetery, they are interred collectively. The mourners have had to wait in line to make a reservation for a tombstone, and one man even has the presence of mind to ask for a discount. Through a window, they watch how the corpses are wrapped in shrouds. In many cases, the only remnants are a weathered belt, an old shoe or some bones. The tombstones are meticulously engraved, complete with a portrait of the deceased, carved in stone. Contrary to the westerners who want to prolong their life, for the Orientals and specially the Muslims, death is the beginning of a new life and they embrace it. So there is also time for relaxation: people play a game of volleyball or watch a basketball game on TV. a brief peace presents the culture of death in Iran, depicts how close death and life, laughter and tears or sadness and happiness can be. The cemetery is a rendezvous, a picnic place, a play ground and a training place for the soldiers.
About the director
Born in Kermanshah in 1951, Ata Hayati is a graduate of cinematography from the College of Television and Cinema. He also holds an MA from Art University. As a photographer, Ata Hayati collaborated with television for many years. He has been the photographer and director of photography of many successful Iranian films, and directed two features.