The story of a blind dervish named Bab'Aziz and his spirited granddaughter, Ishtar. Together they wander the desert in search of a great reunion of dervishes that takes place just once every thirty years. With faith as their only guide, the two journey for days through the expansive, barren landscape.
Cinematography
Sand dunes that look like sculpted gold and melted honey.
Score
Nacer Khemir's own music—weaves silence and Sufi tradition.
Direction
Khemir's patient eye treats time as a character.
Director
Nacer Khemir
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Part of Khemir's 'Desert Trilogy,' this Tunisian-Iranian-French co-production defies Western narrative structure—it's structured like Sufi poetry, not Hollywood three-act.
Golshifteh Farahani (Nour) would later be banned from Iran for appearing in a Hollywood film; her performance here already carries that future exile's ache.
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