Melody (2023 film)

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Melody
Promotional release poster
Directed byBehrouz Sebt Rasoul
Written byBehrouz Sebt Rasoul
Produced byBehrouz Sebt Rasoul
StarringDiman Zandi
CinematographyAli Mohammad Ghasemi
Edited byBehrouz Sebt Rasoul
Music byFouad Samiei
Production
company
Distributed byDreamLabFilms
Release date
September 2023 (Tajikistan)
Running time
85 minutes
CountriesTajikistan
Iran
LanguagePersian

Melody (Persian: ملودی; Tajik: Мелодия, romanized: Melodiya) is a 2023 Tajik-Iranian mystery drama film written, directed, produced and edited by Behrouz Sebt Rasoul.[1] It's about the music teacher Melody who wants to compose a heartfelt piece for children fighting cancer, using the sound of 30 birds.[2] The film was selected as the Tajik entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards,[3] though it did not appear on the final list.[4] The movie Melody selected at the 54th International Film Festival of India and will have its first international screening in the Cinema of the World section.[5][6] The movie Melody was selected in the 21st Chennai Film Festival and will be screened on December 14–21.[7][8] [9] The movie Melody was selected in the 24th Keswick Film Festival united kingdom february 29-march 3, 2024 competition section.[10][11][12] The movie Melody was selected in the 42th Fajr International Film Festival 2024 Iran country.[13] The movie Melody was selected in the 23th ImagineIndia Int’l Film Festival, Madrid – Spain.[14][15]

Dance scene

Plot[edit]

At a children's cancer center, Melody teaches music to 30 children. He wants to compose a piece of music using the sounds of 30 different birds. A simple task, but when they only find 20 birds, Melody accompanied by Mango, a mute housekeeper, will embark on an old singer who knows where the rest of the birds that are being hunted are.[2] This is a collaborative effort of the state-owned Tajikistan broadcaster, TV Safina and directors's own film company in Tehran, Nama Film.[16]

A scene from "Mango" in the movie Melody

Cast[edit]

The actors participating in this film are:[17]

  • Diman Zandi as Melody
  • Alireza Ostadi as Old Singer
  • Meghdad Eslami as Mango
  • Safar Hakadodov as Groom's father
  • Zulfiya Sadikova as Groom's mother
A scene of feeding a parrot in Melody movie

Critical reception[edit]

Melody has been well received among The Union of Cinematographers of Tajikistan and officially submitted in the Best International Feature Film category. Melody is Tajikistan's 3rd film to be submitted in Oscars after 18 years and third submission overall.[18] Sadullo Rahimov , the film critic, FIPRESCI member, Doctor of Philosophy, professor, said about Melody: Recently, I have watched with great interest the new Tajik-Iranian film "Melody" by a very talented Iranian filmmaker, Behrouz Sebt Rassoul, who is also a producer of this film in cooperation with Nosir Saidov (Tajikistan). The film was produced by "Namafilm" (Iran) and TV "Safina" (Tajikistan) in 2023. The film cast consists of Tajik and Iranian actors. The film surprised me with an unusual presentation of the material. It is being built in a complex language, similar to many other art films. The author is searching for expression of the language for his idea throughout the film. Till the very end, it feels eternally unfinished. Bearing in mind the principles of using incompleteness in classical Japanese graphics, this incompleteness intrigues the viewer to seek, together with the author, the form and means of finding the realization of the idea. This penetrates the audience's mind for creative thinking. At some point, the main character and the viewer find themselves in a difficult situation, and it seems that there's no way out. But the persistence of the heroine again and again brings her and the viewer into a state of search. So, what is this film about? Melody is a young female musician who teaches music to children with cancer. She is passionate about trying to instill in children a love of nature, especially songbirds. She plays to children a musical sketch of the singing of one of the birds, which makes them excited, and they ask her to complete the cycle of music with songbirds' melodies. She comes to the village where she was born, to her grandfather's house. Of and begins to persistently seek and record the sounds of songbirds. There is a servant of her grandfather, the mute Mangu, who still lives in the empty house. Together, they walk around the village searching for the birds. The recording collection is growing, but it's still not enough. Mangu says that only a certain old hermit singer can help her to find the missing birds. Then suddenly, Mangu dies in an accident. In desperation, Melody goes to the old hermit for help. She struggles to get the old man's consent to teach her how to communicate with birds. In the process of hard work of recording and listening to songbirds, only 29 birds can be collected. And she cannot find and record the 30th bird in any way. Melody is in despair. The old man tells her to stay up all night to hear the bird at dawn. Melody falls asleep and does not find the old man in the morning. She finds him at the barn, surrounded by sick children wearing holiday clothes.[19] 

International feature saite

“I must go where the birds are free.”

Melody is the International Feature submission for Tajikistan. Written and directed by Behrouz Sebt Rasoul, the film takes place in a care centre for children with cancer. The thirty children who are patients at this facility have asked their teacher, Melody, to compose a musical piece using the sounds of thirty different birds. In order to finish this project, she goes back to her home village to record the birds living in that area.

As Melody’s reunited with her mute caretaker, Mango, of their family home, they both work together to record twenty birds. Struggling to find the remaining ten, they seek out an old villager who lives alone in a remote part of her hometown. They need his help to find the remaining birds in order to finish the composition that her students so desperately want to hear. But along that journey, Melody begins to learn a life long lesson.

Melody is an effortless, yet powerful message about the intricate bond between humans and animals. It’s a beautiful, quiet story about one’s quest to finish a project, against all odds, but in that process, to become a different person. The music is the heart and soul of the film

As the film progresses, it delicately portrays being one with nature. It gives us an immediate feeling of peace and calm. It involves letting ourselves become absorbed with the natural world. Nature can be a place where we can sit and reflect on life’s meaning, away from the distractions and demands of our regular lives. It allows for us to hear birds, even the most difficult ones to find, in order to create an eternal melody, not only from their voices, but to understand what goes on inside them.

Melody is a confident directorial debut for Behrouz Sebt Rasoul. You must be like them first, and then become a human.[20]

Director & Producer

Release[edit]

before being released commercially in September 2023 in Tajikistani cinemas.[21] International sales are being managed by France's Dreamlab Films.[22]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Iranian director's "Melody" represents Tajikistan for Oscar 2024". EciEco. Retrieved 2023-09-02.
  2. ^ a b "Iranian director's "Melody" represents Tajikistan for Oscar 2024". Tehran Times. 2023-08-06. Retrieved 2023-09-02.
  3. ^ "'Melody' chosen to represent Tajikistan for 2024 Oscars". DreamLab Films. 2023-08-10. Retrieved 2023-09-02.
  4. ^ Pond, Steve (2023-10-30). "89 Films Enter International Race at 96th Academy Awards". The Wrap. Retrieved 2023-10-31.
  5. ^ "Iranian directors represent six countries at International Film Festival of India". tehrantimes. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
  6. ^ "سفر "شهربانو" و "ملودی" به جشنواره‌های هندی". mehrnews (in Persian). Retrieved 2023-11-19.
  7. ^ "Highlights of 21st Chennai International Film Festival – Press Meet Stills". chennaivision. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  8. ^ ""سونسوز" به جشنواره حقوق بشر می‌رود/ "ملودی" در هند". mehrnews. Retrieved 2023-11-25.
  9. ^ "Chennai International Film Festival hosting eight Iranian movies". tehrantimes. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
  10. ^ "Films". keswickfilm.org. Retrieved 2023-12-26.
  11. ^ "Festivals". dreamlabfilms. Retrieved 2023-12-26.
  12. ^ ""Melody", "Maman" to go on screen in Keswick film festival". tehrantimes. Retrieved 2024-01-28.
  13. ^ "2024 Fajr Film Festival announces international lineup". tehrantimes.
  14. ^ "Melody (Behrouz Sebt Rasoul) Iran/Tajikistan. Official Section". imagineindiafestival.
  15. ^ "Iran's Melody to go on screen at ImagineIndia festival". tehrantimes. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
  16. ^ Yossman, Elsa Keslassy,Leo Barraclough,Patrick Frater,John Bleasdale,John Hopewell,Naman Ramachandran,Nick Vivarelli,K J.; Keslassy, Elsa; Barraclough, Leo; Frater, Patrick; Bleasdale, John; Hopewell, John; Ramachandran, Naman; Vivarelli, Nick; Yossman, K. J. (2023-09-11). "International Oscar Race: Israel Picks Ayelet Menahemi's 'Seven Blessings,' Armenia Selects Michael A. Goorjian's 'Amerikatsi'". Variety. Retrieved 2023-09-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  17. ^ "Melody". DreamLab Films. 2023-05-12. Retrieved 2023-09-02.
  18. ^ "Tajikistan enters 'Melody' as third ever submission in international Oscar race". IMDb. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  19. ^ "Critique Reception". namafilmco. Retrieved 2023-12-26.
  20. ^ "FILM REVIEW". International-feature .com.
  21. ^ "داستان فیلم ایرانی در اسکار ۲۰۲۴ چیست؟". خبرآنلاین (in Persian). 2023-08-14. Retrieved 2023-09-02.
  22. ^ Rosser2023-08-10T09:34:00+01:00, Michael. "Tajikistan enters 'Melody' as third ever submission in international Oscar race". Screen. Retrieved 2023-09-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

External links[edit]

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