IRAN'S ARROW
A film by Shahin Armin and Sohrab Daryabandari
78 min | 2016 | Iran
THURSDAY, 7 PM, 23 FEB
Everest Theatre, Fraser Town, Bengaluru
Entry for delegates only. Passes available at the venue.
Synopsis
On the spring of 1967 when the first Paykan rolled off the assembly line on the outskirt of Tehran, no one thought this car could be produced for 38 years or could have such an impact on a whole nation. Iran’s Arrow (Persian Title: In Paykan) features numerous talking heads who share a common interest for the country’s emblematic car, ranging from historical to sociological analyses, from technical to artistic expertise and from sheer passion to a complicated love-hate relationship. It uses rare archive footage, as well as a large collection of vintage photos, to document the history of Paykan, the way it’s been perceived throughout the years, and its links with Iran’s major historical and sociological landmarks, such as the white revolution, the industrialization, the rise of the middle class, the revolution, the war, and the economic and social mutations of the post-war era.
Older Paykan owners – including official and unofficial taxi drivers- testify of the fundamental role it played and still plays in their everyday life, as a means of transport, a source of income, and sometimes an achievement in itself. A number of Paykan enthusiasts, most of them from the younger generation, are being interviewed about their very special relationship with the car they grew up with. The film also documents the decline of the Paykan, while showing how it is still very much alive in the culture and memory of the country, notably through interviews with artists who use Paykan as the medium or the subject of their art.
On the spring of 1967 when the first Paykan rolled off the assembly line on the outskirt of Tehran, no one thought this car could be produced for 38 years or could have such an impact on a whole nation. Iran’s Arrow (Persian Title: In Paykan) features numerous talking heads who share a common interest for the country’s emblematic car, ranging from historical to sociological analyses, from technical to artistic expertise and from sheer passion to a complicated love-hate relationship. It uses rare archive footage, as well as a large collection of vintage photos, to document the history of Paykan, the way it’s been perceived throughout the years, and its links with Iran’s major historical and sociological landmarks, such as the white revolution, the industrialization, the rise of the middle class, the revolution, the war, and the economic and social mutations of the post-war era.
Older Paykan owners – including official and unofficial taxi drivers- testify of the fundamental role it played and still plays in their everyday life, as a means of transport, a source of income, and sometimes an achievement in itself. A number of Paykan enthusiasts, most of them from the younger generation, are being interviewed about their very special relationship with the car they grew up with. The film also documents the decline of the Paykan, while showing how it is still very much alive in the culture and memory of the country, notably through interviews with artists who use Paykan as the medium or the subject of their art.
About the filmmakers
Sohrab Daryabandari is a Tehran based professional photographer and filmmaker whose 25 year-long career has been stretching between almost all areas of expertise in analog and digital photography. His work has ranged from journalistic, commercial, and artistic to architectural and industrial photography, which later lead him to editing as well as industrial, artistic and documentary filmmaking.
Shahin Armin is an automotive design-engineer and a lifelong Paykan expert. Born in Tehran, and a car enthusiast before he could even talk or walk, he moved to the US in his twenties and worked for the US car industry for 13 years (Chrysler, Michigan and Honda America, Ohio). Iran's Arrow is a result of his many years of extensive research into the history of this car, his experiences interacting with his fellow Paykan enthusiasts, and his comprehensive understanding of the car’s impact on Iranian society.
Sohrab Daryabandari is a Tehran based professional photographer and filmmaker whose 25 year-long career has been stretching between almost all areas of expertise in analog and digital photography. His work has ranged from journalistic, commercial, and artistic to architectural and industrial photography, which later lead him to editing as well as industrial, artistic and documentary filmmaking.
Shahin Armin is an automotive design-engineer and a lifelong Paykan expert. Born in Tehran, and a car enthusiast before he could even talk or walk, he moved to the US in his twenties and worked for the US car industry for 13 years (Chrysler, Michigan and Honda America, Ohio). Iran's Arrow is a result of his many years of extensive research into the history of this car, his experiences interacting with his fellow Paykan enthusiasts, and his comprehensive understanding of the car’s impact on Iranian society.