Iran Is My Land is about a young Iranian writer, Sohrab, who has written a hefty tome about classic poetry. To get the necessary licence to publish, he has to visit the Ministry for Islamic Art and Education in Teheran. Halfway there his car breaks down in the desert. Overcome by hunger, thirst and fatigue, all kinds of poets from former times appear to him. Each of them has different advice about how Sohrab should continue on his way. Poetic wisdom, the hedonism of Khayyam, practical wisdom from Sa’adi and the mysticism of Molavi, rain down on him on his roundabout way to the city. When he is very close to his final destination, in the grubby corridors of the Teheran metro, he finally shakes off the poets. But will Sohrab still be able to publish his book, now he has been physically subjected to the poetic wisdom? In this lyrical fairy-tale – an idiosyncratic lesson in Iranian poetry – Parviz Kimiavi did not just choose poetry as a subject, but also as a form. His multifaceted film looks at all kinds of controversial Iranian questions such as the position of women in Islam, censorship, drinking wine and atheism in the guise of holy poetry. Kimiavi, who studied in France, proves with this masterful film that poetry can bridge the gap between tradition and modern life.
