Beyond Words - 2003
Directed by Jahanshah Ardalan
Filmmaker Jahanshah Ardalan travels to Iranian Kurdistan to better understand his family's 1,000 years of documented history in the province. He soon gains permission to observe and capture on video the ceremonies of the Ghaderi Dervishes who reside in one of Kurdistan's oldest towns.
Color, 39 minutes, English/Kurdish
Cast
| All People Featured | As Themselves |
| Jahanshah Ardalan | Narrator |
| Stephen Scott | Khalifa's Voice Over |
Crew
| Writer | Jahanshah Ardalan |
| Director |
Jahanshah Ardalan |
| Producer | Jahanshah Ardalan |
| Director of Photography | Jahanshah Ardalan Nosratollah Ardalan Mahmoud Karimi Hakak |
| Editor | Jahanshah Ardalan |
Pictures
Ardalan returns to Iran for the first time since the revolution, he shoots "Beyond Words" over an eight-year period.
Ardalan first stop is his birthplace of Tehran, Azadi Square is as it was before.
The bus to Kurdistan has seen better days.
The Khalifa explains what is witnessed by Ardalan and his video camera.
Dafts played in unison help keep the rhythm of the ceremony.
Eating razor blades as a "delicacy" once the trance is achieved.
Self-flagellation before God.
Chanting in unison.
After motion, stillness.
Leaving the dervishes for the last time.
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