The Real Me film is the nucleus of Sassan Behnam Bakhtiar’s renowned The Real Me series. Its juxtaposition of ancient culture and historical artefacts with modern media and filmmaking techniques offers the viewer a new perspective, an alternative vision of a country and its historical legacy - a vision the artist hopes can remind its audience of the beauty and relevance of Persian culture.
The Real Me film incorporates contemporised traditional Iranian music and lyrical poetry written and narrated in Farsi by the artist. The viewer is taken on a journey to the core of a national identity, exploring the emotional and cultural significance of the forgotten gems of Iranian heritage: Persepolis, Darius the Great, Kashan, Abyaneh and the Persian Empire - their role, their meaning, purpose and influence on the past and the present.
The narration in Farsi, and the striking contrast between the monochrome images of ancient architectural gems set against vividly coloured traditional tapestry convey to the viewer a deeply felt sense of place, a national identity that is at once personal and universal.
The film has been created in collaboration with Goldsmiths, University of London’s Computer Science department. Sound and animation by Diego Fagundes.
