Lots of insightful action on my last post regarding a few films about Iran that we think you should see…. We had a few of our readers give some great suggestions for other works to check out. One–might I add powerfully haunting–film  in particular can be viewed in two parts on YouTube.

The film is titled The House is Black or Khaneh Siah Ast and runs about 22 minutes. The film, a short documentary by Iranian poet Forugh Farrokhzad, interweaves a voice-over mixing quotes of scripture from both the Koran and the Old Testament with some of Farrokhzad’s own work against visuals shot in an Iranian leper colony detailing the human suffering found within. This short exemplifies the running thread of humanistic realism that can be found in much of the cinematic work that has come from Iran over the years—and this one in particular is considered a fountainhead film for Iranian cinema in general. Sadly, this was the only piece of filmic offering that Forugh bestowed upon the world, as she passed away in a car accident about five years after its production.

Shout out to twitter user @smilebluemonday for the suggestion! On that note, don’t forget to follow TakePart on twitter: @TakePart

To see the film click here for part one, and here for part two

Enjoy…