Asia Society at the Movies: Dingomaro

Since his Internet hit, “Bad Shans” (hard luck), Hamid Said has become one of the most famous African-Iranian musicians in Iran. He travels by motorbike across the province of Hormozgan, situated in the south of the country on the Persian Gulf, in order to realize his dream of organizing a concert with the best Black musicians in the country.

Besides Persians, Indians, Arabs, and Europeans, the province of Hormozgan, known as Iran’s “Black South,” has been influenced primarily by the descendants of slaves and merchants from Africa.

In Dingomaro, filmmaker Kamran Heidari accompanies Hamid Said as he attempts to make his dream come true. He must overcome numerous hurdles along the way: Hormozgan’s landscape, which is as inhospitable as it is breathtaking; traveling from the coast over rugged mountains to the desert, the African spirit rites; and the resistance of his wife, who is completely against his plan.

Join Asia Society at the Movies for a weekend-long screening of Dingomaro.

The film is presented as part of So You Think You Know Iran, a six-film series presented throughout April, featuring documentaries from Iran that invite audiences to discover a lesser-known view of the country.

How to Watch the Film

Beginning April 22 at 5 p.m. New York time until April 25 at 5 p.m. New York time, Dingomaro will be available to stream online via Eventive, with a 24-hour viewing window once the screening has started. Register now.

Beyond the viewing window listed above, Dingomaro is available to watch with a Docunight subscription.

Dingomaro
Iran | 66 minutes | 2013

Genre: Documentary
Director: Kamran Heidari
Language: Persian
Subtitles: English

This program is presented by Asia Society Museum and Asia Society Southern California as part of a series titled Asia Society at the Movies.

Screening event courtesy Docunight
Docunight launched in 2014 as a monthly screening featuring Iranian documentaries in North America, and expanded to twenty-five cities by 2020. After screenings were stopped due to the pandemic, Docunight transitioned into a streaming platform with the goal of becoming an online library for documentaries from or about Iran. Docunight recently expanded its collection to include documentaries about Afghanistan as well. To date, Docunight has about 200 films with new documentaries added each week.

Docunight is an initiative undertaken by the Kiarostami Foundation, a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit based in California.

Asia Society at the Movies
Asia Society at the Movies is a series of film screenings and conversations showcasing a broad range of films and filmmakers from across Asia and the Asian diaspora. Asia Society at the Movies celebrates established and emerging voices, contemporary films and classics, and documentaries. The series builds on Asia Society’s long and rich history of film programming. This initiative also serves to deepen understanding of Asian cultures—a core part of Asia Society’s mission since its creation. Learn more about the Asia Society at the Movies initiative.

About Asia Society Museum
Asia Society Museum presents a wide range of traditional, modern, and contemporary exhibitions of Asian and Asian American art, taking new approaches to familiar masterpieces and introducing under-recognized arts and artists. The Asia Society Museum Collection comprises a traditional art collection, including the initial bequests of Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd, and a contemporary art collection. Through exhibitions and public programs, Asia Society provides a forum for the issues and viewpoints reflected in both traditional and contemporary Asian art and in Asia today.

About Asia Society Southern California
Established in Los Angeles in 1985, Asia Society Southern California (ASSC) is ideally situated at the gateway to the Asia-Pacific region. ASSC has played a pivotal role through creative programs and activities in increasing shared knowledge, enhancing dialogue, and furthering cultural exchanges transcending regional boundaries. As part of the global Asia Society, which was founded more than 60 years ago in New York City, ASSC has launched many creative initiatives and programs addressing current issues of importance across the fields of the arts, culture, policy, business, and education.