Desert Dancer
| Desert Dancer | |
|---|---|
 film poster | |
| Directed by | Richard Raymond |
| Produced by |
|
| Written by | Jon Croker |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Benjamin Wallfisch |
| Cinematography | Carlos Catalan |
| Distributed by | Relativity Media |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 98 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $6 million |
Desert Dancer is a 2014 biographical film directed by Richard Raymond. It tells a true story of a young, self-taught dancer in Iran, Afshin Ghaffarian, who risked his life for his dream to become a dancer despite a nationwide dancing ban.[1]
Plot
Set in Iran, the story follows the ambition of Afshin Ghaffarian. During the volatile climate of the 2009 presidential election, Afshin and some friends (including Elaheh played by Freida Pinto) risk their lives and form an underground dance company. The group learned the dancing from videos of Michael Jackson, Gene Kelly and Rudolf Nureyev even though the online videos are banned. Afshin and Elaheh also learn much from each other and learned how to embrace their passion for dance and for one another.[2]
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Reece Ritchie | Afshin Ghaffarian |
| Freida Pinto | Elaheh |
| Nazanin Boniadi | Parisa Ghaffarian |
| Tom Cullen | Ardavan |
| Marama Corlett | Mona |
| Simon Kassianides | Sattar |
| Akin Gazi | Farid Ghaffarian |
| Tolga Safer | Stephano |
| Makram Khoury | Mehdi |
| Joshan Ertan | Voice of Young Afshin |
Filming
Richard Raymond who is making his full-length debut and is working with acclaimed choreographer Akram Khan, whose work featured in the Olympic opening ceremony at London 2012. Richard Raymond is producing the film through his May 13 Films banner. Freida Pinto undertook an intensive training schedule for the role that comprised eight hours of dance rehearsals every day for 14 weeks.[3] Photo call for the film was held at the Palais des Festivals during the third day of the 65th annual Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France on Friday May 18, 2012.[4][5] Relativity Media has acquired North America distribution rights to the film [6] at 2013 American Film Market.[7]
Release
Desert Dancer premiered in Germany on July 3, 2014.[8] It opened the Ischia Global Film and Music Fest in Ischia, Italy on July 13, 2014.[9] The film premiered in Hong Kong on August 28, 2014 and in the United States on April 10, 2015.[10]
References
- ↑ "Interview with Afshin Ghaffarian | Cat On The Wall Webzine". Catonthewall.net. Retrieved 2013-01-09.
- ↑ "Desert Dancer". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
- ↑ Published Saturday, Oct 13 2012, 01:07 BST (2012-10-13). "Freida Pinto: 'Dance training for Desert Dancer was daunting' - Bollywood News". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2013-01-09.
- ↑ "65th Cannes Film Festival - Desert Dancer Photocall - Cannes Film Festival 2012: Stars step up red carpet style on day 2". NY Daily News. 2012-05-18. Retrieved 2013-01-09.
- ↑ "Freida Pinto at Desert Dancer photocall at the Cannes Film Festival". Pinkvilla. Retrieved 2013-01-09.
- ↑ Dave McNary (2013-11-09). "AFM: Freida Pinto’s ‘Desert Dancer’ Picked Up by Relativity (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
- ↑ Douglas, Edward (2013-11-10). "Relativity Picks up Desert Dancer, Starring Freida Pinto". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
- ↑ Vorgestellt von Katja Nicodemus. "Drama: "Wüstentänzer" | NDR.de - Kultur - Film". NDR.de. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
- ↑ "Cannes: 'Desert Dancer' to Open Ischia Global Film & Music Fest". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
- ↑ "Desert Dancer (2014) Release Info". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
External links
- Desert Dancer at the Internet Movie Database
- Desert Dancer at Starland.pro
- Desert Dancer at Publikart.net