Director’s Note
In Saraab I was trying to illustrate the surreal in-between-space in a poetic way. Two completely different filming locations embodied the dual feelings. Employing four elements of body, music, camera and editing assisted me to visualise my subtle inner observations. Saraab, being my first screen dance filmmaking experience, I had an overview of how I want it to be visualized but I left room for intuition. Thus, I have choreographed a small chain of movements that I performed in both locations. While the moves were similar, their realizations were completely different according to the atmosphere of each location.
Each location inspired me in two ways: first, to create site-specific movements. Then, triggered some editing ideas, which were not preplanned. This was while clever moves of the camera by Sumedha Bhattacharya enabled the overall theme to be visualized best.
In conversation with Negin Zomorrodi, Iranian contemporary music composer, we decided to use three of her pieces, make a collage in line with the film’s narrative. Her music was an element, highlighting the emotional experience of viewing Saraab.