Gabbeh is a stunningly colourful and profoundly sentimental tribute to the elements of beauty, nature, love and art. Mohsen Makhmalbaf traveled to the distant and remote mountain valleys of south western Iran with the purpose of documenting the lives of a nearly extinct nomadic clan. These roaming clans had been crafting Gabbehs for many centuries, which were both an artistic expression and an autobiographical account of the weavers’ life and nomadic lifestyle. Enchanted by the exotic landscape and captivated by the tales surrounding the Gabbehs, Makhmalbaf’s documentary project evolved into a fictional love story. The tale utilizes a Gabbeh as a magical storytelling tool that seamlessly blends fantasy and reality, interweaving elements of the past and present.
On the banks of a stream, an old woman and her husband are washing their Gabbeh. From this carpet comes forth a beautiful young woman – also named Gabbeh – who shares her epic tale: she is desperately in love with a mysterious horseman who follows her clan. Though her father has agreed to let her marry the man, season after season, the horseman follows Gabbeh—always present, always waiting, singing songs of love after nightfall.
This sweet love story is connected to the lives of nomadic people who live close and in sync with nature. Those who instinctively express the joys and sorrows of life through song, poetry, and the tales they tell in their brilliantly-hued woven products.
Mohsen Makhmalbaf is an Iranian director, writer, and producer. He is known as one of the most influential filmmakers and founders of the new wave of Iranian cinema in the world today.Makhmalbaf has made numerous critically-acclaimed films, including Salam Cinema (Cannes 1995), Time of Love (Cannes 1995), Gabbeh (Cannes 1996), A The Silence (Venice 1998), Tales of Kish (Cannes 1999), Kandahar (Cannes 2001), Scream of the Ants (Montreal 2007), and The Night of Zayandeh-Rood (Venice 2017). He is the recipient of more than 60 international awards from some of the most prestigious film festivals across the world.
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