1 / 8
ERA
Did you know
Released 12 years ago.
MoodPlayr · trivia#01
Desert Dancer
"Be Brave. Be Bold. Be Free."
2014 1h 38m EN
👍
6.9
SOLID
🥫
31%
ROTTEN
😬
49
METACRITIC
⭐
6.2
IMDB
★6.9TMDB · 53🥫31%Rotten Tomatoes●49Metacritic★6.2IMDB · 2,049
DramaMusic
Synopsis
Spoiler shield
Inspirational true story of Iranian dancer Afshin Ghaffarian, who risked his life for his dream to become a dancer despite a nationwide dancing ban.
“Be Brave. Be Bold. Be Free.”
Cast
Freida Pinto
Elaheh
Reece Ritchie
Afshin Ghaffarian
Tom Cullen
Ardavan
Nazanin Boniadi
Parisa Ghaffarian
Marama Corlett
Mona
Akin Gazi
Farid Ghaffarian
Simon Kassianides
Sattar
Makram J. Khoury
Mehdi
Credits
Behind the camera
- Director
- Richard Raymond
- Writers
- Jon Croker
- Languages
- English
- Countries
- Morocco, Romania, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom
Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.
Did you know?
Fun facts 🍿
2 / 8
WORLD
Did you know
International production across 4 countries: Morocco, Romania, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom.
MoodPlayr · trivia#02
3 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Directed by Richard Raymond, shot by Carlos Catalán. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
MoodPlayr · trivia#03
4 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Original score by Benjamin Wallfisch. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
MoodPlayr · trivia#04
5 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Editor Chris Gill shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
MoodPlayr · trivia#05
6 / 8
CAST
Did you know
Freida Pinto and Reece Ritchie and Tom Cullen carry the top of the cast.
MoodPlayr · trivia#06
7 / 8
ERA
Did you know
Marketing tagline: "Be Brave. Be Bold. Be Free.".
MoodPlayr · trivia#07
8 / 8
WILD
Did you know
IMDB entry: tt2403393 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
MoodPlayr · trivia#08
Cinephile deep dive
The take
Richard Raymond directs. Carlos Catalán behind the camera. Benjamin Wallfisch scores. Chris Gill cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Morocco, Romania, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.
Trivia
Things worth knowing
- 1Released 12 years ago.
- 2International production across 4 countries: Morocco, Romania, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom.
- 3Directed by Richard Raymond, shot by Carlos Catalán. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
- 4Original score by Benjamin Wallfisch. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
- 5Editor Chris Gill shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
- 6Freida Pinto and Reece Ritchie and Tom Cullen carry the top of the cast.
- 7Marketing tagline: "Be Brave. Be Bold. Be Free.".
- 8IMDB entry: tt2403393 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
- 9Only 53 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
The technical file
- Cinematography
- Carlos Catalán
- Original score
- Benjamin Wallfisch
- Editing
- Chris Gill
- Production design
- Shahram Karimi
- Costume design
- Louise Stjernsward
- Makeup / hair
- Morag Smith
- VFX supervisor
- Ben Shepherd
- Runtime
- 98 min · 1h 38m
- Status
- Released
- Original language
- EN
- Certification (US)
- PG-13
- Rotten Tomatoes
- 31% 🥫 Rotten
- Metacritic
- 49/100
- IMDB rating
- 6.2/10 · 2,049 votes
- MPAA
- PG-13
- US box office
- $155,271
Awards
2 nominations
Also by
Richard Raymond
Trailers & featurettes
Watch the pieces
Production companies
Who made it
- MA
May 13 Films
Head Gear Films
GB
Lipsync Productions
GB
- MO
Morocco Film Assistance
CrossDay Productions
GB
Key crew
- Second Unit Director of PhotographyBjørn Ståle Bratberg
- Executive ProducerMohammed Al Turki
- ProducerLuis Astorquia
- ProducerFabiola Beracasa Beckman
- ProducerPippa Cross
- ProducerIzabella Miko
- ProducerRichard Raymond
- EditorChris Gill
- EditorCelia Haining
- CastingManuel Puro
- Production DesignShahram Karimi
- Art DirectionAlistair Kay
- Costume DesignLouise Stjernsward
- Assistant Art DirectorAbdellah Baadil
- Costume SupervisorDana Schondelmeyer
- ChoreographerAkram Khan
- Music SupervisorIain Cooke
- Music SupervisorIan Neil
- GafferRaimon Bufí
- First Assistant CameraLotfi El Gorda
- First Assistant CameraBen Oliver
- Steadicam OperatorThomas English
- Rigging GafferAbderrahim Bissar
- Visual Effects ProducerPaul Driver
Themes & keywords
What it's about, really
- dance
- ban from profession
- biography
- teheran (tehran), iran
- iran
- oppression
Release history · US
When it landed
- Theatrical2015-03-20PG-13
