Looking for Oum Kulthum

2017 1h 30m AR

😐

6.0

MID

★6.0TMDB · 6

Music

Synopsis

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A film within a film, "Looking for Oum Kulthum" is the plight of an Iranian woman artist/filmmaker living in exile, as she embarks on capturing the life and art of the legendary female singer of the Arab world, Oum Kulthum. Through her difficult journey, not unlike her heroine's, she has to face the struggles, sacrifices and the price that a woman has to pay if she dares to cross the lines of a conservative male dominated society.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Neda Rahmanian
Yasmine Raeis
Mehdi Moinzadeh
Qais Nashif

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Shirin Neshat
Writers: Shoja Azari, Ahmad Diba, Shirin Neshat
Languages: Persian, English, Arabic
Countries: Qatar, Germany, Austria, Italy, Lebanon, Morocco, France

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 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

90 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 9 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Persian, English, Arabic.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 7 countries: Qatar, Germany, Austria, Italy, Lebanon, Morocco, France.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Shirin Neshat, shot by Martin Gschlacht. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Nadia ben Rachid shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Neda Rahmanian and Yasmine Raeis and Mehdi Moinzadeh carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Shirin Neshat directs. Martin Gschlacht behind the camera. Nadia ben Rachid cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Qatar, Germany, Austria, Italy, Lebanon, Morocco, France. Dialogue in Persian, English, Arabic.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

190 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Released 9 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Persian, English, Arabic.
4International production across 7 countries: Qatar, Germany, Austria, Italy, Lebanon, Morocco, France.
5Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
6Directed by Shirin Neshat, shot by Martin Gschlacht. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Editor Nadia ben Rachid shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Neda Rahmanian and Yasmine Raeis and Mehdi Moinzadeh carry the top of the cast.
9IMDB entry: tt6281148 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 6 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.