"The Calender of Longing" screened at SOAS conference
The participants of a 3-day conference titled: Communicating with the Persian Speaking World were treated with a few good films. These included screening of a film from Tajikistan: “Calendar of Expectations” (2005) and a Q&A session with the Director: Safarbek Soliev "The Calender of Longing" provides several illustrations of how people pass on their present in the hope and anticipation of what the future would bring for them. The film is set in Tajikistan's high mountain district of Nurabad and is a realistic reflection of how people go about their lives amidst tough terrain, harsh climate and severe shortages. The film provides a snapshot of the melting pot nature of the Tajik society its roots in the past and the changes being experienced in the present times. The film's central character, Samad, a elderly villager is collecting wood for a coffin so that his soul could rest close to his roots. This matters vital for him as his grand father died on the front in...