Songs of Hope

Documentary about Kayhan Kalhor. Link TV.

A half-hour documentary about Kayhan Kalhor, the great Iranian kamancheh (spike fiddle) player, composer and founding member of the Silk Road Ensemble, and his emergence as an activist for the Iranian democracy movement. It was produced for the Link TV series, "Rappers, Divas & Virtuosos: New Music from the Muslim World." Production began in NYC during Silk Road rehearsals, continued in Iran after Kayhan returned home, then finished back in NYC at a pro-democracy benefit concert called "Songs of Hope" given by Kayhan and tombak player Behrouz Jamail at Symphony Space. During this period Kayhan was under increasing scrutiny by Iranian authorities and at one point had his passport confiscated at the airport before a planned trip. He and his wife subsequently left Iran to live in the US.