Experience a landmark of early documentary cinema reimagined through live music with Grass: A Nation’s Battle for Life, featuring a specially composed score by Iranian-Australian duo ZÖJ.
Presented by Castlemaine Documentary Festival in partnership with RMIT University, this special event brings the legendary 1925 silent film back to the big screen. Directed by Merian C Cooper and Ernest B Schoedsack, who later created King Kong, the film follows the extraordinary seasonal migration of the Bakhtiari people across the rugged mountains of western Iran in search of pasture for their animals.
Performing live alongside the screening, ZÖJ, featuring kamancheh virtuoso and vocalist Gelareh Pour and percussionist Brian O’Dwyer, blends Persian musical traditions with contemporary experimental sound. Their evocative score responds to the movement and rhythm of the migration, transforming this historic film into a powerful cinematic and musical experience nearly a century after its release.
