Gabbeh

Not reviewed at press time. This Iranian film is a poetic fable about the remote and nomadic Ghashghai tribe whose members weave carpets called gabbeh, which have intricate patterns that serve as a record of their history and family stories. Makhmalbah is a political and often controversial filmmaker, but Gabbeh finds him in a more fanciful and contemplative mood. The film was originally intended to be an anthropologically inclined documentary but the subject matter began to take on a life and story of its own as the mystical power of art and the grandeur of nature worked their magic.