ReFocus: The Films of Sohrab Shahid Saless. Exile, Displacement and the Stateless Moving Image

An Iranian immigrant struggling to integrate into 1970s German society, the filmmaker Sohrab Shahid Saless (1944–98) has become a neglected figure in discussions of diaspora cinema. In this – the first English-language book to reflect on his work and its implications for creativity in the diasporic conditions of urban displacement – a range of international scholars provide a comprehensive account of Shahid Saless’s films and production methods.
Outlining his affinity with celebrated directors like Chantal Akerman and Abbas Kiarostami, as well as visual artists like Romuald Karmakar, the contributors firmly position Shahid Saless as a filmmaker who speaks forcefully to the traumas of displacement and migration.