Live music by Mohamed Salah followed by a screening of Half Moon by Bahman Ghobadi.
Date: 29 May, 7:30 pm
Tickets: FREE
Link to RSVP
Address:
Maria Hernandez Park
Handball Court
Brooklyn, NY 11237
We’re delighted to partner with UnionDocs and Brooklyn Maqam for a night of live music and cinema rooted in the rich sonic traditions of the SWANA region. As part of the second annual New York Oud Festival, we’re honored to host a live musical performance by Mohamed Salah followed by a special screening of Bahman Ghobadi’s Half Moon.
The evening begins with a performance by Mohamed Salah as part of this year’s the Oud Festival, organized by Brooklyn Maqam—a collective dedicated to celebrating, preserving, and supporting new community-rooted SWANA musical traditions by bringing together established and emerging musicians, music learners, and audiences through concerts, jams, workshops, and more.
Following the performance, we will screen Half Moon, the lyrical, darkly comedic road film by Bahman Ghobadi. Set against the backdrop of Kurdistan along the mountainous borderlands of Iran and Iraq, Half Moon follows Mamo, an aging Kurdish musician determined to perform one final concert across the border. Accompanied by his ten music students and an overzealous bus driver, Mamo’s journey unfolds with mythic undertones—full of interruptions, premonitions, and the haunting presence of forbidden voices. As he insists on including Hesho, a female singer whose participation puts the entire voyage at risk, the film raises questions about visibility, voice, and the stubborn pursuit of beauty in the face of repression.
Together, the performance and film trace sonic geographies shaped by resilience and longing—reminding us of music’s role in not only expressing culture, but in sustaining it.
This event is free and open to all, inviting the ArteEast community, our neighbors, passersby, film lovers, and anyone curious to join for a festive evening under the stars!
