Deyzangeroo

Many cultures have viewed the lunar eclipse as a powerful reminder of the Day of Judgment. People chant prayers, sing songs and recite poetry, all in an effort to communicate with nature and the cosmic forces in the sky. They ask for forgiveness or understanding, as they yearn for what they fear is lost.

“Deyzangeroo” is one such ritual, performed in the Iranian port city of Bushehr, on the shores of the Persian Gulf. The distinctive percussive music, rhythmic chants and tribal dances—an echo of the city’s colonial rule by the British and Portuguese, and the African slaves that followed—are performed with reverence, fear and magic.

The ritual is believed to ward off evil spirits and take back the moon. And it works every time…

The animated short Deyzangeroo is the embodiment of this ritual. Directed by Iranian-Canadian filmmaker Ehsan Gharib and produced by the National Film Board of Canada’s Maral Mohammadian, the four-minute film employs hand-painted animation, time-lapse photography and trick photography using mirrors. Deyzangeroo was inspired by and features the haunting music of composer and virtuoso percussionist Habib Meftah Boushehri.