No Land’s Song

U.S. Premiere

Q&A with Ayat Najafi and Sara Najafi

The Islamic revolution of 1979 banned female singers from appearing in public in Iran. They are no longer allowed to perform solo, except to all-woman audiences. Recordings of former icons can only be bought on the black market. But Sara Najafi is determined to refresh the cultural memory by roaming Tehran in the footsteps of famous singers of the 1920s and 1960s. She is about to revive the female presence as she courageously plans an evening of Iranian and French soloists to rebuild shattered cultural bridges—a concert that is not allowed to take place. For two-and-a-half years, director Ayat Najafi follows the preparations between Tehran and Paris that are always touch and go. What's still possible? What goes too far? Sara’s regular meetings with the Ministry of Culture shed light on the system’s logic and arbitrariness, though officials there can only be heard and not seen. Can intercultural solidarity and the revolutionary power of music triumph? A political thriller and a musical journey, No Land’s Song never loses sight of its real center: the female voice.