Fado in Dashti
Rain is Possible Chapeter II
BY MOJTABA DAVIJANI
A Resonance So Far, So Close
One night, Vahid — an old friend of mine — called me. He wanted to create a collaborative performance with a cellist and asked for my thoughts on the poster and cinematography of the project. At first, it seemed like a simple musical collaboration. But the encounter between the setar and the cello awakened something in me that later became the core of this film.
The setar is deeply rooted in Iranian history and culture: a light, quiet, solitary instrument. An instrument small enough to be hidden beneath a robe, its sound never meant to travel beyond the walls of a room. It is, by nature, an instrument of intimacy and solitude — made for closeness and interior spaces.
The cello, in contrast, was born for accompaniment and resonance. With its deep and expansive sound, it can embrace an ensemble and fill an entire hall with its presence.
For me, this contrast was never only about two instruments. It placed two musical histories, two different ways of living, and two cultural pasts face to face. One instrument seemed born not to be heard too far away; the other was made to resonate across large spaces.
Original title
Fidio In Dashti
Country
Portugal-Estonia
Length
40 min
Original language
Persian, English,Portuguese
Produced by
Mojtaba Davijani
Co-Produced by
Vahid Rasouli
With the support of
-
Format
5.1, 24 fps
Shooting format
Digital 4K/Color
Screen ratio
16:9
Rain is Possible Chapeter FADO IN DASHTI
Rain Is Possible began as a cinematic reflection on how human beings remain connected in times of uncertainty. Across its chapters, the project explores sound, silence, memory, and the fragile spaces where dialogue can still emerge.
Fado in Dashti follows Vahid, an Iranian PhD student living in Coimbra, Portugal, as he prepares a small musical performance alongside a cellist. Through rehearsals, everyday encounters, and quiet moments between cultures, the film observes music not simply as performance, but as a space for listening, recognition, and self-understanding.
The project is rooted in a personal interest in the emotional experience of migration — the subtle and often invisible process of redefining oneself far from home. Rather than approaching identity through direct explanation, the film searches for these questions through sound, presence, and shared human moments.
Visually and structurally, the film moves between intimacy and distance: private rooms and public spaces, silence and resonance, unfamiliarity and recognition. In this world, music becomes more than a language; it becomes a way of existing beside others without needing complete translation.
Fado in Dashti is part of the ongoing cinematic series Rain Is Possible, a body of work exploring how fragile forms of connection continue to survive across borders, memories, and uncertain times.
