John Baily's film `Amir' conveys an unusual sensibility ... The film would certainly make a good point of departure in seminars on ethnographic/ethnomusicological films, as well as being a fine contribution to two neglected fields of study: the music of Afghanistan and the musician as exile. Let us hope that one day the film will stand as historic footage of a brief moment in the history of Afghan music. M. Slobin
52 minutes Colour 1986
Film maker: John Baily
This film investigates and portrays the life of Afghan refugees living in and around the city of Peshawar in northern Pakistan through the experiences of the musician Amir. The aspirations of Afghan refugees are expressed through their political songs dealing with the civil war in Afghanistan, with exile, with Afghan nationalism and with the Islamic revolution. In highly charged and tragic circumstances music can be used in very direct ways, both to promote solidarity and as an agent of catharsis. Amir brings that musical power to the viewer.
The city of Peshawar serves as the urban centre for the male refugee population, where men go to look for work, to buy and sell goods, for recreation and for religious purposes. The principal subject of the film, Amir, is a professional musician who learnt his musical skills as an orphan in Herat, a city in western Afghanistan with strong musical traditions. Music is considered suspect in Islam and fundamentalist Afghan religious leaders had prohibited it in the camps where the majority of refugees live. In exile Amir took up residence in the musicians' quarter of Peshawar and worked in a band as the player of the rubab, a plucked lute, a national instrument of Afghanistan.
Amir, and the band of which he is a member, perform for both Pakistani and Afghan patrons and play political music as well as the romantic music of the past. Through following some of his daily activities, visiting a shrine, negotiating with patrons and socialising with friends and colleagues, we gain an insight into what it means to be an Afghan refugee. We also gain insight into Amir as a person. The depth of rapport that this film achieves with its principal character, together with the impressive cinematography (by Wayne Derrick who was then a student at the National Film and Television School), make this film a joy visually, musically and intellectually. Amir would make an excellent contribution to courses in music, anthropology, refugee studies, and multi-cultural studies.
John Baily made this film during his training as an ethnographic film-maker as a Leverhulme Film Fellow at the National Film and Television School. He had come to know Amir earlier when carrying out ethnomusicological research in Herat between 1973 and 1977. The film was awarded the Special Jury Prize at the Cinquiéme Bilan du Film Ethnographiqueme Bilan du Film Ethnographique 1986 in Paris, and the Award for Excellence at the 1989 American Anthropological Association Film and Video Festival. A study guide to accompany the film is available from the RAI Film Officer, price £2.00. Catalogue numbers, (16mm): 5RA147 £18; (VHS):RA/VHS147 £8.
J. Baily, 1988. Music of Afghanistan: Professional Musicians in the City of Herat. In J. Blacking (series ed.) Cambridge Studies in Ethnomusicology. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
J.Baily, 1990. The Making of Amir:An Afghan Refugee Musician's life in Peshawar, Pakistan. A study Guide to the Film. Royal Anthropological Institute, London.
V. Doubleday, 1988. Three Women of Herat. Jonathan Cape, London.
P. English, 1973. `The Traditional City of Herat'. In L. Carl Brown (ed.) From Medina to Metropolis: Heritage and Change in the Near Eastern City. The Darwin Press, Princeton.
D. Mull and J. Mull, 1989. Review of the film. American Anthropologist, Vol. 91, 836-38.
H.L. Sakata, 1983. Music in the Mind. Kent State University Press, Ohio.
M. Slobin, 1988. Review of the film. Ethnomusicology, Vol. 32, No.1, pp. 161-62.
H. Zemp, 1988. Review of the film. Yearbook for Traditional Music, Vol. 20, pp. 257-60.
If you are interested in hiring or purchasing this film please contact the Film Officer.
