Cinema—The Ballad of Tara

# The Ballad of Tara + Marjan + Introduction

The Ballad of Tara (Cherike-ye Tara) is Beyzaie’s finalpre-revolutionary feature. As the film prepared for its premiere, the revolution intervened and the film was abruptly banned. Never screened in Iran, it can now be seen for the first time in London in a brand-new restoration.

Tara, a strong-willed widow, encounters an ancient warrior spirit in the forest near her village. The ghostly figure pursues her relentlessly, trying to steal a sword she inherited from her father.
Finding himself in love with Tara, the warrior becomes barred from returning to the realm of the dead.
The screening is preceded by a short fragment from Shahla Riahi’s Marjan (1956), the only surviving material from the first Iranian feature film directed by a woman.

Buy your ticket:
https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2026/event/masterpieces-of-the-iranian-new-wave-the-ballad-of-tara

We will have a discussion about the films at Barbican’s café.

Introduced by season curator Ehsan Khoshbakht. Join me on:
English reading club: www.meetup.com/persian-culture
Spanish reading club: www.meetup.com/gaia-libros
French reading club: www.meetup.com/gaia-livres
Instagram @persian_culture_