Echo in the Desert

Iranian artists strive for freedom, community, and the preservation of their cultural heritage in an abandoned caravanserai in the desert.

Documentary by Luca Schmid & Bianca Schellander (2024 / 25)

In the vastness of the Iranian desert, young artists strive for freedom, community and the preservation of their cultural heritage in a forgotten caravanserai. Under harsh conditions, they restore the historic building and dream of transforming the area into a geopark. “Echo in the Desert” accompanies their dreams and shows a world in which deep needs for expression and connection resonate in the emptiness of the desert.

The documentary Echo in the Desert accompanies this unconventional community over three months, bringing their history and the spirit of the Caravanserai to life. It’s a story of humanity, dreams, and the search for a place where one can be at home and be oneself. Echo in the Desert invites the audience to discover an alternative world in Iran – a world where people form a symbiosis with their environment, and the echo of deeper human needs for expression and connection resonates even in the emptiness of the desert.

  • Genre: participating, immersive Documentary
  • Film duration: 75 minutes
  • Language: English and Persian
  • Filmed between: October 2022 – January 2023
  • Finalization until August 2024