Homa
Short Film, 2020
This short video essay focuses on the story of Ahmed Mohammadian the owner of Homa Rugs in downtown Seattle and an Iranian immigrant and father. The film depicts a story that is often left out of mainstream media and also addresses broader topics such as owning a small business as an immigrant, and how business and family can be so intertwined. This video essay also serves as a small window into bazaar culture in Iran and Iranian culture as a whole. Homa uses a combination of traditional documentary film work with avant garde techniques such as appropriated images and footage, vintage family footage, and mixed media art. These elements work together to weave Ahmed’s story together and illustrate that his story is one of many. The inclusion of the tea pouring shots serve to set the video essay in context while also giving the viewer another glimpse into an important aspect of Iranian culture. In addition to this I have juxtaposed the tea pouring with the busy Seattle street and then again with Tehran’s grand bazar with a multimedia channel display to explore the idea of a singular culture being able to exist differently in so many different kinds of spaces.