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<i>This edition of THE HOUSE IS BLACK
was made at the initiative of Cinema magazine,</i>

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<i>with authorization from the film's
producer, Ebrahim Golestan.</i>

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<i>The copy used is from the Oberhausen
International Short Film Festival,
developed from the original negative.</i>

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<i>Some elements were completed
using a copy from the French Cinematheque.</i>

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THE HOUSE IS BLACK

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There is no shortage
of ugliness in the world.

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If people closed their eyes to it,
there would be even more.

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But man knows how to solve
any problem.

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On this screen, you will witness
a picture of ugliness,

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a picture of suffering, which
no sensitive soul should ignore.

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To remove this ugliness,
to relieve those who bear it,

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and to comfort the afflicted...

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this is what motivated
the making of this film.

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Translation and subtitles:
kephasmnc

15
00:01:41,784 --> 00:01:45,384
Lord, I praise You...

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for having created me.

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Lord, I praise You...

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for having created my mother
who cares for me

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and my father full of kindness.

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Lord, I praise You for the water that flows
and for the trees that bear fruit.

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Lord, I praise You for having given me
hands to work,

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eyes to see
the wonders of the world

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ears to hear
beautiful melodies

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and feet to go wherever I wish.

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Who is this that from hell
praises You, Lord?

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Who is this from hell?

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Thursday...

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Friday...

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Saturday...

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00:03:28,908 --> 00:03:30,810
Sunday...

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Monday...

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Tuesday...

33
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- Wednesday...
- October.

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- Thursday...
- November.

35
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- Friday...
- December.

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- Saturday...
- January.

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- Sunday...
- February.

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- Monday...
- March.

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Tuesday...

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Wednesday...

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Thursday...

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Friday...

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Saturday...

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- Sunday...
- September.

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- October.
- Monday...

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- November.
- Tuesday...

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- December.
- Wednesday...

48
00:04:15,925 --> 00:04:18,026
- January.
- Thursday...

49
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- February.
- Friday...

50
00:04:21,225 --> 00:04:23,427
- March.
- Saturday...

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April.

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- Sunday...
- May.

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Monday...

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Tuesday...

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Wednesday...

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Thursday...

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Friday...

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I will sing praises
to Your name, O Eternal One!

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I will sing praises to Your name
with the ten-stringed harp

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00:04:49,733 --> 00:04:54,434
because You created me
in a wonderful way.

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My bones were not hidden
from You when I was made,

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I was formed
in the depths of the earth.

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In Your book, all
my members were written.

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And Your eyes, O Lord,
saw me in the womb...

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Your eyes saw my embryo...

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<i>I will see spring no more
but my words will remain.</i>

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<i>One day, the heavens departed from me
and I awoke in this asylum.</i>

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<i>I departed. With my heart in sorrow.
I am sad tonight, my brothers.</i>

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Leprosy is a chronic
and contagious disease.

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Leprosy is not hereditary,
but it is contagious.

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Leprosy can be found
anywhere and everywhere.

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Leprosy
is accompanied by poverty.

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When attacking the body,
it deepens and widens wrinkles,

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devours tissues,

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covers nerves
with a withered shield,

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dulls sensitivity
to heat and touch,

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blinds the eyes,

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corrodes the nasal septum,

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finds its way to the liver
and bone marrow,

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withers fingers,

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and opens the way
for other diseases.

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Leprosy is not incurable.

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Treating lepers prevents
the disease from spreading.

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Where lepers are cared for
in an appropriate manner,

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the disease disappears.

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When leprosy is treated in its early
stages, it can be completely cured.

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Leprosy is not incurable.

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O generous God, grant
Your benevolence to our supplications.

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You are the Supreme over men
and spirits. In the name of God,

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merciful and compassionate,

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In the name of Allah,
of Allah and by Allah.

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To You I submit my being, Lord,
and to You I turn my face.

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To You I entrust my works
and my destiny equally...

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Your hands are for me
my left and my right,

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my north and my south,

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my rock and my destiny.

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Everything is subject to Your command
and Your power,

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for there is no righteousness nor
power, except from Allah.

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If I had the
wings of a dove,

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I would fly away
and find rest.

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I would go far away and
find shelter in the desert.

102
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I would hurry to escape
the whirlwind and the storm.

103
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For I have seen misery
and disgrace on earth.

104
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The universe, pregnant with inertia,

105
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gave birth to injustice.

106
00:11:05,576 --> 00:11:07,572
Where would I find refuge?

107
00:11:07,572 --> 00:11:10,158
away from Your face
and Your presence?

108
00:11:11,264 --> 00:11:14,166
If I hid
under the wings of the morning breeze,

109
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and took refuge in the depths of the sea,

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Your hand would reach me.

111
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You made me numb
with indecision.

112
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How wondrous
are Your works!

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How wondrous
are Your works!

114
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I speak
of the bitterness of my soul.

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I speak
of the bitterness of my soul.

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While I kept silent,
my bones rotted

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amid my silent
cries of each day.

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Remember
that my life is but a breath!

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I have become the pelican
of the desert, the owl of the ruins,

120
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and like a sparrow,
I remain alone on the roof.

121
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I am like spilled water,
like those who died long ago.

122
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Upon my eyelids,
the shadow of Death hides.

123
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Upon my eyelids,
the shadow of Death hides.

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Leave me, leave me, for my days
are nothing but a breath.

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Leave me, before I depart
to the land of no return.

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To the land of eternal darkness...

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O Lord, do not deliver the life
of Your dove to the claws of beasts!

128
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Do not forget
that my life is wind,

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that You gave me
a time of languor,

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and around me,
the song of happiness,

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the sound of windmills,

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and the glimmer of dying light.

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Blessed are those who are
in the harvest now,

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and their hands
gather the wheat sheaves.

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Hear the soul of her who sings
in the distant desert!

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The soul of her who sings
and stretches her hands saying:

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"Woe is me, for my wounds
have numbed my spirit!"

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O time, long forgotten,

139
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when you dressed in red
and put on your golden ornaments,

140
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and carefully
made up your eyes,

141
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remember that in vain
you made yourself beautiful

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for a song
in the distant desert,

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and your friends
who defamed you...

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Alas, for the day gently fades,
and the evening shadows spread.

145
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And our being,
like a cage full of birds,

146
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is filled with the sighs of captivity.

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And none of us knows
how much longer captivity will last.

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The time of harvest has passed,

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summer has come to an end,
and we have not found our salvation.

150
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Like doves, we cry for justice...
and there is none.

151
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We long for light...
but darkness prevails.

152
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Venus. Sometimes, at dusk,
we can see a bright star.

153
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Its name is Venus (Morning Star).

154
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Venus is very luminous.

155
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The planet Venus
is very close to us.

156
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The planet Venus does not twinkle.

157
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Why should we thank God
for having father and mother?

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You answer!

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I don't know,
I have no father or mother...

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You!
List some beautiful things!

161
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The moon, the sun, flowers,
playtime...

162
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And you,
list some ugly things!

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The hand...

164
00:19:56,166 --> 00:19:58,662
the foot, the head...

165
00:20:06,988 --> 00:20:10,374
Write a sentence that
contains the word "house"!

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LEPER COLONY

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<i>THE HOUSE</i>

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<i>IS</i>

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<i>BLACK</i>

170
00:20:54,199 --> 00:20:57,964
<i>THE HOUSE IS BLACK</i>

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00:20:58,870 --> 00:21:03,812
O overflowing river
moved by the force of love,

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00:21:04,504 --> 00:21:08,160
flow to us, flow to us...

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00:21:09,673 --> 00:21:14,527
Made in autumn 1962 for the
Association for Assistance to Lepers

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by Gulistan Film Co.

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00:21:19,652 --> 00:21:20,905
Translation and subtitles:
kephasmnc

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00:21:20,905 --> 00:21:24,504
Cinematography:
Soleiman Minassian

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00:21:26,253 --> 00:21:31,087
Sound:
Mahmood Hangwall, Samad Poorkamali

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00:21:36,435 --> 00:21:39,932
Producer:
Ebrahim Golestan

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00:21:41,578 --> 00:21:48,777
Editing and direction:
Forough Farrokhzad