A Film By:
Ahmad Louis Yahyazadeh
and
Mahdieh Vali-Zadeh
“A Stranger in Paris” is a true story of a recognized Iranian musician who is forced into exile taking refuge in France. To obtain French nationality in order to tour the world freely, Ahmad Yahyazadeh is advised to work as a taxi driver in Paris for a while to have regular pay stubs. Ahmad’s ‘short while’ takes longer than he expects. His passengers come from different continents, cultures, classes, languages, and ages, and Ahmad connects with them through the language of music. At the same time, Paris undergoes new changes with the Charlie Hebdo attack. Ahmad’s conversations with the passengers becomes critical of the extremist acts in a wittingly funny manner. Ahmad also lightens the heavy atmosphere through love and music. All these events become transformative experiences for Ahmad himself to become more observant of his surrounding and go beyond his own life. Ahmad’s camera eventually becomes an illuminative eye to illustrate the depth of the difficulties that many people go through – from bureaucratic problems to immigration and homelessness. Amidst all these problems, “A Stranger in Paris” is a film about hope and quest. The hope to build again one’s own life and pursuing one’s own dreams, having confidence in humanity and in life.
Director, main role, music, and edit: Ahmad Louis Yahyazadeh.
Co-director, cinematography and editing consultant: Mahdieh Vali-Zadeh
Stay tuned! We will have exciting news shortly!
Scenarist, filmmaker, musician, music-therapist, vocalist, and writer with over three decades of experience in West Asia, Europe, and recently North America, the multitalented artist, Ahmad Louis Yahyazadeh is now on the verge of releasing his new film, “A Stranger in Paris”. In this film, Yahyazadeh takes advantage of all his talents to introduce a unique project: an experimental autobiography about his own life as a musician in Paris.
Yahyazadeh owes his multi-talents to being born and raised in Northern Iran in an artist family and a multi-ethnic musical environment and then, moving to France in 2004 as a young adult. In Paris, he found the opportunity to expose himself not only to multiple art forms of the West, but also to the international and World art. After establishing La Maison du Daf, a music and film production company in 2006 in Paris, Yahyazadeh gained experience as an assistant director in “La vie de Serge Rezvani” and “Bonjour Monsieur Ghafari”, both directed by Parviz Jahed, an Iranian director and film critic. Yahyazadeh studied Lyric Opera Singing Bernard Program at the Opéra de Paris and Art Therapy at University of Paris Descartes. He also has the Diploma of the High Conservatory of Iranian Classical Music and High Conservatory of Rhythm of Gyumri Armenia, being a jury member and winning the Grand Prize of Best Percussionist of the latter in 2012. Furthermore, Yahyazadeh has written and composed books and CDs, which he is preparing for release. Some of the titles on which he has worked include, “Personne ne vieillit à Paris, 1001 nuits de Paris”, “Méthode de daf, de débutant à avancé”, “Composition and Performance, Solo Hung Drum, Music therapy, 2 CD’s”, “Composition and Performance, Les chants de la rivières de la mer caspienne” and “Solo Hang Drum”. He has already released “Composition and Performance, 7 Suites pour daf, tonbak et oudo” and composed music for multiple film projects. Yahyazadeh lives and works in Toronto- Canada and France now.
I lived as a refugee musician with Iranian origin in Paris for eight years since earl 2004. I won the Grand Prize for best percussionist of the year at the contest-festival “Renaissance in Armenia” 2012 for France while being on a refugee status. After that, I was invited to tour the globe with a world renowned rock band for a World Music project; however, I did not have a French passport yet, and my visa applications for traveling were rejected one after the other. To solve the problem, I decided to apply for a French passport, but I was told that to be eligible, I must work as a taxi driver to show regular pay-stubs and a stable job. Driving an airport taxi, I started to see a different face of Paris. From bourgeois Parisians to tourists and travelers, everything seemed interestingly new. Conversations with passengers were intriguing, so I decided to instal a camera in my taxi and record all the experience. Despite the initial excitement, my observations started to change, once the Charlie Hebdo attack occurred: fear of terrorism, difficulties of immigration, poverty, corruption, collapse of romantic relationships, long hours of wait and work, along with endless periods of wandering with no news of my French passport. Who could bear all these? Remaining hopeful though, I finally obtained my French nationality although I had to wait for quite a few years for it. The wait resulted in me losing the opportunity of the world tour; however, the experience taught me that hope, love of life and art, consistency, and commitment to dreams and goals all make you win, and yes, life is worth it.
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Mahdieh Vali-Zadeh is an Iranian Canadian visual artist, PhD Candidate of Comparative Literature at the University of Toronto, and graduate of Harvard World Literature Program. With her extensive knowledge and experience in visual arts, philosophy, and literary theories, all of which overlap with Cinema Studies, Mahdieh has recently taken one step forward, experiencing artistic expression through cinema. She co-directed “A Stranger in Paris" and was the cinematography and editing consultant of this feature film. Mahdieh also made a short film, "Death," in 2021.
When I met Ahmad Louis Yahyazadeh in early 2020, I was thrilled by his project: a film that was planning to tell the life of an immigrant in Paris. Ahmad had filmed and interviewed 5000 people in more than 7000 rushes! The challenge for us was to put these numerous rushes together in a meaningful and artistic manner. We both truly enjoyed the long hours of work on this project and came up with a distinctive result that is expressive of our world views and artistic missions.
Gertrud Pinkus – Director / Filmmaker
"A Stranger in Paris":
The camera is used very cleverly. The extreme wide-angle lens creates its own small world in the cab, suggesting an intimate confined reality.
For Iranian musician Ahmad Yahyazadeh, the city of love turns into a trap as he tries to obtain French nationality without any success for years. A STRANGER IN PARIS about an artist in despair shows his reaction to this impediment with an honest wit and curiosity for the people that surround him, allowing for an insight into a changing Paris.
The whole world condensed in one single place. Funny, entertaining and deep.
Annina Furrer – Film Writer/Director, Video Editor
It’s impressive how close Iranian filmmaker and musician Ahmad Yahyazadeh brings us to his dreams but also to the wishes and needs of many other foreign contemporaries inside his little Parisian taxi.
Veronique Gray – Entrepreneur, Artist, Editor-in-Chief
A STRANGER IN PARIS is a film of hope showing that new beginnings in life can be possible. It is very easy to quickly get attached to this amazing artist and filmmaker. His emotional documentary will be remembered in the years to come.
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A Stranger In Paris
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