Tar is an experimental under-the-camera animation crafted with real strands of hair. In Persian, the word tar carries a dual meaning: both a strand of hair and a traditional Iranian string instrument. Within this symbolic interplay, an enraged centipede storms a young girl’s inner world, shattering musical instruments. Amid the chaos and dissonance, the delicate sound of the tar emerges, opening a fragile space for transformation.

Director Biography

Fariba Farzanfar (Sabzevar, Iran, 1984) is a recent Animation graduate with a background in fine arts and painting. Her films often experiment with unconventional and tactile materials. Her short film Tar, created with real strands of hair, reflects her interest in exploring delicate media to convey emotion and meaning.

Director’s Statement

In Persian, the word “tar” refers both to a strand of hair and to a traditional Iranian musical instrument—a duality that inspired me to create this animation. By animating real human hair under the camera, I sought to craft a visual language as delicate, intimate, and unstable as the emotions it embodies. Rather than following a linear narrative, I aimed to weave strands of image, sound, and feeling into a symbolic structure, inviting each viewer to discover their own reflections within these threads and to share in the experience of this fragile world.