The ancient windmills built in Eastern Iran represent a ‘pre-technological’ solution to difficult environmental conditions: Iranian architects constructed them in such a way that transformed an environmental threat – strong and annoying winds – into an opportunity – grinding grain to produce bread and protecting villages from the winds themselves. In Nashtifan, these windmills have been fulfilling these functions since the second century. Today, Mohammad Wali Gandami, age 68, is the last miller with the knowledge of  the techniques used to build and repair them. For many years, Gandami alone has been protecting the historical heritage of his people and his predecessors. Nasim Soheili has written and directed three documentaries about Iranian windmills in an effort to call attention to the people who have dedicated their lives to maintaining the cultural heritage of Iran and to the importance of preserving these windmills, which were placed on the UNESCO Tentative World Heritage List in 2017.

Nasim Soheili
Nasim Soheili is a director from Mashhad, Iran. She has a Master’s Degree in social communication and has worked as a social journalist for many years. Her family’s background in filmmaking and her own social activity in the field of women’s and ethnic minorities rights inspired her to make documentaries. After graduating from the one-year filmmaking course of the Iranian Youth Cinema Society, she started researching and making short documentaries. Her two previous works are ‘Eil Banu’ and ‘Maat’, which was screened at several international festivals, including the “Cinema Verite” International Documentary Film Festival. Besides researching and making documentaries, she is currently teaching at universities and film schools, and is also a social activist.