APPLECROSS songwriter, musician and architect Amir Mishkin says there must have been an angel “orchestrating behind the veil” to give him the chance to write the soundtrack for a documentary about his famed great-great grandfather.

Mishkin-Qalam was considered the greatest calligrapher of 19th century Persia (now modern-day Iraq), but his conversion to the Baha’i faith saw him exiled and imprisoned on Cyprus for more than a decade by the Ottoman Sultan of Constantinople. 

Earlier this month the documentary Mishkin-Qalam had its Australian premiere at Hoyts Booragoon, following its international launch in Cyprus, where most of the recreations and interviews were shot by film-makers Eland Nasehi and Arman Arian.

Already it’s picked up four film festival awards, including best original score at the European Art Festival for Mishkin’s soundtrack.

Mishkin says there was a fair bit of detective work to flesh out his ancestor, who lived from 1826 – 1912, but there was already a bit of “family folklore” to get things started and a couple of articles written by his own father about 40 years ago.

• Musician Amir Mishkin in his Applecross studio. Photo by Steve Grant

“He was quite a well-known artist, the leading calligrapher of Persia – modern-day Iran. He had a colourful life, and… we know that he had a fabulous sense of humour,” Mishkin said.

“What struck me was the degree of sacrifice that he made in his personal life, and in his career, and it was all in the path of his calling.

“His calling was serving humanity.”

Mishkin says his ancestor’s artistic flair was discovered at an early age and he was introduced to the Shah of Persia who was so impressed he appointed him as tutor to his son. 

“He really started out living a life of luxury while producing his incredible work, which gave him fame throughout Asia Minor. But when he discovered his his calling, that’s when the hard times started for him and he was an exile and a prisoner of the Ottoman Sultan.”

The calligrapher’s resilience and unwavering joy, even in the face of adversity, left an indelible impression on Mishkin, and he says it’s remarkable that when his great great grandfather was finally released, he harboured no bitterness at all.

“There was no baggage; the sense of humour was there well into his old age.”

He says Mishkin-Qalam’s message of peace still resonates, and he feels the timing of the documentary’s release amongst global war and instability is serendipitous.

•Amir Mishkin’s great-great grandfather Mishkin-Qalam.

“I think it’s truly his day today; I think he was 100 or 200 years ahead of his time and we’ve now caught up.

“It’s relevant to a democratic melting pot like Australia, where we have the individual freedom to choose our own values, and support each other and being the best we can be. 

“It’s also extremely relevant to the current global situation, because the film’s story carries a message, that is the great need for world peace.”

Mishkin and his family’s involvement in the film is such a remarkable coincidence that he says it must have been “written in the stars”.

A family friend happened to fall in behind one of the film-makers while he was strolling in Italy and chatting to an acquaintance about his plans to document Mishkin-Qalam’s life. Telling them that he had the calligrapher’s descendants on speed dial, a hook-up was quickly organised and the family agreed to act as executive producers as well as helping with translations and anything else they could behind the scenes.

When the film-makers heard of Mishkin’s musical collective Elviria, which delves into rock and electronic dance music, they invited him to write the score.

The Mishkin-Qalam soundtrack became a departure from Mishkin’s usual style, embracing world rock fusion to align with the historical and biographical nature of the story.

“The usual stuff that I do is almost science fiction kind of sounding, like galaxy explosions and hovercrafts sounds and that kind of thing going past,” he says.

“The first thing that came was the main orchestral riff off the title track, Mishkin-Qalam. It’s quite regal, and if you like, ancient, and kind of almost empire sounding.” 

The lyrics, a reflection of Mishkin-Qalam’s three life chapters, were crafted to capture the essence of his great-great-grandfather’s journey, from artistic discovery to exile, imprisonment, and his ultimate “connection with the universal consciousness”.

For more information or to get a copy of the documentary, head to mishkinqalam.com

by STEVE GRANT