Falconry has an history of at least forty centuries. In the West, it was the favourite sport of the medieval aristocracy, and in contemporary Arab culture its prestige remains unaltered. Yuri Ancarani crosses the Persian Gulf to accompany a falconer to an important competition.

Let’s be up front: The Challenge is a sight to behold. Falcons, sheikhs, Ferraris and cheetahs inhabit this haunting parade of utterly arresting imagery. Ancarani gives the audience access to a secret, bizarre world of surreal opulence in this meditation on the collision of the old and the new.