Iranian Cinema

On night of the 1995 Telluride Film Festival, famed German director Werner Herzog declared the opening, 'What I say tonight will be a banality in the future. The greatest films of the world today are being made in Iran.' Almost a decade later, Herzog's words ring true. Iran, along with Taiwan and Denmark, is widely regarded by film aficionados and international film critics alike as creating many of the best movies around. Iranian cinema began with such films as Ovanes Organian’s Abi and Rabi (1930) and Ardeshir Irani’s The Lor Girl (1933). Dariush Mehrjui’s Cow (1970), however, catapulted it into the international film circuit. For a brief period in the late 1960’s early 70’s such directors as Mehrju’i, Bahram Beyza’i, Parviz Kimiavi, Masoud Kimia’i, and Sohrab Shahid-Sales etc became international art house names. Subsequently, in the years leading up to the revolution, Iranian cinema went into decline, with foreign films dominating the domestic market.

In the years 1978-82 the Islamist revolutionaries attempted to “Islamise” the cinema. Soon after the Islamists vanquished other pretenders to the revolution even films about the revolution were banned. The secular left’s participation in the revolutionary upheavals had to be erased. So The Fall of 57 by Barbod Taheri popular in 1980 was banned in 1984. The combination of suspicion of the medium and the purging of filmmakers, especially those working with the Shah’s radio-television network, caused a sharp fall in investment and production. Imported films continued to dominate the cinemas that survived the torch, many of which catered for the revolutionary spirit of the time: Costa-Garvas Z and State of Siege; Guzman‘s Battle of Chile. Pontecorovo’s Battle of Algiers was screened in 22 cinemas simultaneously - 12 in Teheran.

As of now Iranian cinema has gained enormous recognition around the globe and it can be said that Iranian cinema could not exist without foreign recognition of New Iranian Cinema films as it does not have the support of its own country’s regime. Although, it can be argued that the government does support and encourage Iranian films to be shown elsewhere. The MCIG(Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance )encourages an active Iranian presence at international film scenes for economic reasons. This does tend to be films that show Iran and its traditions in a positive and idealistic light, but at the very least New Iranian Cinema does showcase Iranian high art and culture in keeping with the deep-rooted art of historical Persia.