Iranian Cinema
Notable films by Iranian directors through the years, in chronological order.
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- DirectorOvanes OhanianStarsHabibollah MoradAsia GhostantinZema OhanianHaji Agha is a traditional man who holds a hostile view of the motion pictures. Unbeknownst to him, his daughter and his son-in-law, Parviz, both are getting trained for acting. Their director is desperately looking for a subject, and Parviz suggest that they follow Haji Agha and clandestinely shoot him. Director likes the idea. Poori, Haji Agha's servant, who is also a member of the acting school snatches Haji Agha's watch. Haji Agha runs after him and the director shoots the following comic and surreal events of this chase...
- DirectorForugh FarrokhzadStarsForugh FarrokhzadEbrahim GolestanHossein MansouriSet in a leper colony in the north of Iran, The House is Black juxtaposes "ugliness", of which there is much in the world as stated in the opening scenes, with religion and gratitude.
- DirectorEbrahim GolestanStarsTaji AhmadiZackaria HashemiGoli BozorgmehrHashem (Zakariya Hashemi) is a cab driver who finds an infant child in the back seat of his cab one night after he gives a ride to a young woman. He and his girlfriend, Taji (Taji Ahmadi), try to cope with this unwanted child. Hashem insists on getting rid of the child, Taji on keeping him.
- DirectorFarokh GhafariStarsFarhang AmiriFarokh GhafariParia HakemiAdapted from a story in 1001 Nights and set in a popular theatre troupe, the story follows the death of an actor in a farcical accident and the brilliantly elaborate gags and misunderstandings that abound in subsequent attempts to dispose of his body.
- DirectorKamran ShirdelA documentary which explores what did or did not happen on a rainy night a young boy allegedly saved a train from crashing.
- DirectorDariush MehrjuiStarsEzzatolah EntezamiMahin ShahabiAli NasirianAn old villager deeply in love with his cow goes to the capital for a while. While he's there, the cow dies and now the villagers are afraid of his possible reaction to it when he returns.
- DirectorAbbas KiarostamiStarsReza HashemiMehdi ShahravanfarA child carrying a bread is going home but in the alley on his way to home, there is a frightening dog and he doesn't seem to pass it alone.
- DirectorBahram BeyzaieStarsParviz FanizadehMohamad Ali KeshavarzJamshid LayeghA well educated and humble teacher arrives in a new city and at a new job in the pre-revolutionary Iran. He falls in love with a hardworking underprivileged young woman that nurses her very old mother and raises her young brother. In an environment where commitments and social problems often stand in the way between people and their dreams.
- DirectorParviz KimiaviStarsMohammad Jazayeri TabasAgha Seyed ali Mirza SajadiAn old hermit lives in a slum and wants to teach the alphabet to the children regularly go there to play. What makes the hermit happiest however, is when he comes to the letter P (for "Pedarsag", or "Puppy"). When a child proposes he use the word "Pelican" instead, the hermit goes to the nearby park looking for this animal he has never heard of.
- DirectorAbbas KiarostamiStarsHossein YarmohammadiAndre GovalovishParviz NaderiThe hard daily life of a kid working in a photo shop while trying to get closer to the girl he likes.
- DirectorAmir NaderiStarsMasoud GudarziMehdi JavadiShahla DarvishiSet on the sun-drenched southern coast of Iran, "Harmonica" begins as a young boy receives a musical present from abroad. Fascinated and envious, his friends make him the leader of the pack, as they compete for the privilege of holding the harmonica or even blowing a few notes. No one is more obsessed than Amiroo, gentle and heavy-set, who seems willing to do anything to get close to the harmonica and its owner.
- DirectorSohrab Shahid SalessStarsHedayatollah NavidHibibollah SafarianAne Mohammad TarikhiA small schoolboy lives an austere life with his family in Northern coasts of Iran.
- DirectorSohrab Shahid SalessStarsZadour BonyadiMohammed KaniHedayatollah NavidThe daily life of Mohammad Sardari(Zadour Bonyadi) , a railway switchman on the verge of retirement, who lives with his wife and soldier son near the railway track.
- DirectorAbbas KiarostamiStarsMasud ZandbeglehHassan DarabiMostafa TariA grade-school-age boy, neglected by his parents, lies, cheats, and steals to accumulate enough money to afford a bus ride to a large city and a ticket to see his favorite soccer team play.
- DirectorAbbas KiarostamiStarsSaeidHamidWhen one boy tears another boy's book, it is up to the two of them to decide how to handle it.
- DirectorAbbas KiarostamiStarsMohammad FassihMassoud ZandMehdi NekoueïA woman orders a suit from a tailor for her young son to wear to her sister's wedding. The tailor's apprentice, together with two other teenage boys who work in the same building, devise a plan to try on the suit at night to see what it feels like. Things get a little complicated but in the morning, at the last possible minute, they manage to return the suit to its proper place.
- DirectorAbbas KiarostamiStarsKurosh AfsharpanahShohreh AghdashlooMostafa TariThe life of a tax collector who is accused of taking bribes, and also has to deal with other problems at home, including the suicide attempt of his wife.
- DirectorAbbas KiarostamiStarsMehdi AzadbakhtMohammadreza BaratiHedayat Matin DaftariWhile the teacher is faced towards the blackboard, one of the students makes some funny noises. The teacher can't find the person who did that, so he decides to dismiss a group of students for one week or until one of them tells him who was the one that made the noises. In the first case after some days, one of the dismissed students tells teacher the truth. In the second case, no one tells teacher the truth and the period of punishment finishes. Kiarostami asks some of the most famous people in Iran about their views on these two cases.
- DirectorAbbas KiarostamiA short film challenging humankind on universal themes of stability versus chaos.
- DirectorAbbas KiarostamiStarsYoosef MoghaddamAli AsgariTeymourA deaf old man wearing a hearing aid is walking in the streets of Rasht. When the surroundings get too noisy, he turns off his sound. Unfortunately, when he returns home, he can't hear his granddaughter ringing the doorbell.
- DirectorAmir NaderiStarsMadjid NiroumandAbbas NazeriMusa TorkizadehAfter enrolling in a school, an impoverished boy finds conflict with his classmates and decides to compete to earn their respect.
- DirectorMohsen MakhmalbafStarsMahshid AfsharzadehFirouz KianiSamira MakhmalbafThe wife of Nasim, an Afghan immigrant in Iran, is gravely ill. He needs money to pay for her care, but his day labor digging wells does not pay enough. A friend connects Nasim to a two-bit promoter who sells tickets to watch Nasim ride a bicycle continuously for a week. The promoter brings in sick and aged spectators, haranguing them to find hope in Nasim's strength. Aided by his son, who feeds him as he rides, Nasim grinds out the days and shivering nights. Local officials believe this may be a plot and Nasim may be a spy; they try to sabotage him as do those who bet he won't finish the week. Will desperation alone get Nasim the money? Is any triumph an illusion?
- DirectorAbbas KiarostamiStarsBabek Ahmed PoorAhmed Ahmed PoorKhodabakhsh DefaeiEight-year-old Ahmed has mistakenly taken his friend Mohammad's notebook. He wants to return it, or else his friend will be expelled from school. The boy determinedly sets out to find Mohammad's home in the neighbouring village.
- DirectorBahram BeyzaieStarsSusan TaslimiParviz PoorhosseiniAdnan AfravianAn Iranian boy is lost after fleeing home for his life; his family has been killed during the Iran-Iraq war. He's saved and trained by a middle-aged woman.
- DirectorAmir NaderiStarsMadjid NiroumandA young teenager returns home after an absence to find his village in Iran deserted because of an incredibly severe drought. He begins a search to find his family, traveling through an amazingly bleak and desolate landscape. Primarily an essay on the issue of humans vs. nature, the film is of interest for technical and cultural reasons.