Discoveries from Iran World Cinema

Short documentary about the traditions, lives and culture of the Qadiri tariqa of Iran's Kurdistan

We had a comfortable life until my father went bankrupt and I blamed him for our misfortune. Being 30 and still living with my parents, I do not speak with my father. It is my brother's wedding and I'm not attending his ceremony. I asked my friend to film the wedding and specially my father. This film is an occasion for me to revise my attitude toward every member of my family by talking to them.

One of the first digital Persian underground films

Directed by Manuchehr Tayyab.

A searing documentary about the homeless people and shantytown dwellers of Tehran that has been banned.

The Day I Disappeared is a film essay based on the personal story of the filmmaker, who fled from Iran and travelled through what was a completely new and unknown world for her: Europe. It is also an effort to shed light on an internal process of alienation, an individualisation of the term 'refugee' or 'asylum-seeker'. The unconventional narrative uses the patterns of Persian poetry, with visual metaphors and rhymes and rhythms between the scenes. A lot of the material is found 16mm and 8mm footage that mirrors the director's memories of her own trip through Europe more than twenty years ago. The images of the main character’s dance also reflect on the alienation of the individual. The combination of all these creative approaches evokes a special world between reality and fairytale.

A woman recalls her life in Iran, and we literally step into the shoes of those she holds most dear, journeying through the dramatic, rapidly shifting social and political terrain of late-20th- and 21st-century Iran.

A candid impression of the life of 18-year-old Parisa from Tehran, who is cramming for the university entrance exam.

Shadi's family do not allow her go to school. Her friend decides he will try to teach her himself.

This rare glimpse into Iranian culture chronicles the performance of a ta’zieh, an ancient and uniquely Iranian passion play that celebrates the glory of martyrdom for the sake of justice.

Set in Rural Iran, this musical tale of love and fantasy revolves around Davood, a ten-year-old theatre kid, who finds himself torn between familial expectations and artistic aspirations, as he is forced to act as a gamekeeper during the night, shouting and sacring away wild boars from his father’s land, while practicing a musical play during the day.

A strange man appears on earth, revealing the secrets of black holes, but mysteriously vanishes before the full truth can be grasped.

A search for a lost name and a forgotten date.

A boy enters the "house" to nurse the father of the family.

A young man falls in love with his landlord's daughter and, with her help, secures a job at the factory of a wealthy businessman.

A young man is sent to prison after falling in with a group of criminal friends. Upon his release, his family refuses to take him back, leaving him alone and homeless.

Iranian Film

Mohammad has come to Tehran from a small town in search of a well-paying job. There, he meets a young woman named Shirin. A wealthy and immoral man has set his sights on her. Realizing the situation, Mohammad follows Shirin and rescues her from danger on several occasions. After a series of events, the wealthy man's crimes are eventually exposed, and he is brought to justice.

The film shows the celebration of Norouz (the Iranian new year) in Persian-speaking Tajikistan today. Some of the Persian traditional rites of Norouz, such as cleaning the house and cooking Samanoo is common in Tajikistan too.

Short animation by Esfandiar Ahmadieh

Short animation by Esfandiar Ahmadieh

A short documentary by Abbas Amini investigates the Cinema Rex fire in Abadan on the 30th anniversary of that tragedy.

Nessa is a young woman from Kermanshah who is fighting to progress in her acting and artistic career. Nessa's family prevents her from reaching her goal because of the conservative environment. The film in the cinema vérité style follows Nessa in her battle with her brother, father and colleagues.

The story is about a man named Pasha who aspires to become a singer and has a very good talent in voice imitation. Pasha unintentionally falls into a big trouble. He has to raise a lot of money, so he sings at weddings. On the other hand, we have a character named Ilya, who is a popular singer and has a 10-year contract with an influential person. One night, a problem happens to Ilya and his larynx is seriously damaged, so that he cannot sing for a month. This happens when he has a concert for 10 nights soon.

Saleheh (12) and Hananeh (9) live in a small Iranian village with their single mother and brother. When the pandemic closes their schools, they enjoy the break until the virus reaches their community and their mother, who works in healthcare, is exposed. The girls face the challenge of adapting to a changed world, where holidays are monotonous and scary. Despite their fears, they must find a way to cope and take control of their lives.

This documentary introduces Alborz Province, centered on the city of Karaj, which briefly introduces the 9,000-year-old history to the heart of the great city of Karaj.

A journey to the strangest season of life: adolescence. A time where the boundary between self-acceptance and the search for identity becomes blurred.

Mehdi Azar Yazdi known as the father of children's literature in Iran was born in 1923 in Yazd. His most famous work "Good Stories for Good Children" has been one of Iran's bestselling children's book. it won the Unesco Prize in 1966 and the Royal Book Award in 1967. The day of his death has been named the National Day of Children's Literature in Iran. This documentary was shot during last days of his life when he was leaving alone in the city of Yazd.

Laughter in the Dark tracks the historical changes and developments in the theatre arts in the Iranian city of Isfahan from the late 1900s through to today. By tracing the works of pioneers in the field, and by incorporating footage of and interviews with well-known actors, directors, and historians such as Jale Rajaie, Houshang Harirchian, Ali Rafiei, and others, Khaleghi highlights the authenticity of this art and the ceaseless efforts of those involved.

The story of an 80-year-old Armenian man who once was a sailor, now lives alone in Tehran and is planning to marry a young 28-year-old girl.

Flax to Fire depicts the life and work of Aliasghar Hajibaba, an elite Iranian industrialist and entrepreneur. Originally trained as a quilt-maker in his youth, he manages to start an independent business in the midst of a tumultuous life. With the help of his family, he successfully pursues his endeavors to the point that he eventually becomes known as a founder of Iran’s iron alloys and foundry industry. This film bears witness to Hajibaba’s incessant work ethic throughout his long life. He and his associates also discuss the political struggles, economic problems and social barriers of their times.

Cinema is a dream or a reality? Can the most expressive language of the time be considered as a dream? Is the most attractive art of all time, with thousands of heartbroken lovers and mystics, a reality?

Back Vocal tells the story of women singers, whose unaccompanied singing is forbidden by religious laws of the country, but who nonetheless try to remain active; even if that means taking the second seat. I knew from the beginning that such a film would not get permission to be screened, so I never applied for a permit.

After working abroad for several years, a filmmaker returns to his family home in Shiraz, Iran to make a film for the woman he loves. His exploration of his feelings and of the cross-cultural and geographical barriers to pursuing this relationship eventually spark introspections among members of his family, as they express their emotions to one another in new ways in front of the camera. A documentary about cross-generational understandings of love and emotion set in current day Iran.

This documentary narrates the lives of two women, Mahnaz and Jamileh, who have both been diagnosed with breast cancer - one dies after a long battle with the disease, the other fully recovers and engages in charity, raising awareness among cancer patients. Mahnaz, the deceased woman, narrates the movie, while she gets to know Jamile, the woman who survives.

According to field studies and filming observations From 65 villages from different parts of Ardebil province that lacked girly guidance school on average five girls abandon school. With 1855 villages, Ardebil province has only 224 girls' secondary schools. According to the education authorities, there are no accurate statistics on the number of rural girls who abandoned from the secondary school.

A young girl lives alone in the forest when she suddenly turns into a Snail...

A young boy named Panah lives in a small village in the heart of the desert, helping his family and the villagers. He is hesitant between leaving and staying…

This film explores the situation of an ordinary citizen during the COVID-19 pandemic; an era of isolation, loneliness, and separation of relatives, friends, and even members of a family from one another, an era of sorrow and forgotten grief.

This Iranian filmed theater is a story about a single-person world. A world where you are the sole inhabitant. In this play, no one lives except you, and no one else is your companion except you. In this world, whatever happens, you are responsible for it.

Nimvar is a super old, big, and thriving village about eleven kilometers south of Mahallat. The Nimvar stream is eighteen kilometers long, and an old dam redirects some of the water from the Khomein river into it, which is used for farming in Nimvar and Baqerabad. Every March, the people of Nimvar, led by Mirjoy Nimvar, an experienced farmer, get together to dredge the Nimvar stream. They start by breaking the Bahrama dam. Once the dam is broken, the stream water flows out, and the villagers all start the tough job of dredging

Some small furry creatures wander away from their mother and get lost in the woods.

In a sterile laboratory, a woman anxiously awaits her test results with her young daughter by her side. Sensing the tension in the air, the girl watches her mother closely, trying to unravel the secret behind her unease.

When a new school uses the old cemetery, Uncle Rasoul's wife becomes the first burial in the new, distant graveyard. Unable to bear her being alone, Rasoul secretly moves her body back to the old site. Days later, Uncle Rasoul dies himself, and he is ironically laid to rest as the very first person in the new, solitary cemetery.

A documentary about Ahmad Mahmoud.

A mother searches for her son and realizes...

A stealing happens on a train and it is shown from the perspective of each passenger. Directed by Iranian Filmmaker Mehdi Fard Ghaderi in One Shot

A woman goes to a phone booth every night to visit her love, but things get complicated when a mysterious man appears.

The fusion of light and movement gave birth to cinema. Abstract Experimental Film

This film is the result of my experiences and reflections during a year of living in one of the average neighborhoods of Shiraz, called Darki, and it was made during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This film is a poetic journey into the mind of a depressed woman. A narrative that, in the short space of a breath, between the inhalation and exhalation of cigarette smoke, breaks the boundary between dream and reality.