Deep Focus
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The Mirror (1997): Jafar Panahi’s First Political Film?
Today, Jafar Panahi is widely regarded as one of the world’s most important politically engaged filmmakers. That reputation has largely defined him since The Circle (Dayereh, 2000), his critique of the treatment…
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An Alternative History of the Iranian Revolution: Mohsen Makhmalbaf’s A Moment of Innocence (1996)
Can a violent revolution create a better world? That is the question Iranian filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf poses in A Moment of Innocence (Noon-o-goldoon, 1996). Yet the film’s inquiry extends beyond politics and…
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Abbas Kiarostami and the Crisis of Childhood in Pre-Revolutionary Iran
The rise of Iranian art cinema was closely tied to the children’s films Abbas Kiarostami made between the 1970s and the 1990s. Within Iranian filmmaking, he was one of the…
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Mohammad Ali Talebi and the Transcendental Style in Iranian Cinema
This article examines Mohammad Ali Talebi’s cinema through everyday urban life and the beauty of nature, engaging with ideas by Paul Schrader. It analyzes The Boot (Chakmeh, 1992), Bag of…
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Children of Heaven (1997): Majid Majidi and the Spiritual Imagination of Iranian Cinema
Paul Schrader’s influential book Transcendental Style in Film: Ozu, Bresson, Dreyer remains one of the key texts on how cinema can function as an expression of the transcendent. Because the…
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Jafar Panahi’s 3 Faces (2018): Contemplating the Struggle of Iranian Women
Jafar Panahi is not only a courageous activist but also an inventive artist and an open-minded thinker. His film 3 Faces (Se rokh, 2018) is a striking example of how the Iranian director…
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Downpour (1972): Bahram Beyzaie’s Comedy of Love, Fear, and Power
Downpour (Ragbar, 1972) is a cornerstone of Iranian New Wave cinema before the 1979 Revolution. On the surface, it appears to be an experimental romantic tragicomedy, but beneath that lightness it…
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The Cow (1969) by Dariush Mehrjui: Part 2 — Interpreting the Iranian New Wave Film
This is the second part of a two-part study examining the landmark Iranian New Wave movie The Cow (Gaav, 1969). In the first part, we approached Dariush Mehrjui’s film as a…
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The Cow (1969) by Dariush Mehrjui: Part 1 — Adaptation and Modernism in Iranian Cinema
This is the first part of a two-part study devoted to the analysis and interpretation of one of the most important films in the history of Iranian cinema. The article…
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In the Shadow of the Cypress (2023): Hossein Molayemi and Shirin Sohani’s Oscar-Winning Animated Short Film
The Iranian movie In the Shadow of the Cypress (Dar saye-ye sarv, 2023) was awarded an Oscar this year in the category of Best Animated Short Film. Hossein Molayemi and…
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Forugh Farrokhzad’s The House Is Black (1963): The Radical Poetry of Ugliness
The nonconformist Iranian poet Forugh Farrokhzad became known for her passionate, rebellious, and philosophical poetry. In the 1960s, as Iran began to open up to Western culture, she emerged as…
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Abbas Kiarostami and Nature: Part 2 — Beauty Is Meaningful
Abbas Kiarostami, a prominent figure of the Iranian New Wave, reveals nature’s deeper, life-affirming power. Through his slow cinema style, he invites viewers to embrace life, weaving together ethics, humanism,…