A political history international library of iranian studies hamid reza sadr on. Since the early 1990s iranian films have become staple offerings at art house. The cinematograph, invented in 1892, was the successor to the kinetoscope. Hamid naficy is one of the worlds leading authorities on iranian film, and a social history of iranian cinema.
To best understand the roots of iranian cinema, one must perhaps travel back to the early 20 th century, when the qajar monarch mozaffareddin shah was shown cinematographic footage during a visit to france. Early cinema was brought to iran by one of the last qajar shahs and gradually came to exposure with the greater public at large. A history of modern burma burma has lived under military rule for nearly half a century. Covering the late nineteenth century to the early twentyfirst and addressing documentaries, popular genres, and art films, it explains irans peculiar cinematic production modes, as well as the role of cinema and media in shaping modernity and a modern. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. The smithsonian iranian film festival returns to washington. If i were to recommend films for childrens viewing, 8 out of 10 films would be from iran. Crossroads of history and a critique paper clip jewelry pdf pdf creator ms office 2007 of prevailing political perspectives. Contemporary iranian cinema at the intersection of arts and politics. To wrap up, this book the authors doctoral thesis is a very useful contribution to the understanding of iranian cinema and its prominent role in the countrys social and political scene. The decline of iranian cinema and its resurgence since the 90s is chronicled and explained within the cultural and political milieu which have both restricted expression and paradoxically given greater impetus to artistic expression, in much the same way as the soviet union forced a subtlety of politicoartistic protest from its heavily. Hamid naficy is one of the worlds leading authorities on iranian film, and a social history of iranian cinema is his magnum opus. Each period represents different challenges and opportunities for filmmakers, as the government exercises different degrees of control over the industry.
Englishthis book reveals the history of iran through its cinema as. Sackler gallery in the washington, dc smithsonian institution. Throughout its history, the region has come under control of various empires, including the roman, byzantine, mongol, persian, ottoman. Apr 10, 2015 although iranian new wave cinema, especially after the islamic revolution 1979, has accepted a plenty of restrictions and censorship, iranian directors were not discouraged and managed to create a new visual language in order to convey messages to the audience. Hamid reza sadr argues that from its inception, iranian cinema developed hand in. Iranian films are usually written and spoken in the persian language. Drawing on firsthand interviews and detailed ethnographic research, this book explores how cinema is engaged in the dynamics of social change in contemporary iran. The book also looks at the ideological controls on iranian cinema, how these are resisted and the wider political and social significance of cinema in iran. As the chapter moves rapidly between social and political developments, prominent auteurs and actors, and dozens of films, the reader and the authors argument can get lost in the sheer wealth of information. Finally, the rivers of iran, racing swiftly through. History of iranian cinema tavoos online irans first. Scribd is the worlds largest social reading and publishing site.
This illuminating documentary examines the background and significance of the iranian new wave. Character psychology, human relations, narrative forms and content are all religious in outlook, indeed this religious angle is the unifying element of cinema. It examines controversial issues and political debates surrounding socialjustice, the role of the clergy, womens issues and the aftermath of the iraniraq war. For postsoviet georgia, of course, readers can now consult stephen jones georgia. In addition to his prolific poetry, he wrote a wellknown work entitled short history of political parties in iran. The characteristics of iranian new wave cinema iranian film. Iran has undergone considerable social upheaval since the revolution and this has been reflected in its cinema. The counter cinema was a political cinema that developed its symbolic language due to a long history of censorship. Certain iranian qualities have always been deeply embedded in iranian cinema.
Contemporary iranian cinema at the intersection of arts and. A brief history of iranian cinema, from haji agha to agha farhad. Memory is the production of historical narratives of a determined group identity that changes on the basis of the groups sociopolitical needs1. The first is that political events in the history of cinema both early and late to portray. As a result, one cannot help but notice the need for further exploration and explanation of the changes that have taken place in the field of state control over cinema since 2005. Art, society and the state, ziba mirhosseini divides postrevolutionary film into three periods, each corresponding to political eras in iran 2. Granaz moussavis aesthetic and political vision in my tehran for sale. The author traces the relationship of iranian cinema to recent socialpolitical movements in iran, namely reformism and womens movement, and shows how international acclaim has been instrumental in filmmakers engagement with matters of political importance in iran. Iranian cinema is known for its childlike innocence, moral values, rural beauty and poetic elegance. The politics of national celebrations in postrevolutionary iran.
A series of films will be shown at the freer gallery of art and arthur m. Analyzed and annotated in detail, the sources shed light on the general history, community, culture, and religion among irans widely scattered jewish communities. The results of its 1990 elections were never recognized by the ruling junta and aung san suu kyi, leader of burmas prodemocracy movement, was denied her victory. Request pdf on apr 1, 2009, paul losensky and others published iranian cinema. Social history of iranian cinema traces this history, its major contributors and productions, and the sociopolitical contexts. Some of the filmmakers of that period were forced to leave the. The early development of cinema is very closely linked with irans political developments with the 1904 constitutional revolution and early attempts at social and political reform.
Journal of iranian research and analysis jira, volume 26, number 2, fall 2009. History is the production of the memory of a specific past that is influenced by sociopolitical factors. Cinema threatens the government tom seymour cancer, arrests and exile from tehran havent stopped mania akbari from making her politicised, potent films. A critical analysis of the 2009 feature film, my tehran for sale, written and directed by the avantgarde iranian poetturnedfilmmaker, granaz moussavi, which won the independent spirit. Sadrs book provides a useful survey of the complex history of iranian cinema, from mediocre obscurity to worldwide prominence. Yet mainstream, prerevolutionary iranian cinema, with a history stretching back to the early twentieth century, has been perceived in the main as lacking in artistic merit and, crucially, as apolitical in content. History and memory are the key issues which will be addressed in this work. Recent, postrevolutionary iranian cinema has of course gained the attention of. In a social history of iranian cinema, hamid naficy surveys over a century of moving images from his native land and its diaspora, placing each film in its social, political, historic, religious, and aesthetic contexts with the love and meticulousness of a master jeweler setting precious stones. The smithsonian is all set to host its annual iranian film festival, now in its 22nd year. Apr 07, 2015 in the gathering dissent of the days before the revolution, according to hamid naficys fourvolume social history of iranian cinema, antishah radicals urged the destruction of cinemas, banks, liquor stores, discos, and westernized restaurants, objectionable to the pious as representatives of the corrupt and decadent. How is iranian cinema influenced by political repression and.
Duke university press a social history of iranian cinema. The book deals both with cinema and with history, indicating the social and economic backgrounds out of which the key directors. Perhaps this type of political cinema in areas with cinema history has common borders, but its basic distinction. The popular protests that rocked tunis, cairo, and tripoli, and so many other cities during the arab spring of 2011 evoked memories of the violent confrontation between iranian dissidents and president mahmoud ahmadinejads islamist regime in the streets of tehran eighteen months earlier. From them also, thrust up in the wake of the volcanic activity of late pliocene times, came diorite and obsidian, both highly prized in antiquity. Iranian new wave 1960s1970s film series asia society. He is the author of a forthcoming book to be published by routledge 2009 entitled, the politics of iranian cinema. Iranian art films have garnered international fame and now enjoy a global following. East champaran free ebook download as excel spreadsheet. Based on groundbreaking ethnographic research on the practices of regulation and. Pdf naficy, hamid, a social history of iranian cinema volume 1. International journal of innovation, management and. Himalayan blunder curtainraiser to the sinoindian war of 1962 by dalvi.
A political history find, read and cite all the research you need on. When cinema came to iran it was a diversion for the welltodo for about ten years or so before it turned into a mass entertainment medium. American eyes have been riveted on north africa and the middle east these past months. To answer the question of how gender inequalities are represented and constructed through the interactions between actors and actresses in postrevolution cinema, we make use of theoretical approach of interaction to analyze gender relations in iranian cinema sociologically. An artistic and political awakening gave birth to films that rejected uninspiring mainstream offerings and dominating foreign imports led by hollywood. Throughout its fiftyyear history, iranian cinema has a profound as well as superficially religious essence. The persian empire is the name given to a series of dynasties centered in modernday iran that spanned several centuriesfrom the sixth century b. Hamid naficys islamizing film culture in iran 3 creates a history of iranian. He began his political life as an active member of the constitutional movement and died as the president of the protudeh peace partisans. But in iran, cinema virtually replaced most forms of mass entertainment for various political, economical, historical and cultural reasons. Iranian films are usually written and spoken in the persian. This highly readable history of iran as revealed through the full breadth of its cinema rereads the films themselves to tell the. A brief critical history of iranian feature film 18961975 by. When cinema came to iran it was a diversion for the welltodo for about ten years or.