Brick and Mirror
Iranian cinema’s first true modern masterpiece, released in 1964, explores fear and responsibility in the aftermath of the 1953 coup.
The Carriage Driver
Nosrat Karimi’s 1971 film about ‘marriage Iranian style’ – a kind of commedia all’iraniana.
The Cow
This 1969 film portrays the themes of solitude and obsession in the story of a poor villager whose only source of joy and livelihood is his cow.
Dead End
A devastating 1977 portrait of love and longing in a country built on fear and surveillance, based on a story by Anton Chekhov.
The Deer
Masoud Kimiai’s 1974 film embodies all that is great about Iranian cinema of the 1970s: it is political, provocative, sincere, angry and tragic.
Golden Age of Iranian Animation, 1965-77
A showcase of Iranian animation, from the early efforts of Western-educated filmmakers to award-winning shorts produced by government agencies.
In the Garden of Tulips
A poignant glimpse of the bond between a father and his teenage daughter at the height of the Iran–Iraq war.
In the Shadow of the Cypress
When a beached whale runs ashore, a father and daughter disagree about its fate.
Iranian Subversive Documentaries, 1961-67
Three works manifesting the subversive nature of Iranian New Wave documentary cinema as well as their deep roots in poetry.
Kanoon: From Didactic to Poetic, 1974-77
A suite of films produced by Kanoon, the celebrated government agency that brought culture and literacy to children and young adults in Iran.
My Favourite Cake
Tender and funny yet politically daring, this double-Berlinale-winning late-life romance is guaranteed to steal your heart.
Rhythm
The movement of a train arriving at Tehran’s central station is edited in sync with a maestro percussionist’s mesmerising use of the zarb.
The Seed of the Sacred Fig
Modern and traditional values clash in acclaimed Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof’s daring family drama, which won two prizes at Cannes.
A Simple Event
Made clandestinely with little money and a skeleton crew, Sohrab Shahid Saless’s 1973 debut feature is a quietly, mysteriously simmering masterpiece.
The Stranger and the Fog
In Bahram Beyzaie’s dazzling 1974 film, a mysterious stranger arrives in a coastal village on a drifting boat and falls for a local woman.
Tall Shadows of the Wind
This symbolic tale of villagers terrorised by a scarecrow they themselves have planted is based on a story by co-screenwriter Houshang Golshiri.
Tranquility in the Presence of Others
Nasser Taghavi’s poignant, tough-minded 1969 adaptation of a story by Gholam-Hossein Sa’edi.