In the UK, Iranian cinema is known about by few and likely seen by even fewer but it ought to be given more support by British audiences. Why? Because making a film in Iran that contains even a hint of criticism of the state is a dangerous activity that can land the makers in prison.
Iranian film began in 1965 with the Iranian New Wave, but it took until 1997 for it to make an impact internationally, whenTaste of Cherry, directed by Abbas Kiarostami, won the Palme d’Or at Cannes in 1997.
Kiarostami died in 2016 but others have picked up his mantle. This article pays tribute to five important Iranian filmmakers, whose films expose the shortcomings of their government, with a focus on the lives and moral dramas ordinary couples face as they go about their daily lives. They embody the saying (often attributed to George Orwell) that “In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.”
Asghar Farhadi – conflicted characters in complex films
Asghar Farhadi’s reputation as a great filmmaker arguably rests on five works: About Elly (2009), A Separation (2011), The Past (2013), The Salesman (2016) and A Hero (2021). They have won numerous international awards, including two Oscars for Best International film (A Separation and The Salesman), acting and screenwriting prizes at various festivals including Berlin and Cannes and the respect of the global film community.
In each film, a central character in a deeply conservative and religious country faces a dilemma. In About Elly, the story asks what to do when you are engaged to someone you don’t really want to marry. In A Separation, a married couple seek a divorce, a situation also facing the protagonists in The Past.
In The Salesman, a husband and wife are acting in Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller’s play about hope, truth and fidelity. They find themselves in an apartment once occupied by a prostitute which leads to questions about appropriate behaviour. A Hero is about a convict on weekend release who has to decide whether to use some gold coins he has acquired to settle a large debt.
Farhadi’s films manage “to express themselves meaningfully outside the bounds of censorship”, in the words of Deborah Young of The Hollywood Reporter. They are “morally, psychologically and socially complex”, asking subtle questions about the state of the country, especially where it affects women. But where Farhadi is subtle, Jafar Panahi is much more confrontational.
Jafar Panahi – open criticism of the Iranian regime
No director has made more overt criticisms of the Iranian regime than Jafar Panahi. His films often place women and children centre stage and consequently many of them have been banned.
He worked with Kiarostami as an assistant director and came to attention in 1995 with The White Balloon which won the Camera d’Or at Cannes, the first Iranian film to make such a mark. A string of notable films followed, including Offside (2006), about young women wanting to attend a football match (which they are not allowed to do) and which was inspired by his own daughter’s experience.
Panahi was arrested in 2010 for anti-state propaganda, tried and sentenced to six years in jail. While under house arrest after appealing his sentence, he made a video diary about his experience which, with tongue very firmly in cheek, he called This is Not a Film (2011). It was smuggled out of Iran on a pen drive hidden in a cake and screened at Cannes that year. His arrest sparked massive protests from members of the international film community and the attention he received led to his release.
Panahi defied the authorities again with Taxi (2015), a docudrama he made while posing as a taxi driver, giving rides to people – including his niece who wanted advice on how to make a film about the downside of Iranian society and a human rights lawyer – around Tehran and encouraging them to chat to him about their lives. He filmed them on his mobile.
Panahi is banned from travelling outside Iran and making films but he continues to be defiant. In 2022 he went on hunger strike in support of Mohammad Rasoulof who had also fallen foul of the government.
Mohammad Rasoulof – recognition abroad but punishment at home
Mohammad Rasoulof has been in conflict with the Iranian authorities since 2010. His films have had little exposure in the West though they have won major prizes at festivals including Cannes and Berlin.
The Seed of the Sacred Fig (his latest and in cinemas now), has been nominated as Best International Film for this year’s BAFTAs and Oscars. While all his films have to an extent been critical of the Iranian regime, this film is remarkably challenging. Set during the 2024 riots that erupted in Iran after the death of Mahsa Amini (a lot of social media footage is used in the film), when you watch it, you can quite understand why it was filmed in secret.
Iman is a judge with prospects. A recent promotion delights his loyal wife but when his two daughters discover that street protests are breaking out after the death of Amini, they grow concerned. Their concern turns into outright opposition to their father and what he represents when one of their close friends is shot in the face and seriously injured. They involve their mother in helping treat her which gradually turns her against her husband. It’s as clear a metaphor for what’s happening in Iran as you could wish for.
When the film was announced for Cannes 2024, Rasoulof was sentenced by the Islamic Republic to eight years in prison, whipping and a fine. He fled to a safe house in Germany after the sentencing where he now lives in exile. Others however haven’t been so lucky.
Behtash Sanaeeha and Maryam Moghaddam: breaking Islamic rules
Husband and wife team Behtash Sanaeeha and Maryam Moghaddam have a much lower profile as filmmakers. Had it not been for My Favourite Cake – a charming film about an elderly woman wilfully breaking social rules and conventions while enjoying one final romance – winning a major prize at the 2024 Berlin Film Festival, we might know nothing about them.
When the Iranian authorities learned about the film, they banned the couple from leaving Iran and charged them with “breaking Islamic rules by making a vulgar movie and spreading prostitution and libertinism”. They are currently in Evin prison.
When you want to protest, pick up a camera
Once if you wanted to protest at the state of the world, you picked up a guitar, as A Complete Unknown reminds us. Jean-Luc Godard famously said, “Cinema is truth 24 frames per second.” Now, it seems you pick up a camera. These five brave Iranian filmmakers are putting themselves at risk for this principle.
