Iranian cinema

Interview with Director Petr Lom

The Dictator, My Pen Pal

Critics complain that with Letters to the President, director Petr Lom has made a propaganda film for a dictator. Speaking in an interview with Igal Avidan, Petr Lom highlights the day-to-day absurdities of cooperating with the Iranian regime
Marjane Satrapi's "Persepolis"

Stars and Bombs

Marjane Satrapi's graphic novel "Persepolis", about her childhood in Iran and growing up in Europe, made her world famous. The film version is banned in Iran but now showing in cinemas across the globe. Petra Tabeling reports
Asghar Farhadi's "About Elly"

Who Knows the Truth?

For years, Iranian films have been regarded as a hot tip at the Berlin International Film Festival. This time as well, an Iranian production has managed to convince the Berlinale jury. Asghar Farhadi's gripping social drama "About Elly" was awarded the Silver Bear for best director. By Ariana Mirza
Cinema in Iran

The Calm before the Storm?

It's not that long since Iranian cinema was famous for its innovation, winning international prizes across the board. But now the buzz about the Iranian film industry has died down, both in the West and in the Islamic Republic itself. Amin Farzanefar considers the state of Iranian film past and present
Film Center Opens up New Perspectives

Directors like Kiarostami or Makhmalbaf have long become icons of contemporary Iranian film. But young, unknown Persian directors are often overlooked. A private film foundation attempts to gain more attention for these directors.
Rakhshan Bani-Etemad

Filming the Margins of Iranian Society

Rakhshan Bani-Etemad is one of Iran's most prominent – and provocative – filmmakers. She has just finished directing "Mainline", a film about a young Iranian drug addict. Robert Richter reviews Rakhshan Bani-Etemad's film career
Interview with Tahmineh Milani

Between Censorship and a Smash Hit

Her work has been a constant tightrope walk between tradition and emancipation, between freedom and censorship. The Iranian director Tahmineh Milani talks about women directors, their mission, and cinema
A Critical Phase Has Been Reached

Majid Majidi warns against the assumption that Iranian cinema can automatically be stamped with an international seal of quality. Success should be measured by the quality of each individual film.
Bahman Ghobadi

"Switch off CNN and Al-Jazeera…

… and watch my film instead!" With this provocative statement Bahman Ghobadi aims to draw attention to the situation of the Kurds. Brigitte Neumann on the Kurdish filmmaker's new film
The Ambivalent Worlds of Iranian Cinema

Is there such a thing as an authentic or typically Iranian film? The perception is often very different in the West than in Iran. Amin Farzanefar explores the different resonance of Persian cinema in Europe and in Iran.
Reality Torn and Distorted

Iranian cinema has been successful in the West with films full of rural poverty and isolation. But where are the urbane films that address the lived realities of this divided country? By Birgit Glombitza
The Iranian Filmmaker Kamal Tabrizi

Should One Be Allowed to Laugh at Mullahs?

"It used to be that religious figures enjoyed a special place in the hearts of Iranians, otherwise the revolution would never have taken place," recalls the popular Iranian filmmaker Kamal Tabrizi. "Yet, today this trust has been undermined." Charlotte Wiedemann met with this uncompromising film director