Compiled by Homa Naficy
Outreach Adult Services Librarian, Westchester Library System
October 1999

In 1983, the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance established the Farabi Cinema Foundation to "supervise, guide and support" new films with financial investments and equipment. Both scripts and finished films were to be submitted for approval. Since then, in spite of Islamic restrictions, Iranian films have captured worldwide recognition and a permanent place in the history of world cinema. Over the past decade several Iranian films have received top prizes at prestigious international film festivals. Iran's latest feat was "Children of Heaven", (winner of top prizes at the Montreal World Film Festival, 1997) and the first Iranian movie nominated for an Academy Award as Best Foreign film, 1999. Youthful protagonists as seen in "Children of Heaven" are common in Iranian films, due perhaps to constraints placed on depicting adult male-female relationships. But these films are not for children, but about children, and are deep and meaningful. Sex, violence, and extravagant special effects, are neither present nor missed. In general, Iranian films seem to be slowly paced, but we are presented with memorable characters and situations that touch home. One of the more precarious aspects of watching Iranian movies is the heavy usage of various Iranian dialects that will not be felt when relying on subtitles. Iranian cinema is also a cinema of simplicity. Non-professional actors, real locations, and a modest budget are masterfully combined to captivate audiences worldwide.

Badkonake sefid. The White Balloon. 1995, color, 85 min.
Directed by Jafar Panahi.
Seven-year old Razieh pleads with her mother to buy her a "pretty and chubby" goldfish she has seen in a store. Razieh's brother persuades their mother to give in. With the family's last bank note in hand, Razieh mirthfully sets out to buy her fish. On her way she loses her money to a snake charmer who, feeling sorry for the child, soon returns it to her, but she drops it down a drain. With the help of her brother they desperately try to retrieve her money, buy the fish and get home before the advent of New Year. A tailor, a soldier and a balloon salesman are amongst the many assorted characters the child encounters during her ordeal. A delightful reminder of how we perceive our surroundings as a child. ("Camera d'or", Cannes Film Festival)

Bicycleran. The Cyclist. 1989, color, 75 min.
Directed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf.
An Afghan refugee and former cyclist champion needs money to pay for his wife's medical treatment. Work, other than drug smuggling, is difficult to come by. In despair he accepts a bet to peddle his bicycle in a circle for a week without stopping. Villagers gather to watch and wager on the cyclist as he turns his suffering to their profit. Several attempts to sabotage the bicycle marathon sustain an atmosphere of intrigue and suspense. ("Best Film", Riminicinema Film Festival)

Gabbeh. Gabbeh. 1996, color, 75 min.
Directed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf.
A Gabbeh is a woven rug made by the nomadic tribe of Ghashghaiis, living in remote areas of southwest Iran. These rugs serve both as artistic expression and autobiographical record of the lives of the weavers. The film starts off with an old couple washing their gabbah in a stream. The gabbeh bears the image of a woman and a man riding a horse. Suddenly a beautiful young woman also called Gabbeh appears and begins to recount the story inscribed in the carpet to the old couple. The more she narrates her story, the clearer it becomes that this is not her story, but the story of the old couple. This simple story is portrayed through phenomenal visual artistry. ("Un Certain Regard", Cannes Film Festival)

Kelid. The Key. 1986, color, 76 min.
Directed by Ebrahim Foruzesh.
A mother leaves her four-year-old son to look after his one-year-old brother while she goes out shopping. The infant's crying soon draws the attention of the neighbors, but the front door is locked. Worried about the children's safety, the neighbors and the children's grandmother yell instructions from behind the door on how to change the baby's diaper and how to feed the baby. Tension mounts as a cooking pot boils over dousing the flames on the stove. Survival hinges on the youngster's ability to find the spare key and open the door. ("Best Children's Film", Berlin Film Festival. The Key was also awarded with the "Public Prize"at theChicago International Children Film Festival)

Khaneh-ye doust kojast? Where Is the Friend's Home? 1989, color, 90 min.
Directed by Abbas Kiarostami.
Mohammad Reza's careless attitude towards his homework has drawn several reprimands from his teacher, cumulating in a threat of expulsion if he does not submit his homework in his workbook. His schoolmate Ahmad accidentally has picked up Mohammad Reza's workbook. Fearing that his friend will be expelled if he does not submit his workbook the next day, Ahmed defies his parents, and sets out to find his friend's home in the neighboring village and return his workbook. Ahmad's efforts are frustrated time and time again since no one bothers to listen to him. His trials and tribulations give us valuable insights into the importance of listening to children. ("The Bronze Leopard", Locarno Film Festival)

Niaz. The Need. 1991, color, 81 min.
Directed by Alireza Davudnezhad.
Two teenage boys compete for a job as an apprentice at a print shop. Without the job they each face the bleakest of prospects. Their fierce competition triggers incidents of workplace sabotage and fighting, but eventually clears the way for a priceless friendship. A telling and valuable story very gracefully rendered. ("Best Film", Fajr International Film Festival)

Parde-ye akhar. The Last Act. 1991, color, 110 min.
Directed by Varuzh Karim-Masihi.
A clever and dramatic mystery unfolds as a play within a play. The action takes place in '30s Tehran, where a sinister brother and sister plot to dispose of their recently widowed sister-in-law in order to obtain her inheritance. They hire a troupe of itinerant performers to pose as servants and stage horrific events. It is hoped that these events will drive their sister-in-law insane and lay the groundwork for them to stage her suicide. The script for the last act (horrific event) is not delivered to the performers until the very end. ("Best Film" and "Best Director", Fajr International Film Festival)

Ta'm e guilass. The Taste of Cherry. 1997, color, 95 min.
Directed by Abbas Kiarostami.
A middle aged man who plans to commit suicide drives around the suburbs of Teheran to find someone who will help bury him after he is dead. A Kurd soldier, an Afghan seminarian, and a couple of laborers are amongst those asked to accept this unusual offer, for which they will be paid handsomely. Finally an old man, who also had once attempted suicide, accepts his offer to help pay for his son's leukemia treatment. ("Palme d'or", Cannes Film Festival)

Zendegi va digar hich. Life, and Nothing More. 1992, color, 90 min.
Directed by Abbas Kiarostami.
The tragic impetus for this film came from the devastating 1990 earthquake, which killed some 50,000 people in northern Iran. The region had been the setting for Kiarostami's previous award winning film Where Is the Friend's Home? After the earthquake a father and son set out to reach the devastated area to find out about the fates of two of the boys who had played central roles in that film. Along the way they meet earthquake survivors and discover the remarkable tenacity of the Iranian people who continue with their lives in spite of their casualties and suffering. (Part two of a trilogy beginning with Where Is the Friend's Home? and Through the Olive Trees) ("Un Certain Regard", Cannes Film Festival)

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