101 Films of Ale: Iran
by OldAle1 | created - 13 Mar 2017 | updated - 2 months ago | PublicThe first 33 films are ranked; the rest are listed in chronological order. I have made a separate (much shorter) list of "Persian diaspora" cinema which consists of works produced outside the country by Iranian filmmakers.
I fell in love with Iranian cinema in the early-to-mid 1990s, after seeing Panahi's The White Balloon and several films from Kiarostami; I was lucky enough to be living in Chicago, which had an enthusiastic critic (Jonathan Rosenbaum) who was an early champion of this culture's cinema, and an institution (The Film Center of the Art Institute) that held an Iranian film festival every autumn for several years. And my interest has continued to this day, and I'm pleased to see that Iranian cinema has had an ever-greater presence on the world stage.
Westerners, especially my American countrymen, who don't know Iranian cinema or Persian culture in general would probably be surprised that it is not a cinema and culture primarily concerned with denigrating and attacking America and Israel and the west in general. While these elements are not entirely absent (just as anti-Muslim and anti-Iranian sentiment is hardly absent in our western world), you will find that in most of the Iranian films that are present on my list and indeed in most that find their way to film festivals and cinemas, that overt political statements - of any kind - are hardly a primary impulse. Rosenbaum once called Iranian cinema "the most ethical" in the world; while this strikes me as needlessly hyperbolic and impossible to prove, I do think it's fair to say that few if any national cinemas over the last 30 years have been more concerned with ethical issues. If you want a cinema that really attempts to explore some of the basic elements of the human condition in responsible ways without kowtowing to adolescent tastes, the Iranian cinema is as good a place as any to explore.
This is not to say that Iranian cinema consists entirely of humanist dramas or psychological explorations of what it means to live in the world, but this wonderful and rare (if not unique) cinema derives largely from the unfortunate fact that the revolution at the end of the 1970s severely limited the subjects which filmmakers were able to tackle, and censored much of what we take for granted in the western world (i.e, sex and violence). You won't see any teen sex comedies here - but neither will you see shoot 'em ups. The period before 1980 does offer a bit wider range of material, and Iranian filmmakers like their peers in France (probably the country that most influenced the development of Iranian cinema), Germany, or America were trying to make more "adult" films dealing with once-taboo themes. Alas most of the 1960s-70s films are very difficult to find, and typically can only be seen in very poor condition. But these films do still exist, and we can hope that the still-increasing attention this great national cinema is getting will eventually lead to the unearthing of more of these buried treasures.
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1. The House Is Black (1963)
20 min | Documentary, Short
Set in a leper colony in the north of Iran, The House is Black juxtaposes "ugliness", of which there is much in the world as stated in the opening scenes, with religion and gratitude.
Director: Forugh Farrokhzad | Stars: Forugh Farrokhzad, Ebrahim Golestan, Hossein Mansouri
Votes: 5,563
2. Close-Up (1990)
Not Rated | 98 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
The true story of Hossain Sabzian, a cinephile who impersonated the director Mohsen Makhmalbaf to convince a family they would star in his so-called new film.
Director: Abbas Kiarostami | Stars: Hossain Sabzian, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Abolfazl Ahankhah, Mehrdad Ahankhah
Votes: 23,013 | Gross: $0.00M
3. A Moment of Innocence (1996)
Not Rated | 78 min | Comedy, Drama
A semi-autobiographical account of Makmahlbaf's experience as a teenager when, as a 17-year-old, he stabbed a policeman at a protest rally. Two decades later, he tracks down the policeman he injured in an attempt to make amends.
Director: Mohsen Makhmalbaf | Stars: Mirhadi Tayebi, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Ali Bakhsi, Ammar Tafti Dehghan
Votes: 4,401 | Gross: $0.04M
4. The Wind Will Carry Us (1999)
Not Rated | 118 min | Drama
Irreverent city engineer Behzad comes to a rural village in Iran to keep vigil for a dying relative. In the meanwhile the film follows his efforts to fit in with the local community and how he changes his own attitudes as a result.
Director: Abbas Kiarostami | Stars: Behzad Dorani, Noghre Asadi, Roushan Karam Elmi, Bahman Ghobadi
Votes: 12,320 | Gross: $0.21M
5. Two Women (1999)
95 min | Drama, Romance
A sensation when released in 1999 in Iran, Two Women charts the lives of two promising architecture students over the course of the first turbulent years of the Islamic Republic. Tahimine ... See full summary »
Director: Tahmineh Milani | Stars: Niki Karimi, Merila Zare'i, Mohammad Reza Forutan, Atila Pesiani
Votes: 1,729
6. The Circle (2000)
Not Rated | 90 min | Drama
Various women struggle to function in the oppressively sexist society of contemporary Iran.
Director: Jafar Panahi | Stars: Maryiam Palvin Almani, Nargess Mamizadeh, Mojgan Faramarzi, Elham Saboktakin
Votes: 6,682 | Gross: $0.67M
7. Secrets of the Treasure of the Jinn Valley (1974)
137 min | Comedy, Drama
Ali (Parviz Sayyad) who is a poor farmer when plowing his farm finds a treasure. He secretly begins to sell some of this treasure in the city and making a luxurious life for himself. By the... See full summary »
Director: Ebrahim Golestan | Stars: Parviz Sayyad, Mary Apick, Shahnaz Tehrani, Sadegh Bahrami
Votes: 185
8. Khake Sar Beh Mohr (1977)
90 min | Drama
A young woman in pre-revolution Iran is caught between the traditional values of her small village and her own yearnings for independence and individuality. Her persistent refusal of ... See full summary »
Director: Marva Nabili | Star: Flora Shabaviz
Votes: 116
9. Bashu, the Little Stranger (1989)
120 min | Drama, War
An Iranian boy is lost after fleeing home for his life; his family has been killed during the Iran-Iraq war. He's saved and trained by a middle-aged woman.
Director: Bahram Beyzaie | Stars: Susan Taslimi, Parviz Poorhosseini, Adnan Afravian, Golshan Anooshe
Votes: 3,202
10. The Cow (1969)
Not Rated | 104 min | Drama
An old villager deeply in love with his cow goes to the capital for a while. While he's there, the cow dies and now the villagers are afraid of his possible reaction to it when he returns.
Director: Dariush Mehrjui | Stars: Ezzatolah Entezami, Mahin Shahabi, Ali Nasirian, Jamshid Mashayekhi
Votes: 7,988
11. Travellers (1992)
90 min | Drama
A young woman's wedding becomes a ritual of mourning when her sister and family die in an auto accident on the way to the wedding. The sisters' mother refuses to accept her daughter's death... See full summary »
Director: Bahram Beyzaie | Stars: Mozhdeh Shamsai, Homa Rusta, Jamileh Sheikhi, Niku Kheradmand
Votes: 1,221
12. Taste of Cherry (1997)
Not Rated | 95 min | Drama
An Iranian man drives his car in search of someone who will quietly bury him under a cherry tree after he commits suicide.
Director: Abbas Kiarostami | Stars: Homayoun Ershadi, Abdolhosein Bagheri, Afshin Khorshid Bakhtiari, Safar Ali Moradi
Votes: 36,753 | Gross: $0.31M
13. About Elly (2009)
TV-PG | 119 min | Drama, Mystery
The mysterious disappearance of a kindergarten teacher during a picnic in the north of Iran is followed by a series of misadventures for her fellow travelers.
Director: Asghar Farhadi | Stars: Taraneh Alidoosti, Golshifteh Farahani, Shahab Hosseini, Merila Zare'i
Votes: 57,160 | Gross: $0.11M
14. This Is Not a Film (2011)
Not Rated | 75 min | Documentary
It's been months since Jafar Panahi, stuck in jail, has been awaiting a verdict by the appeals court. By depicting a day in his life, Panahi and Mojtaba Mirtahmasb try to portray the deprivations looming in contemporary Iranian cinema.
Directors: Mojtaba Mirtahmasb, Jafar Panahi | Stars: Jafar Panahi, Igi, Mrs. Gheirat, Mojtaba Mirtahmasb
Votes: 5,644 | Gross: $0.08M
15. Brick and Mirror (1966)
126 min | Drama
Hashem (Zakariya Hashemi) is a cab driver who finds an infant child in the back seat of his cab one night after he gives a ride to a young woman. He and his girlfriend, Taji (Taji Ahmadi), ... See full summary »
Director: Ebrahim Golestan | Stars: Taji Ahmadi, Zackaria Hashemi, Goli Bozorgmehr, Masoud Faghih
Votes: 887
16. Goodbye (2011)
105 min | Drama
Story of a young lawyer in Tehran in search of a visa to leave the country, which is what Mohammad Rasoulof did during the winter of 2010/11.
Director: Mohammad Rasoulof | Stars: Leila Zare, Fereshteh Sadre Orafaiy, Shahab Hosseini, Roya Teymourian
Votes: 824
17. The Hills of Marlik (1963)
15 min | Documentary, Short
This is a short documentary about Marlik hills and the archaeology's explorations there. But also it is about life, art, and the hope for a better tomorrow.
Director: Ebrahim Golestan
Votes: 99
18. A Separation (2011)
PG-13 | 123 min | Drama
A married couple are faced with a difficult decision - to improve the life of their child by moving to another country or to stay in Iran and look after a deteriorating parent who has Alzheimer's disease.
Director: Asghar Farhadi | Stars: Payman Maadi, Leila Hatami, Sareh Bayat, Shahab Hosseini
Votes: 258,516 | Gross: $7.10M
19. Taxi (III) (2015)
Not Rated | 82 min | Comedy, Drama
Banned from making movies by the Iranian government, Jafar Panahi poses as a taxi driver and makes a movie about social challenges in Iran.
Director: Jafar Panahi | Stars: Jafar Panahi, Nasrin Sotoudeh
Votes: 16,538 | Gross: $0.32M
20. The Search (1980)
85 min | Documentary
It all began with "Black Friday" - a massacre on Sept 8, 1978, by the Shah's police. Official pronouncements put the death toll at 200, but the next day the people of Teheran witnessed how ... See full summary »
Director: Amir Naderi
Votes: 50
21. And Life Goes On (1992)
Not Rated | 95 min | Adventure, Drama
A director and his son return to a region damaged by the Guilan earthquake, hoping to find the children who appeared in his film a few years earlier.
Director: Abbas Kiarostami | Stars: Farhad Kheradmand, Pouya Payvar, Behrouz Abedini, Shahin Abzan
Votes: 7,460
22. Manuscripts Don't Burn (2013)
Not Rated | 125 min | Drama, Thriller
Khosrow and Morteza set out on a mission to kill someone. The assassination ought to be arranged as a suicide. At the last minute however, they are obliged to change their initial plans...
Director: Mohammad Rasoulof | Stars: Anonymous, Anonymous, M. Ali Nazarian, Ramin Parham
Votes: 1,212
23. Waiting (1974)
48 min | Drama
One of Naderi's most beautiful films, a kind of magical realist parable that follows a boy's daily chore: bringing an elegant glass bowl to get filled with ice, and then returning home. The... See full summary »
Director: Amir Naderi | Stars: Soheila Ahmadi, Rasool Chamani, Zohreh Ghahremani, Hasan Heidari
Votes: 97
24. The White Meadows (2009)
92 min | Drama
Rahmat has been asked to meet the inhabitants of these islands to collect their tears. Although for years people have been giving their tears to Rahmat, no one knows exactly what he has been doing with them.
Director: Mohammad Rasoulof | Stars: Hassan Pourshirazi, Younes Ghazali, Mohammad Rabbani, Mohammad Shirvani
Votes: 1,048
25. The Mirror (1997)
95 min | Drama
When a young girl becomes lost in the hustle and bustle of Tehran, her journey turns into a dazzling exercise on the nature of film itself.
Director: Jafar Panahi | Stars: Mina Mohammad Khani, Kazem Mojdehi, Naser Omuni, M. Shirzad
Votes: 3,138 | Gross: $0.04M
26. 24 Frames (2017)
Not Rated | 114 min | Drama
Collection of 24 short four-and-a-half minute films inspired by still images, including paintings and photographs.
Director: Abbas Kiarostami | Star: Mohamad Ramezani Pour
Votes: 2,251 | Gross: $0.03M
27. Still Life (1974)
93 min | Drama
The daily life of Mohammad Sardari(Zadour Bonyadi) , a railway switchman on the verge of retirement, who lives with his wife and soldier son near the railway track.
Director: Sohrab Shahid Saless | Stars: Zadour Bonyadi, Mohammed Kani, Hedayatollah Navid, Hibibollah Safarian
Votes: 1,327
28. Closed Curtain (2013)
Not Rated | 106 min | Drama
In a secluded house by the sea with the curtains shut, a screenwriter hides from the world with only his dog as company. The tranquility is abruptly broken one night by the arrival of a ... See full summary »
Directors: Jafar Panahi, Kambuzia Partovi | Stars: Kambuzia Partovi, Maryam Moghadam, Jafar Panahi, Hadi Saeedi
Votes: 1,369 | Gross: $0.03M
29. Maybe Some Other Time (1988)
159 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Mr. Modabber who is a dubber see his wife Kian sitting in a car of a stranger in one scene of a documentary he is been dubbing. With the help of the director and the editor of the ... See full summary »
Director: Bahram Beyzaie | Stars: Susan Taslimi, Dariush Farhang, Simin Ansari, Siamak Atlassi
Votes: 757
30. The Blind Owl (1975)
55 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
The uncle of the young narrator enters his house unexpectedly. In order to offer him some refreshments, he goes to bring a bottle of wine. Through the crevice of the wall which happens to ... See full summary »
Director: Kioumars Derambakhsh | Stars: Parviz Fanizadeh, Farshid Farshood, Novin Ghiasi, Naser Nasiri
Votes: 165
31. The Midnight Terror (1961)
120 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
Amir who needs money to marry with his fiance Maryam begins to do illegal working in a gang of a guy Afshar. Afshar's wife falls in love with Amir but he doesn't care for her. One day Afshar sees them alone and becomes suspicious.
Director: Samuel Khachikian | Stars: Armais Vartani Hovsepian, Parvin Ghaffari, Mohamad Ali Fardin, Vida Ghahremani
Votes: 76
32. A Fire (1961)
24 min | Documentary, Short
An oil well is on fire near Ahvaz in the south of Iran and firemen are trying hard day and night to put it out.
Director: Ebrahim Golestan | Star: Myron Kinley
Votes: 168
33. Hassanlou Chalice (1964)
20 min | Short
Story of the Hassanlou chalice, which becomes the story of Halladj.
Director: Mohammad Reza Aslani | Star: Manouchehr Anvar
Votes: 45
34. Qaleh (1966)
18 min | Documentary, Short
It's a short documentary about prostitutes zone in Tehran which called "Shahre no" before Iran's revolution on 1979. based on interviews with it's inhabitants
Director: Kamran Shirdel
Votes: 200
36. The Night It Rained (1967)
35 min | Documentary, Short
A documentary which explores what did or did not happen on a rainy night a young boy allegedly saved a train from crashing.
Director: Kamran Shirdel
Votes: 457
37. King of the Hearts (1968)
135 min | Drama, Musical, Romance
A little girl with a blind mother, accidentally becomes friends with a famous and rich singer who decides to help her in her life.
Director: Mohamad Ali Fardin | Stars: Mohamad Ali Fardin, Azar Shiva, Victoria Nerssisian, Habibollah Boloor
Votes: 998
38. Gheisar (1969)
100 min | Crime, Drama
A young man's drive to avenge for his sister and brother.
Director: Masud Kimiai | Stars: Behrouz Vossoughi, Pouri Baneai, Naser Malek Motiee, Jamshid Mashayekhi
Votes: 3,765
39. Mr. Gullible (1970)
106 min | Comedy, Drama
A man from village goes to city, to find a job and marry a wife. But encounters with a lot of troubles he did not expect.
Director: Dariush Mehrjui | Stars: Ali Nasirian, Ezzatolah Entezami, Fakhri Khorvash, Mohamad Ali Keshavarz
Votes: 563
40. Arbaïn (1970)
21 min | Documentary, Short
A documentary about a traditional religious ritual in Boushehr, Iran.
Director: Nasser Taghvai
Votes: 57
41. The Bread and Alley (1970)
10 min | Drama, Short
A child carrying a bread is going home but in the alley on his way to home, there is a frightening dog and he doesn't seem to pass it alone.
Director: Abbas Kiarostami | Stars: Reza Hashemi, Mehdi Shahravanfar
Votes: 1,508
43. Dash Akol (1971)
99 min | Drama, Romance, Thriller
Dash Akol is greatly respected in Shiraz as an honorable man who has lost his family's money through helping his friends. He has an enemy, however, named Kaka Rostam, a mean and spiteful ... See full summary »
Director: Masud Kimiai | Stars: Behrouz Vossoughi, Bahman Mofid, Mary Apick, Kan'an Kiani
Votes: 1,384
44. Tranquility in the Presence of Others (1972)
86 min | Drama