Iranian Culture - New Wave in Iranian Cinema
Mariam Noronha
Films are a mirror of society and Iranian cinema is certainly no exception. The social, cultural and political transition in Iran has lead to a dramatic transformation in its films.
Ahmad Talebinejad, a film critic and writer, has described the "New Wave" as an intellectual, cultural trend in Iranian cinema.
Here is a look at the people and films that have been instrumental in changing the face of Iranian cinema.
The Beginning of the "New Wave"
The New Wave in Iranian cinema was born out of the political and intellectual movements of the time. The year 1969 saw the beginning of a cinematic revolution in Iran. Some part of this transition can be attributed to the fact that the period between the1950's and 1960's was a golden period for Persian literature, a major source of inspiration for most film makers.
It was in these times that public interest was riveted by the quirks of daily life, its simplicities and problems, a far cry from violence and aggression which engaged audiences until then. Up until the New Wave when poetry and artistic imagery gave an artistic and cultural yet contemporary look to Iranian cinema, no one really regarded the director as the creator of a film. As Talebnijad says, "After the New Wave, the public found out that one person was the principal thinker of the film, and his ideas and plans are made into pictures, and he is called the director."
Pioneering Films
The Cow directed by Darius Mehrjui, Qeysar by Masoud Kimiai and Calm in Front of Others by Nasser Taqvai are three films that sparked off an intellectual and socio-political trend in Iranian film making. These films and their directors are widely recognized as pioneers of the New Wave. About 40-50 New Wave films were made from 1969, the year in which these three films were made, until 1972-73.
Despite the fact that there have been many films produced and directed during the New Wave not all of them have been in tune with the spirit and genre of film making which can be distinctly identified with the period. "Reza Motori" and the "Baluch" are only two instances of a New Wave film gone awry.
New Wave Directors
Darius Mehrjui, Masoud Kimiai, Nasser Taqvai, Bahram Bezai, Parviz, Kimiavi, Forough Farokhzad and Sohrab Shahid Saless with their innovative art films were the pioneers of the New Wave in Iranian cinema. Majid Majidi's works made the global audience sit up and take notice of the philosophy, tragedy and sweet narratives of Iranian movies.
Others like Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Abolfazl Jalili, Amir Naderi and Samira Makhmalbaf also offered audiences a fresh perspective on Iranian cinema. Abbas Kiarostami and Panahi are first generation directors of the New Wave while Maziar Miri, Babak Payami, Asghar Farhadi, Bahman Ghobadi, Mona Zandi-Haqiqi, Kiarash Anvari, Maziar, Bahari, Saman Saloor, Sadaf Faroughi and Bahman Motamedian are the young brigade of the New Wave.
The New Wave Documented
"A Simple Event - A Review of the New Wave Trend in Iranian Cinema" authored by Ahmad Talebinejad and Close Up: Iranian Cinema, Past, Present, and Future by Hamid Dabashi are two books which provide an in depth look at the New Wave. While Dabashi has described Iranian films as cultural modernity, Talebinejad has gone a step further by saying, "the New Wave films not only influenced Iranian cinema, they raised the expectation of the viewer."
Competing Genres
Financial considerations often take precedence over cultural ones and this applies to cinema as well. Iranian film makers seeking financial gain also began scripting and directing action films. This they believed would attract viewers and culminate in box office success. The audience however rejected them for their violence and lack of aesthetics.
"Filmfarsi" is a term that was coined for vulgar Iranian films. Though the New Wave brought about a divergent trend that steered viewer interest toward a dynamic mix of artistic and cultural cinema, Filmfarsi has not completely disappeared. After the New Wave, the Iranian audience became more discerning and their cultural and aesthetic expectations increased.
Many believe that Iranian films were influenced by Italian and French cinema but there are others like Rose Issa who begs to differ. In her article, 'Real Fictions' she says that Iranian films have a distinctly Iranian language.
The poetic depiction of everyday life in a documentary form is the hallmark of New Wave Iranian cinema. This genre of film making could well be Iran's contribution to world cinema.