It’s deeply symbolic that the Islamic Revolution of 1979 started with an arson attack on a film theatre. Cinema was a beloved art and pastime in Iran long before the rest of the world took note of it in the early 1970s. While the films of the Iranian New Wave (which was in full swing when the revolution began) remain visible to this day, the popular cinema of the 40s, 50s and 60s is almost invisible.
To accompany the world premiere of Saeed Nouri’s Tehran, An Unfinished History(2025) and the screening of a newly digitally preserved Iranian 50s gem, Ali Kasmaei’s Negligence (1953), we asked IFFR favourite Nouri to introduce Rotterdam audiences to this extraordinary chapter in the history of world cinema. With lots of excerpts from rare films of the period this is a unique opportunity to enter a world of wonder!
Click on the button below to watch the recording of this Tiger Talk.
