Beginnings Of Iranian Cinema

Louisa Havránková

Cinema came to Iran at the beginning of the 20th century. Most historians think that the first filmmaker was Mirza Ebrahim Khan Akkas Bashi. During a trip to France, he obtained a camera and filmed the Shah's visit to Europe.

The first public projection in Iran took place in Tehran in 1904 and was presented by Mirza Ebrahim Khan Sahaf Bashi. He managed to do the projection in the back of his shop. 

Around 1905 the first movie theatre opened and was followed by others. Such places were at first frequented by higher classes mainly until cinema took over as a form of entertainment. The ticket prices became lower in order to attract audiences from all backgrounds. 

Another important person is Khan-baba Khan Motazedi who was a cinematographer and photographer. He was the first to arrange a movie projection for women and later he introduced foreign movies to Iranian society. 

But because of the constitutional regime which took over in 1909, the cinema wasn't supported anymore. Movie theatres and photography studios were destroyed or closed. The movie theatres sprang up again in 1912 with the help of Ardeshir Khan. 

In 1925 Reza Shah Pahlavi came to power and initiated a modernization with Western values. The cinematographic camera was introduced to Iran in 1929. The first silent movie was called Abi and Rabi and was directed by Ovanes Ohanian. It was a black and white comedy movie. The movie was about an hour long and focused on the adventures of a tall and a short man. Ovanes Ohanian was the first to found an acting school in Iran. 

Also in the early 30s, the first movie with sound was made. It was called Lor Girl and it was directed by Ardeshir Irani. It was the first movie in the Iranian language. The movie is about a young teahouse girl who was kidnapped as a child and taken away by a clan of bandits. The movie was well-received and other film directors were inspired by it.