Riza Siyami – February 27, 2020
Like many other phenomena, Iranian cinema owes much to the Turks of the country. The arrival of the first cinematograph in Iran in 1900 (1279 in the Iranian calendar) by Mozaffar al-Din Shah Qajar, a Turkish king of Iran, is considered the starting point of Iranian cinema.
The first Iranian film directly connected to Azerbaijan is Mashhadi Ebad, directed by Samad Sabahi in 1953 (1332). This work was originally written by Uzeyir Hajibeyov in 1910 (1289) and was first staged in Baku in 1911 (1290). Sabahi’s film was in Persian, and even its songs were translated and performed in Persian. Occasionally, Turkish-related themes were addressed on television, though in Persian. One example is the TV series Atash-e Bedoone Dood (Fire Without Smoke) directed by Nader Ebrahimi in 1974 (1353), one of the most important series of National Iranian Television before the revolution, which portrayed the lives and culture of the Turkmen people. Turkmen music also played a prominent role in the series.
With the new phase of Iranian cinema after the Islamic Revolution, a few film companies were established in cities like Urmia. Several films by directors such as Rasoul Mollagholipour, Yadollah Samadi, Yadollah Noasari, and Hassan Mohammadzadeh were shot in Azerbaijan but in Persian. Azerbaijani folklore was first used in cinema by Yadollah Samadi. His films Savalan, Demrel, and Saray marked significant steps in creating cinema based on Azerbaijani culture, though all were still produced in Persian. However, Saray was dubbed into Azerbaijani Turkish and warmly received in Turkish-speaking cities.
Production of Films in Azerbaijani Turkish
In the 1990s (1370s), the first steps toward producing films in Turkish began on Iranian television. TV networks in Tabriz, Ardabil, Urmia, Zanjan, and the international Sahar channel in Tehran started producing Turkish-language TV series and films, mostly in Azerbaijani Turkish and occasionally in Turkmen.
In the realm of professional cinema and feature films, the first Turkish-language movie was O (He/She/It) directed by Rahbar Ghanbari in 2003 (1382), filmed in a village in Ardabil. It won several awards at domestic and international festivals. A year later, his film Desires about the Karabakh war was made, though it wasn’t screened in either Iran or the Republic of Azerbaijan and only aired on television. Other filmmakers like Hassan Najafi, Babak Shirinsefat, Vahid Azar, and later Ali Abdali also created films in Azerbaijan or Turkey or collaborated with artists from these countries. Except for one film by Najafi, none of these works were screened in Iranian cinemas.
Before the revolution, short films were mainly produced at Free Cinema Centers, and attention to Turkish language and culture was minimal among filmmakers. The only film somewhat related to Azerbaijani culture was The Birth of Ashura by veteran Ardabili filmmaker Asghar Javid, made in 1975 (1354). After the revolution, short films gained special significance, with the state aiming to cultivate young filmmakers to promote Islamic cinema. Many young Turks took advantage of this opportunity to enter filmmaking and later started making films in their mother tongue. Notable figures include Reza Jamali, Esmail Monsef, Farhad Aivazi, Bahman and Bahram Ark, and Shahzad Qureshi—many of whom achieved success in domestic and international festivals. For instance, the short film Animal by Bahman and Bahram Ark won numerous awards, including the second prize in the Cinefondation section of the prestigious Cannes Film Festival.
A New Life for Professional Turkish Cinema
Although the 2000s (1380s) marked the start of Turkish-language feature films, this trend did not continue steadily and faced stagnation. In 2016 (1395), the film Ew (Home) by Asghar Yousefinejad attracted critical attention at the 35th Fajr Film Festival. This Azerbaijani Turkish-language film, made in Tabriz with local cast and crew, won the festival’s Best Screenplay, Best Film in the international section, and the NETPAC Award for the Promotion of Asian Cinema. This success revived Turkish-language cinema in Iran and inspired many filmmakers to pursue Turkish-language productions.
Later, films such as Coal (Komur) by Esmail Monsef and Old Men Don’t Die (Pirmardlar Nemimirand) by Reza Jamali—winner of the Spirit of Asia Award at the 2019 Tokyo Film Festival—were produced.
At the 38th Fajr Film Festival, Atabai directed by Niki Karimi and Skin (Post) directed by Bahman and Bahram Ark garnered critical acclaim. Especially Skin was seen as a standout of the festival, not only for being in Turkish but also for its cinematic form, structure, and storytelling. It won awards for best film score and best film in the Art and Experience section.
Obstacles
Turkish-language films—and non-Persian language productions in general—face major challenges in Iran’s cinema industry. First, audiences are not accustomed to non-Persian languages, which for a long time were portrayed in film and TV mainly for ridicule and mockery. Second, Pan-Iranist and monopolistic ideologies insist that all cultural activities in the country must be conducted in Persian. An example of this is a journalist’s protest against the production of Atabai. Third, lack of financial support—from both investors and state institutions—due to the perceived financial risk of such films. As a result, these projects are often self-funded and produced on low budgets.
Final Remarks
Unlike the Pahlavi regime, which adopted Aryanism and Persianization as its dominant cultural discourse and pursued cultural-linguistic homogenization, the post-revolution Islamic Republic set aside these ideas and framed its policies based on religious ideology. From the outset, it opened the space for publishing books and magazines in non-Persian languages, and in cinema, it has supported local productions, particularly in short films. Despite a weak undercurrent of Pan-Persianism within parts of the establishment, the dominant trend has been supportive of young filmmakers prioritizing filmmaking in their mother tongue. With the creation of valuable works and increasing public support across social classes for films made in their native languages, state policies may continue to align with and support this emerging movement in Iran’s professional cinema.
Original Farsi Article:
صیامی، رضا. (۲۷ فوریهٔ ۲۰۲۰). سینمای ترکی در ایران. مرکز مطالعات ایرانی آنکارا (ایرام).
Available at: https://iramcenter.org/fa/سینمای-ترکی-در-ایران_fa-1666