Iranian Cinema - History, Aesthetics, Politics Negar Taymoorzadeh

Bogazici University, Department of Western Languages and Literatures, Summer 2019

IRANIAN CINEMA - HISTORY, AESTHETICS, POLITICS

W,F (15:00– 17:50) Instructor: Negar Taymoorzadeh classroom: JF 102 / Mithat Alam Film Center PhD Candidate, Cinema Studies office hours: TBD Tisch School of the Arts New York University

Course Description: This course offers an introduction to Iranian cinema, moving chronologically from the beginnings of silent cinema at the Qajar court in the early 20th century to the contemporary moment. While offering a history of Iranian cinema, this course addresses questions related to aesthetics, genre, and style, as well as sociopolitical categories such as gender, nation, and class. Rather than focusing exclusively on arthouse cinema, this course will draw attention to the heterogeneous body of Iranian cinema, including popular genres, exilic and diasporic films, as well as documentary films. Examining Iranian Cinema’s cross-cultural references, its relation to cinemas of the region and to major transnational and global aesthetics, this course seeks to critically examine the very category of national cinema. Prior knowledge regarding Iranian cinema is not required. Films will be screened with English subtitles, knowledge of Farsi is not required.

Aims and Objectives The course is designed to offer students an historical overview of Iranian cinema, as well as an introduction to key debates around Iranian cinema. The course will also enable students to critically examine these films with regards to their formal and aesthetic qualities, as well as with respect to their historical and socio-political context. At the same time, exposure to a wide range of cinematic expressions will provide students with broader analytical skills and familiarity with theoretical concepts and terminology, enabling them to engage with film and cinema beyond the Iranian context.

Upon completion of this course students ‘should be able:

1. to periodize Iranian cinema with regards to its aesthetics as well as its sociopolitical context; 2. to demonstrate awareness of key debates around Iranian cinema and to critically examine films with regards to these; 3. to analyze and interpret films using theoretical concepts and terminology; 4. to demonstrate awareness regarding the development of ‘national cinema’ as a category in relation to ‘world cinema’, ‘global cinema’, ‘transnational cinema’

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SCHEDULE (for details see detailed schedule below)

WEEK 1: Jun 24 – 28

Jun 26 Introduction / From the silent era to Film-Farsi

Jun 28 Film-Farsi: Melodramatic responses to modernization - underdog masculinity & the fallen woman

WEEK 2: Jul 1 – 5

Jul 3 Film-Farsi read through a transnational lens

Jul 5 Sinemā-ye Motefāvet / Iranian New Wave – Between artistic freedom & censorship

WEEK 3: Jul 8 – 12

Jul 10 Cinema and the Revolution – From Burning Cinemas to “Islamic Cinema” and “Cinema of the Sacred Defense”

Jul 12 Contesting the nation: Alternatives to war time cinema

WEEK 4: Jul 15 – 19

Jul 17 Women in front of the camera – from total absence to powerful presence

Jul 19 Rebellion from within:

WEEK 5: Jul 22 – 26

Jul 24 Iranian Cinema as world cinema: the festival circuit

Jul 26 Women behind the camera - negotiating islam, gender, class, and nation

WEEK 6: Jul 29 – Aug 2

Jul 31 Post-Reform cinema – (re-)islamizing film culture & comedies

Aug 2 Nostalgia and belonging - exilic, diasporic, and hyphenated cinemas

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Readings will be made available online. More details to follow.

Films Films will be screened partly or completely in class or will be made available for home viewing. Films will be screened with English subtitles.

Assignments and Evaluation 3 film viewing worksheets Pick 3 films for which to turn in film analysis worksheets. These are journal entries in which you free to share your impressions and observations. Worksheets allow me an opportunity to give you feedback on your writing through the term and will be graded for completion. Due on the day a film has been assigned, latest due dates Jul 3, Jul 10, and Jul 17 midterm paper 4-5 pages double-spaced, draft due Jul 5, completed paper due Jul 19

1 close analysis of a film clip 2-3 pages double-space, due on Jul 12 final paper 4-5 pages double-spaced, draft due Jul 26 completed paper due Aug 7

Please bring a print of all papers/drafts to class.

Grading: (10%) close analysis of a film clip (20%) in-class participation (20%) film viewing worksheets (25%) midterm paper (25%) final paper

Attendance Attendance is strictly required. Students are allowed 1 unexcused absence. Each additional absence without prior consent will result in a deduction of 1/3 a letter grade, regardless of excuse. Students are personally responsible for making up any homework assignments and for retrieving or viewing any material discussed or screened in class, which was missed due to their absence.

Student coming late repeatedly will be counted absent for the day.

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Class Participation Class participation means active participation, not mere physical presence. This entails: coming to class on time and prepared, and remaining attentive and active throughout the whole class, participating in classroom discussions and group discussions. Coming prepared to class means having read the material assigned on the syllabus for each class and having watched assigned films prior to class.

Late Work: Assignments must be completed and turned in by the deadline. If you anticipate an excused absence on the day a submission is due, you must make sure a classmate brings your print to class. Your grade on the film viewing worksheets, close analysis, midterm paper, and final paper will drop by 1 letter grade for every day that it is late.

Accessibility via E-mail During the week I will check my email at least once a day. Students are expected to do the same. Please allow 48 hours for me to respond to emails.

Plagiarism Plagiarism is a serious academic offense. Please be aware of the University’s plagiarism policies. You must document not only direct quotations but also paraphrases and ideas where they appear in your text. A reference list at the end is not sufficient. Readers must be able to tell exactly where your words and ideas end and where other people’s words and ideas begin. This includes taking ideas or quoting from non-traditional formats such as web pages or visual media.

Classroom rules Cell phones must be turned off before class begins. Cell phones must be put away completely and should not be visible during class. Make sure they make absolutely no sound, no vibration, no flashing lights etc.

Laptops and tablets are distracting to you, your classmates, and me, and hinder your participation. Therefore, I strongly recommend taking notes by hand and referring to printed texts in class. However, I will allow the use of laptops for reference to readings only. In such case, readings must be downloaded in advance and laptops must be offline and silent. Should the use of laptops become distracting, they will be banned from class completely.

During screenings you will need to take notes by hand.

There is a 10 minutes break in every class. Anything you need to do during class time (phone calls, use the bathroom, get food etc.) has to happen during that break.

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DETAILED SCHEDULE

WEEK 1: Jun 24 – 28

Jun 26 Introduction / From the silent era to Film-Farsi

Film/Clips: Dokhtar-e Lor [Lor Girl] (Ardeshir Irani, Abdolhossein Sepanta, 1932) Jonub-e Shahr [South of the City] (Farrokh Gaffary, 1958) Ganj-i Qārūn [Qarun’s Treasure] (Siamak Yasami, 1965) Hasan Kachal [Hasan Kachal] (A. Hatami, 1970)

Readings: Naficy, Hamid (2012): A Social History of Iranian Cinema. Volume 1. The Artisanal Era, 1897-1941. London: Duke University Press. (excerpts)

Rekabtalaei, Golbarg (2019). “Industrial Professionalism. The Emergence of a ‘National’ Commercial Cinema”. in Rekabtalaei, Golbarg: Iranian Cosmopolitanism. A Cinematic History. Cambridge University Press. pp. 133-183 (excerpts).

Jun 28 Film-Farsi: Melodramatic responses to modernization - underdog masculinity & the fallen woman

Film/Clips: Gheysar (Masud Kimia’i 1968)

Readings: Pedram Partowi (2017): Popular Iranian Cinema Before the Revolution: Family and Nation in Filmfarsi. London/New York: Routledge. (excerpts)

Naficy, Hamid (2012): “Family Melodramas and Comedies. The Stewpot Movie Genre.” In A Social History of Iranian Cinema. Volume 2. pp. 197-260 (excerpts).

WEEK 2: Jul 1 – 5

Jul 3 Film-Farsi read through a transnational lens

Film/Clips: Dar Emtedād-e Shab [Into the Night] (Parviz Sayyad, 1978) Soltān-e Ghalbhā [King of the Hearts] (Mohammad Ali Fardin, 1968)

Readings: Atwood, Blake (2016) “When the sun goes down: Sex, desire and cinema in 1970s Tehran” in Asian Cinema, Volume 27, Number 2, October 2016, pp. 127-150.

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Rekabtalaei, Golbarg (2019): “Film-Farsi”. Everyday Constituencies of a Cosmopolitan Popular Cinema”. in Rekabtalaei, Golbarg: Iranian Cosmopolitanism. A Cinematic History. Cambridge University Press. pp. 184-233 (excerpts). film viewing worksheet 1 due

Jul 5 Sinemā-ye Motefāvet / Iranian New Wave – Between artistic freedom & censorship

Film/Clips: Gāv [The Cow] (, 1969) Ārāmesh dar Hozūr-e Deegarān [Peace in the Presence of Others] (Naser Taghvai, 1969/1972) Yek Ettefāgh-e Sāde [A Simple Event] (Sohrab Shahid-Saless, 1974) Dāsh Akol (Mas’ud Kimiai, 1971) Ragbār [Downpour] (Bahram Beyza’i, 1972) Āghā-ye Hālū [Mr. Naive] (Dariush Mehrjui, 1971)

Readings: Sadr, H. (2006) “The 1970s. From extreme optimism to beastly metamorphosis.” In Iranian Cinema; A Political History. London: I.B. Tauris. pp 130-165. Akrami, J. (1987) “The Blighted Spring: Iranian Cinema and Politics in the 1970s.” In Film and Politics in the Third World, edited by J. Downing. New York: Praeger Publishers. pp. 131-144. Rekabtalaei, Golbarg (2015) “Cinematic Revolution: Cosmopolitan Alter-cinema of Pre- revolutionary ”. Iranian Studies. 48:4, 567-589. draft midterm paper due

WEEK 3: Jul 8 – 12

Jul 10 Cinema and the Revolution – From Burning Cinemas to “Islamic Cinema” and “Cinema of the Sacred Defense”

Film/Clips: OK, Mister (Parviz Kimiavi,1979) Tāreekh-Sāzan [History Makers] (Haadi Saaber, 1980 Mojasam-e Sāz [The Sculptor] (Muhammad Reza Momaged, 1981) Panjomin Savār-e Sarnevesht [Fate’s Fifth Horseman] [Said Motlebi, 1981) Berenj-e Khūnin [Bloody Rice] [Amir Ghavidel and Essy Niknejad, 1981) Efrit [Demon] (Farshid Falaknazi, 1983) Fariād-e Mojāhed [Mojahed’s Battle Cry] 9Mehdi Madanchian, 1979)

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Enfejār [Explosion] (Samuel Khachikian, 1979) Sarbāze Eslām [Islamic Warrior] (Aman Manteghi, 1980) Esyāngarān [Rebels] (Jahangir Jahangiri, 1982) Ānsū-ye Meh [Beyond the Mist] (Manuchehr Asgari-Nasab, 1985) Fālgūsh [Blames and Flames] (Mohammadreza Farzad, 2012)

Readings: Naficy, Hamid (2012): “Transition from ‘Cinema of Idolatry’ to an ‘Islamicate Cinema,’. In A Social History of Iranian Cinema. Volume 1. pp. 1-46. (excerpts)

Sadr, H. (2006) “The 1980s”; A Political History. London: I.B. Tauris. pp 166-185. film viewing worksheet 2 due

Jul 12 Contesting the nation: Alternatives to war time cinema

Film/Clips: Bāshū, Gharibeh-ye Kūchak [Bashu, the Little Stranger] (Bahram Baizai, 1985/89) Arūsi-ye Khūbān [Marriage of the Blessed] (Mohsen Makhmalbaf 1989) Khāne-ye Dūst Kojāst? [Where is the Friend's House?] (Kiarostami 1990)

Readings: Rahimieh, Nasrin (2002) “Marking gender and difference in the myth of the nation: Bashu, a post-revolutionary Iranian film.” In The New Iranian Cinema, edited by Richard Tapper. London, I.B.Tauris: pp. 238-253.

Partovi, Parviz (2008). “Martyrdom and the ‘Good Life’ in the Iranian Cinema of the Sacred Defense”. in Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Volume 28, Number 3. pp. 513-532. close analysis due

WEEK 4: Jul 15 – 19

Jul 17 Women in front of the camera – from total absence to powerful presence

Film/Clips: Dah [Ten] (Abbas Kiarostami, 2002) Bād mā rā Khāhad Bord [The Wind Will Carry Us] (Abbas Kiarostami, 1999) Zeer-e Derakhtān Zeytūn [Through the Olive Trees] (Kiarostami 1995)

Readings: Sadr, H. (2001) “Children in contemporary Iranian cinema: When we were children.” In The New Iranian Cinema, edited by R. Tapper. London, Tauris: pp. 227-237.

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Naficy, H. (1994) “Veiled Vision/Powerful Presences: Women in Post-Revolutionary Iranian Cinema.” In In the Eye of the Storm: Women in Post- Revolutionary Iran, edited by M. Afkhami and E. Friedl ( Syracuse University Press). film viewing worksheet 3 due

Jul 19 Rebellion from within: Mohsen Makhmalbaf

Film/Clips: Salām Cinema (Mohsen Makhmalbaf, 1995) Gabbeh (Mohsen Makhmalbaf, 1996) Byciclerān [The Cyclist] (Mohsen Makhmalbaf, 1987) Ghandhār [Kandahar] (Mohsen Makhmalbaf, 2001

Readings: Dabashi, H. (2008) Makhmalbaf at large: The making of a rebel filmmaker. London, Tauris: pp. 71-110. midterm paper due

WEEK 5: Jul 22 – 26

Jul 24 Iranian Cinema as world cinema: the festival circuit Film/Clips: Close-Up (Abbas Kiarostami, 1990) Dāyreh [The Circle] (Panahi, 2000) Zamāni barāye Mastiye Asbhā [Time for Drunken Horses] (Bahman Qobadi, 2000) Forūshande [The Salesman] (Farhadi, 2016)

Readings: Mulvey, Laura (1998) “Kiarostami's Uncertainty Principle”. Sight and Sound.8,6;pp.24-27.

Chaudhuri, Shohini/Finn, Howard (2006) “The open image: poetic realism and the New Iranian Cinema.” in Grant, Catherine/ Kuhn, Annette: Screening World Cinema. Routledge. pp.163-181.

Jul 26 Women behind the camera - negotiating islam, gender, class, and nation

Film/Clips: Zeer-e Pūst-e Shahr [Under the Skin of the City] (Rakhshan Bani-Etemad, 2000) Shokarān [Hemlock] (Behrooz Afkhami 2000) Do Zan [Two Women] ( 1998)

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Vākonesh-e Panjom [Fifth Reaction] (Milani 2003)

Readings: Lahiji, S. (2001) “Chaste dolls succeed non-chaste ones: women in Iranian cinema since 1979.” In The New Iranian Cinema, edited by R. Tapper. London, Tauris.

Sadr, H. (2006) “Women: from fallen angels to iconic mothers” and “The question of women's emancipation.” In Iranian Cinema; A political history. I.B. Tauris. pp 78-87. draft final paper due

WEEK 6: Jul 29 – Aug 2

Jul 31 Post-Reform cinema – (re-)islamizing film culture & comedies

Film/Clips: Rang-e Khodā [Colour of Paradise] (, 2000) Sib [The Apple] (Samira Makhmalbaf, 1998) Mārmūlak [The Lizard] (Kamal Tabrizi 2004)

Readings: Atwood, Blake (2016): Reform Cinema in Iran. Film and Political Change in the Islamic Republic. Columbia University Press. (excerpts)

Zeydabadi-Nejad, S. 2010. The politics of Iranian Cinema: Film and society in the Islamic Republic. Routledge: London. pp. 90-100.

Aug 2 Nostalgia and belonging - exilic, diasporic, and hyphenated cinemas

Film/Clips: A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (Ana Lily Amirpour, 2014) Persepolis (Satrapi, 2007)

Readings: Hudson, Dale (2018): “Blood, Bodies, and Borders”. in Hudson, Dale. Vampires, Race, and Transnational Hollywoods. Edinburgh University Press pp. 21-44.

Naficy, H. (2003) An accented cinema: exilic and diasporic filmmaking. Princeton; Oxford, Princeton University Press. (excerpts)

EXAM WEEK: Aug 7/8/9 final paper due Aug 7

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