Iranian Subversive Documentaries, 1961-67

Three works manifesting the subversive nature of Iranian New Wave documentary cinema as well as their deep roots in poetry.

Ebrahim Golestan’s A Fire, which documents the extinguishing of a torrential fire in an oil well, combines Forough Farrokhzad’s rhythmic editing with Golestan’s symbolism. Kamran Shirdel’s The Night It Rained, initially banned for seven years, treats the questionable and controversial newspaper story of a heroic village boy who prevented a train disaster as an anti-authoritarian, Rashomon-like puzzle. Lastly, The House Is Black, set in a leper colony in north-west Iran, is the only film directed by Farrokhzad before her premature death at the age of 32. It uses her poetry to talk about seclusion and pain, and is now considered one of the greatest documentaries ever made. Films in this package: A Fire (dir. Ebrahim Golestan, 1961), The Night It Rained (dir. Kamran Shirdel, 1967) and The House Is Black (dir. Forough Farrokhzad, 1962).