This special issue of Film International is dedicated to the problematic aspects of contemporary independent cinema in Iran. Guest editor Parviz Jahed and associate guest editor Amir Ganjavie have collected essays, notes, and interviews that tackle debates about the historical and current situation facing Iran’s independent cinema and its major figures, as well as the code of practice enforced by official censors and the barriers facing independent cinema in Iran.

Among the topics that will be addressed by the contributors in this issue are the…

• Definition of Iranian independent cinema and its problematic existence in the country

• Implications of censorship and restrictions imposed upon independent filmmakers and the resultant modes and styles of resistance, including the role and function of Iranian underground cinema, film journals, and the meaning of child figures and masculinity/femininity in Iranian cinema

• Impact of digital technology, new media, and globalization on Iranian cinema and their effects on the aesthetics of Iranian independent films

• Evolutionary process of contemporary Iranian cinema and its relation to the socio-political structure of Iranian society

Furthermore, the volume includes interviews with figures in Iranian cinema, including Niki Karimi, a well-known female filmmaker. It also touches upon the works of notable independent Iranian directors like Abbas Kiarostami, Jafar Panahi, and Asghar Farhadi as well as the underground movies that are produced and distributed without the permission of the authorities and which are subjected to censorship and intense governmental pressure.

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