The Color of Paradise (Majid Majidi, 1999) 12. Taste of Cherry (Abbas Kiarostami, 1997) 10. A Moment of Innocence (Mohsen Makhmalbaf, 1996) 9. Still Life (Sohrab Shahid-Saless, 1974) 5. The Brick and The Mirror (Ebrahim Golestan, 1965) 3. The House is Black (Forough Farrokhzad, 1963) 2. This is a list of the 15 essential Iranian films of all time. It remains a true testament to the resilience and industrious nature of the Iranian people and serves as a veracious voice through which Iran can tells its varied and compelling stories. As a result Iranian national cinema has become an engaging, chaotic, soulful and poignant cinema. Since then, cinema has served as an ambassador for Iran, the heart and soul of a country marred by years of instability. Starting with the opening of the first film school in 1925, an Iranian national cinema quickly began to develop. However, it would be another 25 years before Iran would develop its own national cinema, a cinema of morality, humanity, abandon and integrity. Film was less than ten years old at the time and many Iranians flocked to cinemas to watch these primitive masterpieces.
The history of film as an art form in Iran dates back to the pioneering days of cinema when the first movie theatre opened in Tehran in 1904. Iranian Cinema is a rich and diverse cinema that has been in existence since the 1930s amidst oppressive regimes, censorship and even in the face of exile.
