the first Iranian sound film, entitled Lor Girl

Cinema was only five years old when it came to Persia at the beginning of the 20th century. The first Persian filmmaker was Mirza Ebrahim Khan Akkas Bashi, the official photographer of Muzaffar al-Din Shah, the Shah of Persia from 18961907. After a visit to Paris in July 1900, Akkas Bashi obtained a camera and filmed the Shah's visit to Europe upon the Shah's orders. He is said to have filmed the Shahs private and religious ceremonies, but no copies of such films exist today. A few years after Akkas Bashi started photography, Khan Baba Motazedi, another pioneer in Iranian motion picture photography emerged. He shot a considerable amount of newsreel footage during the reign of Qajar to the Pahlavi dynasty.

In 1904, Mirza Ebrahim Khan Sahhafbashi opened the first movie theater in Tehran. After Mirza Ebrahim Khan, several others like Russi Khan, Ardeshir Khan, and Ali Vakili tried to establish new movie theaters in Tehran. Until the early 1930s, there were little more than 15 theatres in Tehran and 11 in other provinces.

In 1925, an Armenian-Iranian cinematographer, Ovanes Ohanian, decided to establish the first film school in Iran. Within five years he managed to run the first session of the school under the name "Parvareshgahe Artistiye cinema" (The Cinema Artist Educational Centre).[9]
In 1932, Abdolhossein Sepanta made the first Iranian sound film, entitled Lor Girl. Later, in 1935, he directed movies such as Ferdowsi (the life story of the most celebrated epic poet of Iran), Shirin and Farhaad (a classic Iranian love story), and Black Eyes (the story of Nader Shah's invasion of India). In 1937, he directed Laili and Majnoon, an Eastern love story similar to the English story of Romeo and Juliet.

The present day Iranian film industry owes a lot of its progress to two industrious personalities, Esmail Koushan and Farrokh Ghaffari. By establishing the first National Iranian Film Society in 1949 at the Iran Bastan Museum and organizing the first Film Week during which English films were exhibited, Ghaffari laid the foundation for alternative and non-commercial films in Iran.

Early Persian directors like Abdolhossein Sepanta and Esmail Koushan took advantage of the richness of Persian literature and ancient Persian mythology. In their work, they emphasized ethics and humanity.

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[LoveShinigamiRyuk]

woa awesome where did you find this? :D also, whoever dislikes this can go die in a hole.

[jas8008]

i am the granddaughter of ovanes ohanian.. the director and protagonist of this film

[gitane1889]

Thank you for sharing :)

[Bestmanme08]

Google "Ahmadinejad punished my Christian mother's rapist" and see his good work as mayor!

[Matey3]

they should restore these films, they can restore them digitally , it is a very rare footage indeed. I hope some one is taking care of these old treasures!

[persianjade]

I AM ESMAIL KOUSHAN'S GREAT NEPHEW! ALI KOUSHAN....ESMAIL'S BROTHER EBRAHIM KOUSHAN IS MY GRANDFATHER...ESMAIL IS VERY MUCH MISSED.

[hamsterman8]

DASFDSDFRGGVBTEVBGTE

[MITRAFILM]

FYI, This the first farsi sound film made in India, the first Iranian sound film is called "Toofan Zendegi"

produced by first Iranian Film Company "Mitra Film"

[basravi]

hi, please find laili majnun from 1937. i would love to see my grandfather, greatgrandfather and my granduncle all in one movie!!!!

i am officially pakistani but our beloved iranian ancestors on film will be great to see in their youth!

[Gachsarani]

Damet garm hamzabon