Best Iranian documentary movies
A curated collection of popular documentary movies from Iran.
Child and Exploitation (1982)
Child and Exploitation (1982)
The film looks at the children who live and work in the big city's suburbs.
Oh, Protector of the Gazelle (1970)
Oh, Protector of the Gazelle (1970)
The film which was shelved for many years focuses on men and women visiting the shrine of Imam Reza, the eighth Shiite Imam, in the city of Mashhad in the North East of Iran.
Pish (1997)
Pish (1997)
Short documentary
Tehran Is the Capital of Iran (1966)
Tehran Is the Capital of Iran (1966)
Tehran Is the Capital of Iran (1966-79) documents life in a deprived district in the south of Tehran. The images of destitution in Tehran's poor areas is accompanied by a variety of spoken accounts: the official viewpoint on the district's living conditions, what the inhabitants have to say, and occasional extracts read out of school manuals. The key element in Shirdel's film is the counterpoint effect he creates with image and sound. His impressively powerful portrayal of social unease helps reinforce the impact of his astonishing documentary images and social themes.
The Last Days of Winter (2012)
The Last Days of Winter (2012)
The Last Days of Winter is an Iranian television documentary series directed and written by Mohammad Hossein Mahdavian, which aired on IRIB TV1 from 28 September to 6 December 2012 for 10 episodes.
Green Days (2009)
Green Days (2009)
A playwright Iran tries to confront a creative crisis while political clashes erupt during her country's 2009 election.
The House Is Black (1963)
This Is Not a Film (2011)
This Is Not a Film (2011)
Renowned Iranian director Jafar Panahi received a 6-year prison sentence and a 20-year ban from filmmaking and conducting interviews with foreign press due to his open support for the opposition party in Iran's 2009 election. In this film, which was shot secretly by Panahi's close friend Mojtaba Mirtahmasb and smuggled into France on a USB stick concealed inside a cake for a last-minute submission to Cannes, Panahi documents his daily life under house arrest as he awaits a decision on his appeal.
Homework (1989)
Homework (1989)
Young male students at a local Iranian school are asked about their feelings on homework.
Raving Iran (2016)
Raving Iran (2016)
Anoosh and Arash are at the center of Tehran’s underground techno scene. Tired of hiding from the police and their stagnating career, they organize one last manic techno rave under dangerous circumstances in the desert. Back in Tehran they try their luck selling their illegally printed music album without permission. When Anoosh is arrested, there seems to be no hope left. But then they receive a phone call from the biggest techno festival in the world. Once landed in Switzerland, the haze of the instant euphoria evaporates quickly when the seriousness of the situation starts to dawn on them.
Two Solutions for One Problem (1975)
Two Solutions for One Problem (1975)
During breaktime, Dara and Nader have a fierce argument about a torn exercise book that the former has given back to the latter. There are two possible outcomes, which the film shows one after the other. One is that Dara wants to get his own back, and the two boys start a violent fight; the other is that they work together to mend the exercise book with a little glue.
From Iran, a Separation (2011)
From Iran, a Separation (2011)
In March 2012, Iranian movie "A Separation" by Asghar Farhadi, won the Oscar Award for the Best Foreign Language Film. For the Iranian people this was more than a cinematic award. When sanctions and threats of war with Iran covered the world headlines, Farhadi talked about Iran's love for peace and the rich culture of the Iranians on the stage when receiving his award. This time the Iranians voice was heard through someone other than the government officials. This documentary shows the reaction of the Iranians to this Oscar award and has a general view on Iran's society of today.
Arefi, the Shepherd (2013)
Arefi, the Shepherd (2013)
One would not expect less life than in the desert of central Iran. But there is one man facing the power of nature: Mohammad Arefi is a shepherd - body and soul. For more than two generations his family has been doing this demanding job. Every day he takes care of over 300 goats and sheep.
The Rock (2015)
The Rock (2015)
In the south of Iran, a woman travels every day from her village to the nearby mountain. For hours at a time, she labours away, breaking apart huge boulders with minimal equipment. Slowly & mysteriously, the film reveals the motivations that inspire her back-breaking work.
The Calm City (2005)
The Calm City (2005)
A closed circuit camera for traffic control in Tehran reacts to the wanderings of a single woman on a high-way.
Take Me Home (2016)
Take Me Home (2016)
Abbas Kiarostami takes his camera to south of Italy and shows us a beautiful and playful video of alleys and stairs there.
My Stolen Planet (2024)
My Stolen Planet (2024)
Farah, an Iranian woman, is forced to migrate to her private planet to be free. She buys other people’s memories in form of Super 8 films and records and archives her own to create an alternative history of Iran.
Asho (2019)
Asho (2019)
Asho knows not only how to deal with goats, he also knows about films. He tries to see at least one a day. His favourite director is Tim Burton. Always on the road (Asho means "eagle"), the Iranian shepherd's son dreams of being an actor. By his side: his cousin and future wife Pari. Pari thinks that if Asho becomes a star, then so should she. But they both have been for a long time: This is their behind-the-scenes.
Prostitution: Behind the Veil (2004)
Prostitution: Behind the Veil (2004)
A documentary that follows two young women raising children and supporting drug habits through prostitution in Iran ruled by religious fundamentalists.
Starless Dreams (2017)
Starless Dreams (2017)
Heavy snow falls from the sky as heavily-armed guards patrol the walls of an Iranian centre of correction and rehabilitation. Inside, the girls are waiting at the food counter. Among them are underage mothers and others who are married. All of them ended up here after becoming involved in crime. Drug dealing, assault, murder. Yet instead of cold-blooded criminals we discover friendly, warm young people who laugh, sing and cry together. Their close bonds have been forged by the troubled past they share. We learn of their fears of having to return to the lives they once left behind. The documental camera is intimate but respectful, the resulting portraits are full of dignity.
And Along Came a Spider (2003)
And Along Came a Spider (2003)
A shocking portrait of the world of a recently captured serial killer, who sees his killing of prostitutes as in accordance with Islamic teaching. Over the space of a year, 16 women were murdered in the Iranian city of Mashad. Because the victims were lured into the killer's traps, the press soon called these the "spider killings." All but one of the victims had previously been arrested for prostitution and drug-related crimes. When a 39-year-old contractor is arrested and confesses to the crimes, he claims divine support for his crimes. His mother, wife, son, and many neighbors agree. AND ALONG CAME A SPIDER visits with the families of the victims, with the perpetrator and his family, and with prostitutes in this holy city. Most chillingly, the killer's son proudly re-enacts a murder, and suggests that he wants to grow up to be like his father. This is a chilling film about cycles of moral vengeance.
Beloved (2018)
Beloved (2018)
This documentary follows the life of an 80-year-old mother named Firouzeh who is fond of her isolated lifestyle in nature with her cows. The film shows her kind and loving character and demonstrates her bravery and strength tackling the hardship of life in the Alborz mountains without the modern comforts of technology. She believes happiness lies in the simplicities of life.
How to Make Use of Leisure Time: Painting (1977)
How to Make Use of Leisure Time: Painting (1977)
"A humorous slice of educational instruction on refurbishing and painting" (MoMA).
First Case, Second Case (1979)
First Case, Second Case (1979)
First Case, Second Case is a documentary about a teacher who sends a group of pupils out of the classroom when one of them does not own up to talking behind the master's back.
P for Pelican (1972)
P for Pelican (1972)
An old hermit lives in a slum and wants to teach the alphabet to the children who regularly go there to play. When a child proposes he use the word “Pelican” for the letter ‘P’, the hermit goes to the nearby park to see this animal he has never heard of.