ABSTRACT
Iran was a cinematic “hotspot” on the international festival circuit for about a decade from the mid-1990s to 2005, evidenced by its exhibition and award history. The September 11 attacks further boosted festival interest in Iranian cinema, the most interesting national cinema in what was suddenly a topical region. After the contested 2009 Iranian elections, when cinema was transformed into a cultural marker of intense political conflict domestically, international interest was renewed, compounded by the international success of Asghar Farhadi with About Elly (2009). His 2012 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film for A Separation catapulted Iranian cinema into the consciousness of a broader general public internationally. This chapter is concerned with Iranian cinema’s relationship with the West, particularly Europe, and traces the history of its international festival exhibition. This is contextualised within the general politics of film festivals and the “festival film”; the appeal of Iranian cinema is examined along with an overview of the recent history of festival funding for Iranian cinema. Much of this is drawn from my knowledge as a festival director for over twenty years.
