This course explores the emergence and international significance of the New Iranian Cinema from the 1980s to the early 2000s, a period often described as Iran’s Second New Wave. Arising in the aftermath of the 1979 Revolution and under conditions of censorship, restriction, and ideological control, this cinema developed an extraordinary visual language that transformed limitation into creative possibility.
Learning modes and locations may be different depending on the course start date. Please check the location of your chosen course and read our guide to learning modes and locations to help you choose the right course for you.
Please note: We offer a wide variety of financial support to make courses affordable. Just visit our online Help Centre for more information on a range of topics including fees, online learning and FAQs.
This course examines the New Iranian Cinema as both a cultural response to post-revolutionary Iran and a major reconfiguration of global art cinema. We will explore how filmmakers working under censorship developed indirect storytelling strategies, including children’s perspectives, rural settings, journeys, open endings, and self-reflexive structures, using these to address social reality without direct confrontation.
The course places individual films within their specific Iranian contexts (post-revolutionary politics, censorship laws, gender segregation, rural–urban divides) while also situating them within global cinematic traditions, including neorealism, modernist art cinema, and documentary practice. Particular attention will be paid to the ways these films blur fiction and non-fiction, destabilise narrative authority, and invite the spectator into an active ethical and interpretive role.
What will we cover?
The historical conditions of Iranian cinema after the 1979 Revolution
Censorship, allegory, and indirect narration
Children in cinema as ethical and narrative figures
Rural landscapes, journeys, and quests
Blurring documentary and fiction
Gender, authorship, and women filmmakers
Iranian cinema on the international festival circuit
Why this cinema resonated globally
What will I achieve? By the end of this course you should be able to...
Identify the key characteristics of the New Iranian Cinema
Understand how cultural references and political constraints shaped cinematic form
Analyse how narrative minimalism and realism operate in Iranian films
Compare the approaches of major Iranian filmmakers from the period
Explain why these films achieved international critical acclaim
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
This course is suitable for all levels. No prior knowledge of Iranian cinema is required, only an interest in world cinema and/or Iranian culture.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
Short clips from the films will be provided, as well as reading materials. The class will be structured around a combination of PowerPoint presentations, film clips and class discussions.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
The tutor will show extracts from films and you do not have to obtain them.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
Please look also for other Film Studies courses under History Culture and Writing/Film Studies at www.citylit.ac.uk.
Dr Jean-Baptiste de Vaulx has taught at Royal Holloway, University of London, and currently is an associate lecturer at University College London. His fields of teaching and research focus on world cinema, international film history, film festivals and cinephile film cultures. He has published articles and book chapters on varied topics including child characters in Iranian cinema, the theme of home in the films of Lucrecia Martel, the Japanese new wave director Hiroshi Teshigahara, and the history of world cinema programming on Channel Four.
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.
product
https://www.citylit.ac.uk/new-iranian-cinema3018799New Iranian Cinemahttps://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/category/exploring-european-cinema-hf382-1080.jpg179179GBPInStock/Courses/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Film studies/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Film studies/World film22851177158021001228511771580<p>This course explores the emergence and international significance of the New Iranian Cinema from the 1980s to the early 2000s, a period often described as Iran’s Second New Wave. Arising in the aftermath of the 1979 Revolution and under conditions of censorship, restriction, and ideological control, this cinema developed an extraordinary visual language that transformed limitation into creative possibility.</p><p>Through close analysis of one key film per week, as well as discussion of clips from other films, the course examines how Iranian filmmakers such as Abbas Kiarostami, Jafar Panahi, Mohsen and Samira Makhmalbaf, Bahram Beyzai, Amir Naderi, and Rakhshan Bani-Etemad redefined cinematic realism, narrative form, and authorship. These films gained global resonance not despite their local specificity, but because of it, offering subtle reflections on childhood, ethics, gender, power, and the relationship between life and fiction.</p><p>Spanning fiction, documentary, and hybrid forms, the course considers why this cinema travelled so widely on the international festival circuit, and how it came to stand as one of the most influential bodies of world cinema at the turn of the twenty-first century. <br/> </p>003018784New Iranian Cinema179179https://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/category/exploring-european-cinema-hf382-1080.jpgInStockDaytimeFriKeeley StreetAvailable courses5-10 weeksWeekday2026-05-01T00:00:00+00:00Beginners, Some experience, Advanced, Suitable for allMay 2026Culture, history & humanitiesHF425179179New Iranian Cinema143116179Jean-Baptiste de Vaulxnew-iranian-cinema/hf425-2526<p>This course explores the emergence and international significance of the New Iranian Cinema from the 1980s to the early 2000s, a period often described as Iran’s Second New Wave. Arising in the aftermath of the 1979 Revolution and under conditions of censorship, restriction, and ideological control, this cinema developed an extraordinary visual language that transformed limitation into creative possibility.</p><p>Through close analysis of one key film per week, as well as discussion of clips from other films, the course examines how Iranian filmmakers such as Abbas Kiarostami, Jafar Panahi, Mohsen and Samira Makhmalbaf, Bahram Beyzai, Amir Naderi, and Rakhshan Bani-Etemad redefined cinematic realism, narrative form, and authorship. These films gained global resonance not despite their local specificity, but because of it, offering subtle reflections on childhood, ethics, gender, power, and the relationship between life and fiction.</p><p>Spanning fiction, documentary, and hybrid forms, the course considers why this cinema travelled so widely on the international festival circuit, and how it came to stand as one of the most influential bodies of world cinema at the turn of the twenty-first century. <br/> </p>0000-Available|2026-05-01 00:00:00<p>This course examines the New Iranian Cinema as both a cultural response to post-revolutionary Iran and a major reconfiguration of global art cinema. We will explore how filmmakers working under censorship developed indirect storytelling strategies, including children’s perspectives, rural settings, journeys, open endings, and self-reflexive structures, using these to address social reality without direct confrontation.</p><p>The course places individual films within their specific Iranian contexts (post-revolutionary politics, censorship laws, gender segregation, rural–urban divides) while also situating them within global cinematic traditions, including neorealism, modernist art cinema, and documentary practice. Particular attention will be paid to the ways these films blur fiction and non-fiction, destabilise narrative authority, and invite the spectator into an active ethical and interpretive role.<br/> </p><p>This course explores the emergence and international significance of the New Iranian Cinema from the 1980s to the early 2000s, a period often described as Iran’s Second New Wave. Arising in the aftermath of the 1979 Revolution and under conditions of censorship, restriction, and ideological control, this cinema developed an extraordinary visual language that transformed limitation into creative possibility.</p><p>Through close analysis of one key film per week, as well as discussion of clips from other films, the course examines how Iranian filmmakers such as Abbas Kiarostami, Jafar Panahi, Mohsen and Samira Makhmalbaf, Bahram Beyzai, Amir Naderi, and Rakhshan Bani-Etemad redefined cinematic realism, narrative form, and authorship. These films gained global resonance not despite their local specificity, but because of it, offering subtle reflections on childhood, ethics, gender, power, and the relationship between life and fiction.</p><p>Spanning fiction, documentary, and hybrid forms, the course considers why this cinema travelled so widely on the international festival circuit, and how it came to stand as one of the most influential bodies of world cinema at the turn of the twenty-first century. <br/> </p><ul><li>The historical conditions of Iranian cinema after the 1979 Revolution</li><li>Censorship, allegory, and indirect narration</li><li>Children in cinema as ethical and narrative figures</li><li>Rural landscapes, journeys, and quests</li><li>Blurring documentary and fiction</li><li>Gender, authorship, and women filmmakers</li><li>Iranian cinema on the international festival circuit</li><li>Why this cinema resonated globally<br/> </li></ul><ul><li>Identify the key characteristics of the New Iranian Cinema</li><li>Understand how cultural references and political constraints shaped cinematic form</li><li>Analyse how narrative minimalism and realism operate in Iranian films</li><li>Compare the approaches of major Iranian filmmakers from the period</li><li>Explain why these films achieved international critical acclaim<br/> </li></ul><p>This course is suitable for all levels. No prior knowledge of Iranian cinema is required, only an interest in world cinema and/or Iranian culture.</p><p>Short clips from the films will be provided, as well as reading materials. The class will be structured around a combination of PowerPoint presentations, film clips and class discussions.</p><p>The tutor will show extracts from films and you do not have to obtain them.</p><p>Please look also for other Film Studies courses under History Culture and Writing/Film Studies at www.citylit.ac.uk.</p>Film studiesWorld filmvirtual143179116HF425NONEFri01/05/26 - 05/06/2614:00 - 16:0014:0016:006 sessions (over 6 weeks)65-10 weeksDaytimeWeekdayKSKeeley StreetJean-Baptiste de VaulxBeginners, Some experience, Advanced, Suitable for allAvailable courses2026-05-01T00:00:00+00:00May 2026Culture, history & humanities179179New Iranian Cinemanew-iranian-cinema/hf425-2526<p>This course explores the emergence and international significance of the New Iranian Cinema from the 1980s to the early 2000s, a period often described as Iran’s Second New Wave. Arising in the aftermath of the 1979 Revolution and under conditions of censorship, restriction, and ideological control, this cinema developed an extraordinary visual language that transformed limitation into creative possibility.</p><p>Through close analysis of one key film per week, as well as discussion of clips from other films, the course examines how Iranian filmmakers such as Abbas Kiarostami, Jafar Panahi, Mohsen and Samira Makhmalbaf, Bahram Beyzai, Amir Naderi, and Rakhshan Bani-Etemad redefined cinematic realism, narrative form, and authorship. These films gained global resonance not despite their local specificity, but because of it, offering subtle reflections on childhood, ethics, gender, power, and the relationship between life and fiction.</p><p>Spanning fiction, documentary, and hybrid forms, the course considers why this cinema travelled so widely on the international festival circuit, and how it came to stand as one of the most influential bodies of world cinema at the turn of the twenty-first century. <br/> </p>0000-Available|2026-05-01 00:00:00<p>This course examines the New Iranian Cinema as both a cultural response to post-revolutionary Iran and a major reconfiguration of global art cinema. We will explore how filmmakers working under censorship developed indirect storytelling strategies, including children’s perspectives, rural settings, journeys, open endings, and self-reflexive structures, using these to address social reality without direct confrontation.</p><p>The course places individual films within their specific Iranian contexts (post-revolutionary politics, censorship laws, gender segregation, rural–urban divides) while also situating them within global cinematic traditions, including neorealism, modernist art cinema, and documentary practice. Particular attention will be paid to the ways these films blur fiction and non-fiction, destabilise narrative authority, and invite the spectator into an active ethical and interpretive role.<br/> </p><p>This course explores the emergence and international significance of the New Iranian Cinema from the 1980s to the early 2000s, a period often described as Iran’s Second New Wave. Arising in the aftermath of the 1979 Revolution and under conditions of censorship, restriction, and ideological control, this cinema developed an extraordinary visual language that transformed limitation into creative possibility.</p><p>Through close analysis of one key film per week, as well as discussion of clips from other films, the course examines how Iranian filmmakers such as Abbas Kiarostami, Jafar Panahi, Mohsen and Samira Makhmalbaf, Bahram Beyzai, Amir Naderi, and Rakhshan Bani-Etemad redefined cinematic realism, narrative form, and authorship. These films gained global resonance not despite their local specificity, but because of it, offering subtle reflections on childhood, ethics, gender, power, and the relationship between life and fiction.</p><p>Spanning fiction, documentary, and hybrid forms, the course considers why this cinema travelled so widely on the international festival circuit, and how it came to stand as one of the most influential bodies of world cinema at the turn of the twenty-first century. <br/> </p><ul><li>The historical conditions of Iranian cinema after the 1979 Revolution</li><li>Censorship, allegory, and indirect narration</li><li>Children in cinema as ethical and narrative figures</li><li>Rural landscapes, journeys, and quests</li><li>Blurring documentary and fiction</li><li>Gender, authorship, and women filmmakers</li><li>Iranian cinema on the international festival circuit</li><li>Why this cinema resonated globally<br/> </li></ul><ul><li>Identify the key characteristics of the New Iranian Cinema</li><li>Understand how cultural references and political constraints shaped cinematic form</li><li>Analyse how narrative minimalism and realism operate in Iranian films</li><li>Compare the approaches of major Iranian filmmakers from the period</li><li>Explain why these films achieved international critical acclaim<br/> </li></ul><p>This course is suitable for all levels. No prior knowledge of Iranian cinema is required, only an interest in world cinema and/or Iranian culture.</p><p>Short clips from the films will be provided, as well as reading materials. The class will be structured around a combination of PowerPoint presentations, film clips and class discussions.</p><p>The tutor will show extracts from films and you do not have to obtain them.</p><p>Please look also for other Film Studies courses under History Culture and Writing/Film Studies at www.citylit.ac.uk.</p>Film studiesWorld filmconfigurable
21001580World filmhttps://www.citylit.ac.uk/courses/humanities/film-studies/world-film1/2/285/1177/1580/21001/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Film studies/World film
