IN-PERSON Barcelona Livable Cities. Section A

Abstract

The 1990s in Iran began with the events of 1988, when Iran accepted UN Resolution 598. That year marked the end of the eight-year war and a shift in perspective from “death for the cause” to “the ideal of life.” The 1990s were a period of post-war reconstruction that, midway through, led to the massive reform movement known as the “Second of Khordad Movement” and the rise of the left-wing political faction. The 1990s can also be seen as the era of the New Wave of intellectual filmmakers in Iran. One of the most important topics addressed during this period was the issue of women—their position in society and their rights. During this time, the subject of women received attention at all levels of intellectual and formalist cinema in Iran. Formalist and intellectual filmmakers such as Dariush Mehrjui and Abbas Kiarostami began making films focused on women. These filmmakers explored complex topics such as the relationship between women, childbirth, and abortion, and examined these issues within a society where a newly emerging bureaucratic class was taking shape. This period also saw the peak of Iranian filmmakers’ success at international film festivals, particularly with films centered on women. The presence of Iranian films with themes of life and women reached its height in international festivals during the 1990s. In this article, we aim to comprehensively examine the developments in Iranian cinema during the 1990s, especially in relation to women, within the broader context of cultural, political, and artistic changes. We will explore women’s issues as portrayed by intellectual and formalist filmmakers of the time, including Abbas Kiarostami, Dariush Mehrjui, Behrouz Afkhami, and Rakhshan Bani-Etemad.