Azofa with Cinema: The Use of Films for Teaching Persian Language and Iranian Culture to Non-Persian Speakers

The present article aims at studying the feasibility of using films as a source to provide teaching material for Azofa (teaching Persian language and Iranian culture to non-Persian speakers). The question which the present article seeks to answer is how, based on an Iranian film, a syllabus may be designed which includes the linguistic and cultural points required by the Azofa program (Zoreda, 2006; Garn, 2012). This library-based research (which uses the analytical-descriptive method) assesses the possibility of teaching vocabulary and the skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing, as well as of introducing Iranian culture, to non-Persian speakers, based on the film “Colour of Paradise”, directed by Majid Majidi (1997); thus, the role of culture and the importance of intercultural competence in language teaching (Meyer, 1991; Byram, 1997) constitutes the theoretical basis for the research. Studies show that films may be properly used as a rich resource for the efficient teaching of Persian language and Iranian culture to non-Persian speakers. To this end, appropriate films and teaching approaches should be chosen with respect to the structural features and content of the films and the learners’ needs. In addition, the limited number of proficient Iranian teachers abroad and the absence of evaluated and accessible collections of Iranian films should be carefully taken under consideration when designing a film-based syllabus.