From Imaginary Utopia to Real Dystopia in Iranian Cinema*

 The history of cinema exhibits numerous examples of filmmakers striving to critique and transform their societies by making films in a variety of genres in an attempt to realize their personal vision of utopia. Most proved, however, to be precarious and inconsistent on this quest, thereby turning their utopia into a dystopia and depicting it as such. Iranian cinema, too, has trodden this path and produced similar works. Imagination, illusionism, fatalism, disbelief, and Irreligion are the main constituents of dystopias and Iran’s globally renowned cinema has long been a showcase for subjects fundamentally shaped by these elements. Research

This study examines the notion of idealism in Iranian cinema, with the applied objective of analyzing and explicating the manner and the processes in which Iranian filmmakers diverged from the path leading to their – and their audience’s – aspired utopia and only created an unwanted dystopia through various historical periods.Research

The study was conducted using a qualitative research method with a historical-analytic approach. The data were collected through library resources, watching films, a historical comparison of Iranian cinema, and interviews.

The results indicate that, through all the historical periods since its inception, Iranian cinema has always tended toward dystopias.