Documentary Iran in The 1950s: Village Films, Akhbār-i Irān Series, & The Cold War Story of US Government’s Documentary Diplomacy

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(2024). Documentary Iran in The 1950s: Village Films, Akhbār-i Irān Series, & The Cold War Story of US Government’s Documentary Diplomacy. In Cinema Iranica. Encyclopaedia Iranica Foundation https://cinema.iranicaonline.org/article/documentary-iran-in-the-1950s-village-films-akhbar-i-iran-series-the-cold-war-story-of-us-governments-documentary-diplomacy/

. "Documentary Iran in The 1950s: Village Films, Akhbār-i Irān Series, & The Cold War Story of US Government’s Documentary Diplomacy." Cinema Iranica, Encyclopaedia Iranica Foundation, 2024. https://cinema.iranicaonline.org/article/documentary-iran-in-the-1950s-village-films-akhbar-i-iran-series-the-cold-war-story-of-us-governments-documentary-diplomacy/

(2024). Documentary Iran in The 1950s: Village Films, Akhbār-i Irān Series, & The Cold War Story of US Government’s Documentary Diplomacy. In Cinema Iranica. Encyclopaedia Iranica Foundation. Available from: https://cinema.iranicaonline.org/article/documentary-iran-in-the-1950s-village-films-akhbar-i-iran-series-the-cold-war-story-of-us-governments-documentary-diplomacy/ [Accessed August 29, 2024].

. "Documentary Iran in The 1950s: Village Films, Akhbār-i Irān Series, & The Cold War Story of US Government’s Documentary Diplomacy." In Cinema Iranica, (Encyclopaedia Iranica Foundation, 2024) https://cinema.iranicaonline.org/article/documentary-iran-in-the-1950s-village-films-akhbar-i-iran-series-the-cold-war-story-of-us-governments-documentary-diplomacy/

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I have researched the decade-long Syracuse Group’s documentary operation in Iran extensively for my Ph.D. dissertation by drawing from the wealth of motion picture and paper-trail resources at the US National Archives in Maryland. This entry summarizes some key aspects of the documentary culture that resulted from Syracuse Group’s mission. It includes setting up audiovisual centers, building documentary labs, training Iranian talents, and instituting a documentary culture of top-down and central governing discourse. Additionally, I discuss two major types of documentary format: the village films and local newsreel. I frame my research as a case of documentary diplomacy and theorize this concept in the context of my genealogical investigation.