Iranian Cinema in the Mirror of the Press (A Case Study of Khorasan Newspaper / From the Early 1950s / 1330s to 1990s / 1370s)
Cite this article
From the 1330s / 1950s to the 1370s / 1990s, Iranian cinema witnessed a pivotal period of growth and transformation. Within a conceptual framework, over these five decades, Iranian cinema passed through four stages — identity formation, diversification and deepening, revolutionary zeal, and reformism. Newspapers and magazines, besides reflecting these developments, played a supportive and even guiding role in this process. Khorasan newspaper — one of the oldest Iranian newspapers in the post-Constitutional period (its first period of publication began in 1908 / 1287 and its second since 1949 / 1328 to present) — was published in Mashhad, a culturally diverse and populous city can serve as a valuable source for understanding these historical developments in Iranian cinema. The newspaper not only has focused on cinema as entertainment but also emphasized its cultural and social dimensions, influencing public perceptions of Iranian cinema. In the 1950s / 1330s, the newspaper’s coverage mainly centered on introducing cinema and encouraging audiences. In the 1960s /1340s, new faces and fresh perspectives emerged. By the 1350s / 1970s, Iranian cinema had evolved from a form of mass entertainment into a vehicle for expressing social, cultural, and artistic concerns. At certain moments, this progression even paralleled political developments, in which Iranian cinema appears alongside with political news rather than subordinate to it. In post- Revolutionary Iran (1357 / 1978), a new revolutionary–ideological discourse emerged in Iranian cinema during the 1360s /1980s, the reflection of which was also evident in Khorasan newspaper. In the 1370s / 1990s, with the end of the war and during the so-called Eslahat era (reformations), Iranian cinema also experienced new developments, including flourishing of social–critical cinema, greater international presence, and the emergence of renowned directors such as Abbas Kiarostami. The present article seeks to examine these five decades historical development in Iranian cinema through Khorasan newspaper’s archive.
