Shi'i Islam in Iranian Cinema ─ Religion and Spirituality in Film

In recent years there has been a remarkable surge in Iranian films expressing contentious issues which would otherwise be very difficult to discuss publicly inside the Islamic Republic of Iran - such as the role of clergy in Iranian society. Nacim Pak-Shiraz here highlights how many Iranian film directors concern themselves with the content of the religious and historical narratives of culture and society, sparking debate about the medium's compatibility or incongruity with religion and spirituality. She explores the various ways that Shi'i discourse emerges on screen, and offers groundbreaking insights into both the role of film in Iranian culture and society, and how it has become a medium for exploring what it means to be Iranian and Muslim after thirty years of Islamic rule. This is invaluable reading students and scholars of Film Studies and contemporary Iranian cinema, but also of the culture and identity of Iran more widely.

Nacim Pak-Shiraz is Lecturer in Film and Persian Studies at the University of Edinburgh. She was a lecturer at The Institute of Ismaili Studies between 2007 and 2010, and holds a PhD from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. She has also directed and produced The Dream of Flight, a documentary film about Iranian asylum seekers in Turkey.