Cinema Rex - Iranian Cinema Podcast
From Kiarostami to Abbasi, from Farrokhzad to Amirpour. From pre-revolutionary cinema to modern times. Join Iranian-Canadian filmmakers Kaveh Mohebbi and Faran Moradi (a screenwriter and a director) as they embark on a crash-course on all that Iranian cinema has to offer episode-to-episode one film at a time.
Episodes
21 minutes ago
21 minutes ago
54 min
After a humiliated Tehran pizza delivery man is repeatedly confronted by the city's brutal class divide, a string of every day indignities pushes him towards a desperate jewelry store robbery.
Directed by Jafar Panahi
Aug 20, 2026
Aug 20, 2026
1 hr 1 min
A young woman challenges societal restrictions through her street performances, becoming an inspiration for those seeking change in her community.
Written and Directed by Soheil Beiraghi
Aug 6, 2026
Aug 6, 2026
1 hr 3 min
A widow who works tirelessly at a failing factory in sanctions-gripped Iran receives a marriage proposal that could mean financial security, but could also tear her family apart.
Directed by Mahnaz Mohammadi
Jul 23, 2026
Jul 23, 2026
52 min
Iranian-Canadian journalist Maziar Bahari is detained by Iranian forces who brutally interrogate him under suspicion that he is a spy.
Written and Directed by Jon Stewart
Jul 9, 2026
Jul 9, 2026
1 hr 53 min
The true story of Hossain Sabzian, a cinephile who impersonated the director Mohsen Makhmalbaf to convince a family they would star in his so-called new film.
Written and Directed by Abbas Kiarostami
Jun 11, 2026
Jun 11, 2026
1 hr 12 min
Since his beloved violin was broken, Nasser Ali Khan, one of the most renowned musicians of his day, has lost all taste for life. Finding no instrument worthy of replacing it, he decides to confine himself to bed to await death.
Directed by Marjane Satrapi & Vincent Paronnaud
May 28, 2026
May 28, 2026
1 hr 24 min
Crushed by the contraband nature of music in theocratic Iran, a talented santour player is faced with poverty, addiction and his fractured marriage.
Directed by Dariush Mehrjui
May 14, 2026
May 14, 2026
49 min
After twelve years of imprisonment by their own parents, two sisters are finally released by social workers to face the outside world for the first time.
Directed by Samira Makhmalbaf
Apr 30, 2026
Apr 30, 2026
59 min
In Afghanistan, a young girl embarks on a journey to learn to read and write, only to be met with a series of obstacles including financial strain, a series of quests and a local gang of bullies pretending to be the Taliban.
Directed by Hana Makhmalbaf
Apr 16, 2026
Apr 16, 2026
1 hr 24 min
A drama about corruption and injustice in Iranian society. You are the oppressed, or you have to join the oppressor to survive.
Written and Directed by Mohammad Rasoulof
Kaveh Mohebbi
Kaveh Mohebbi is an Iranian-Canadian screenwriter who received his MA in Screenwriting at the London Film School (UK). Soon after he was a graduate of the Second City writing program where he wrote and produced the mainstage show. Apocalypse Now, Desert Later. In 2013 Kaveh was invited into the CFC Writer’s Lab, which led to his involvement as co-writer on a number of short films including the Official TIFF Selection, STILL and the Official Austin Film Festival Selection, Life on Juniper. Writing credits include, This Hour has 22 Minutes, CBC Gem's Communist Daughter, Overlord and the Underwoods. Nickeodeon's kids animated Hamsters of Hamsterdale and Season 1 and 2 of Amazon's first Canadian scripted comedy The Lake. Kaveh currently has an hour long detective comedy Sandcastle in development with E1 as well as a half-hour comedy, Laughganistan, in development with Cameron Pictures and Amazon.
Faran Moradi
Faran Moradi is a CSA-nominated Iranian-Canadian filmmaker, born and raised in Ontario. Faran recently made his first feature film a romantic-comedy set in the Toronto Iranian community called Tehranto, which was nominated for multiple CSAs, was shortlisted for Sundance 2021 and won Cinequest’s Best Feature in 2022. Tehranto recently completed its Canadian and American theatrical runs, and is now available On Demand. Faran went on to direct and edit on Emmy Award winning TV shows including Odd Squad, and write and direct the award winning short film Blackpowder and Guilt. He most recently directed 4 episodes of Holly Hobbie (Hulu) and 2 episodes of the upcoming show Dino Dex (Prime).