Cinema Rex - Iranian Cinema Podcast

Based on a story from One Thousand and One Nights, and set in a popular theatre troupe; the story follows the death of an actor, who is killed by two of his colleagues in an accidental, farcical bout of horseplay, and the brilliantly elaborate gags and misunderstandings that abound in subsequent attempts to dispose of his body in this ensemble comedy.

A married couple Nader and Simin are faced with a difficult decision - to improve the life of their child by moving to another country or to stay in Iran and look after a deteriorating parent who has Alzheimer's disease. After hiring a young woman to take care of his father, a difficult situation snowballs and Nader finds himself entangled in a web of lies, manipulation and public confrontations. (Asghar Farhadi, 2011) Available for rent on Amazon Prime and Youtube.

A director and his son return to a region damaged by the Guilan earthquake, hoping to find the children who appeared in his film a few years earlier. (Abbas Kiarostami, 1992) - The film can be watched on the Criterion Channel with subtitles, and on YouTube without subtitles. 

Based on the true story of Iranian's infamous 'Spider Killer', a journalist descends into the dark underbelly of the Iranian holy city of Mashhad as she investigates the serial killings of sex workers by the so called "Spider Killer", who believes he is cleansing the streets of sinners, (Ali Abbasi, 2022). Available for rent on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, MUBI and streaming on Netflix(US)

An old villager, Masht Hassan, deeply in love with his cow goes to the capital for a while. When he is away, his cow dies. Knowing the relationship between Masht Hassan and his cow, the villagers hastily dispose the corpse, and when Masht Hassan comes back, they tell him that his cow ran away. Masht Hassan is devastated, he starts to spend all his time in the barn, eating hay, and slowly believes that he is the cow. (Dariush Mehrjui, 1969) Available on MUBI and Youtube.

Shot in secrecy while Panahi serves a ban on making films imposed by the Islamic Republic of Iran. No Bears tells two parallel love stories in which the partners are thwarted by hidden, inevitable obstacles, the force of superstition, and the mechanics of power. (Jafar Panahi, 2022). Available on Criterion Channel. 

The Deer is a typical Kimiai-style tale of friendship and honour. When a good man fallen on hard times meets his erstwhile protégé, fate puts their relationship to the ultimate test: will you die for me? (Masud Kimiai, 1974)
The Deer can be seen on YouTube - unfortunately no subtitles are provided. 

Eight-year-old Ahmed has mistakenly taken his friend Mohammad's notebook. He wants to return it, or else his friend will be expelled from school. The boy determinedly sets out to find Mohammad's home in the neighbouring village. (Abbas Kiarostami, 1987) - The film can be watched on the Criterion Channel with subtitles, or on Youtube without.