An analysis of selected Iranian banned cinema films from the perspective of social issues

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
faezeh Hosseinnazar 1
Lida Kavousi 2
Seyedmohamad Mahdizadeh 3
1 PhD student in Communication Sciences, Allameh Tabatabae'i University
2 Assistant Professor, Faculty of Communication, Allameh Tabatabae'i University (Corresponding Author)
3 Professor, Department of Communication Sciences, Allameh Tabataba’i University
10.22034/jcsc.2025.2069778.2852
Abstract
This study investigates the complex relationship between cinema and social issues in Iran by analyzing five banned films—Barzakhiha (The Ones in Limbo), Banoo (The Lady), Marmoolak (The Lizard), Santoori (The Santoor Player), and I’m Not Angry. Drawing on the sociology of art and employing a qualitative thematic analysis, the research explores how these films represent and construct social realities across four decades of Iranian cinema. The analysis identifies twenty-two major thematic categories encompassing social, familial, economic, cultural, political, and urban dimensions. Among these works, Barzakhiha and Marmoolak exhibit distinctive thematic structures that are more critical and explicit in portraying social issues, which may have contributed to their censorship. The study argues that censorship itself functions as a social indicator, revealing tensions between artistic expression and dominant ideological discourses. Findings demonstrate that Iranian cinema operates not merely as a mirror of society but as an active participant in shaping, reconstructing, and contesting meanings within frameworks of power and discourse. Through this process, each cinematic period reflects ongoing negotiations between state authority, cultural norms, and social consciousness. Ultimately, the study concludes that transformations in Iranian cinema can be understood as the outcome of continuous interaction among power, culture, and society, making film a key site for cultural expression and sociopolitical critique.

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