In Focus: Mohammad Reza Aslani
Washing the Eyes: In Focus - Mohammad Reza Aslani
One of the most enigmatic and visionary voices in Iranian cinema, Mohammad Reza Aslani merges poetry, visual art, and film into a uniquely boundary-defying body of work. Mohammad Reza Aslani is present for a Q&A.
Although much of his early work was suppressed or overlooked due to political and cultural shifts, most notably under the Pahlavi regime, Aslani’s distinctive voice has only grown more resonant over time.Placing Mohammad Reza Aslani in focus offers a long-overdue reappraisal of a filmmaker who challenged narrative conventions and aesthetic norms long before such approaches gained wider recognition. His work, spanning from myth-infused reflection to sharp political critique, bridges poetry and cinema in a way that remains singular in Iranian film history.
This retrospective marks several important firsts: the first-ever international screening to a European audience of his debut documentary Hassanlou Cup (1964) and his early short film Therefore Hangs a Tale from 1973, and a rare chance to see his first feature film Chess of the Wind (1976) on the big screen.
Aslani himself is present for a Q&A – for the first time in Europe – a rare opportunity to hear directly from an artist whose vision has remained vital, daring, and deeply resonant across decades. With this programme, we are not only honouring a filmmaker of remarkable intellect, vision and imagination, but also restoring a vital, long-overlooked chapter in the history of Iranian and global cinema.
Programme
Hassanlou Cup: The Tale of the One Who Asks (Mohammed Reza Aslani, IR 1966, 20’)
This experimental documentary takes its inspiration from the motifs on the Hassanlou Cup, which was discovered in 1954. Aslani compares the intricate engravings, and explores ancient myths centred on the sun god Mithra. A haunting soundtrack connects these stories to the mystic Hallaj’s martyrdom, as told by 12th-century poet Farid al-Din Attar.
Therefore Hangs a Tale (Mohammed Reza Aslani, IR 1973, 45’)
Aslani’s only comedy follows a school principal and his deputy scrambling to mask their school’s flaws during a high-stakes inspector’s visit. They enlist a student to photograph the occasion, but the camera holds no film, and the student cannot explain. Initially banned under the Pahlavi regime, this clever critique only gained recognition as an artistic triumph after the Islamic Revolution.
Intermission (20’)
Chess of the Wind (Mohammad Reza Aslani, IR 1976, 100’)
Overlooked by both audiences and critics after its only screening at the 1976 Tehran International Film Festival, Chess of the Wind vanished for nearly four decades and was considered lost. Until, by a stroke of luck, Aslani’s son discovered the film negative in a flea market near Tehran. Following its 2020 restoration, the film has been rightfully hailed as a landmark of Iranian cinema, offering a glimpse into the deeper treasures still waiting to be uncovered.
Set in a lavish 1920s Tehran villa, the film unravels a haunting tale of greed and betrayal as heirs clash over a matriarch’s estate. Beneath its period elegance lies a dark critique of power, corruption, and moral decay. An allegory that foreshadowed the rot of Iran’s Pahlavi regime.
Restored in 4K by The Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project and Cineteca di Bologna from the original 35mm camera and sound negatives at L’Image Retrouvée laboratory (Paris) in collaboration with Mohammad Reza Aslani and Gita Aslani Shahrestani. Funding provided by the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation.
You can listen to the Q&A here.
This is part of
Details
Production year
2025
Length
230 min.
Event language
English
Country
NL
Subtitles
English
Part of
Programmers of the Future 2025
Three new Programmers of the Future present their film programmes in Eye Filmmuseum this July. With films about the magic of a spontaneous encounter in a public space, about folklore, fairy tales and mythology, and about memory as an act of resistance.
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Eye Film Player
Programmer of the Future Humie Pourseyf selected several films to watch at home, including Reza Allamehzadeh’s Guests of Hotel Astoria and The Day I Disappeared by Atousa Bandeh Ghiasabadi. The films will be available from 1 July.
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