Fear is now looming over war-torn Iran. Iran became more restless after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a joint Israeli-American airstrike on February 28, 2026.

Iran, which is responding to war with war, is facing deeper crisis and deprivation. The remnants of that deprivation and crisis are also starting to be seen in Nepal.

Well, when people think of Iran, images of war begin to appear in people's eyes for decades. But, where has Iran shown the world only under the guise of war? The fertile films that grew in Iran's own soil once amazed the world, and even now the influence and presence of Iranian films is strong in the world.

Iran has further confirmed its height in world cinema by lifting the Oscar trophy, which is considered the world's most prestigious award. Famous Iranian director Asghar Farhadi's 'A Separation' (2012) did not stop at just winning the gold statuette for the first time in the Best Foreign Language Film category at the Oscars, but Farhadi himself shocked the world by winning his second Oscar in 2017 with 'The Salesman'.

Even before this Oscar success, Abbas Kiarostami's 'Taste of Cherry' had already proven the ideological and philosophical height of Iranian cinema by winning the 'Palme d'Or' at the world's prestigious Cannes Film Festival in 1997. Despite strict censorship and crises, the pace at which Iranian cinema has traveled the world is unparalleled.

A school for Nepal

Iranian cinema has become a school for Nepal's 'New Wave' filmmakers, who played a role in overshadowing the clichés and old styles of Nepali cinema. Recently, films like Meen Bham, Deepak Rauniyar, Meen's 'Kalo Pothi' and Deepak's 'Seto Surya' have followed the Iranian style.

The audience of Iranian cinema in Nepal ranges from film connoisseurs and makers to film school students. For film director Pradeep Bhattarai, Iranian films were the first step in diving into the ocean of world cinema. ‘While growing up, we were used to watching films with a bit of violence and songs.’ Later, after entering the cinema industry and meeting people from this field, we realized that we should watch slightly off-beat and artistic films,’ recalls Pradeep.

Pradeep was introduced to Iranian cinema by storyteller Amar Neupane. That was in the late 2060s. One day, he watched Majid Majidi’s film ‘Baran’. The story of the selfless and silent love between an Iranian teenager and an Afghan refugee girl who works hard in the construction industry disguised as a boy to support her family touched Pradeep deeply.

The film’s lack of dialogue and the fact that the characters are living in poverty against the backdrop of war, and the film’s flow like life, left an impression on him for many days. ‘The specialty of Iranian cinema is that there are no such big events, but small events are shown in a very touching way. It is because of Iranian cinema that we have been able to recognize the country called Iran,’ says Pradeep.

Pradeep feels that Iranian cinema has clearly raised the things that are politically or socially taboo in the society there. When you watch the cinema of any country, you can understand the situation there at that time and what that country is like. In Pradeep’s understanding, that is clear in Iranian cinema. Pradeep finds the way Iranian filmmakers tell stories and the ‘detailing’ in it unique and artistic. ‘They weave cinema so finely, like weaving a small handkerchief, that it is truly wonderful,’ he says.

Pradeep also finds the influence of the Iranian style in his films somewhere or another. He said that he followed this style even when writing the story of the film 'Mahapurush'. 'Even though an old man in our society needs a life partner, society has somehow forbidden it. We have shown a similar topic that is socially forbidden, even if it is not in law, in 'Mahapurush'. The idea that such things that society does not allow us to talk about should be told through cinema came from Iranian cinema,' Pradeep adds. However, he says that he still has to have that level of art and awareness. 'But my thinking is somewhat in line with their philosophy that the small things of life should be included in cinema,' says Pradeep.

Pradeep also has a different experience with storyteller Amar Neupane, who introduced him to the taste of Iranian cinema. He came to know about Iranian films in 2067 BS. When he first saw Majid Majidi's 'Children of Heaven', Amar felt like he was not watching a movie, but rather a true story of two siblings in a village in Iran. There is no acting, they are just living. 'I feel like Iranian cinema is 'filmed by living people living,'' he says. 'I was very impressed by the fact that even with small themes, subtle psychology, and characters like they are, they can be made into such a beautiful movie.'

Amar feels like Majid Majidi's films are 'novels shot by the camera,' where even small things say big things.

He remembers the spark of consciousness that 'The Color of Paradise' ignited in him. The film tells the story of a real blind boy. From this story, he learned that blind people have eyes on their 10 fingers. Amar felt as if the fingers of the main character in the film were talking to the five elements of air, light, water, sky and fire.

‘At the end of the film, when the camera shows only the child’s moving finger in a close-up, it tells the audience that he is still alive, which is very artistic and profound,’ says Amar. ‘I felt such symbolic art and profound things after watching 50-60 films by directors like Majid Majidi, Abbas Kiarostami and Asghar Farhadi.’

Amar, who closely follows Iranian cinema, feels that even if a film does not have a big budget or technology, it can tell a story in a very profound way. He finds the Iranian (Persian) language very sweet and rhythmic. ‘That language, which sounds like music even when it is abusive, sounds gentle, as if it is made of flowers, water, snow and sunlight,’ explains Amar.

Another beautiful aspect of Iranian films that he finds appealing is that they do not show war through the eyes of great rulers, but through the eyes of ordinary people, women or small children who are experiencing war. ‘They present the impact of war on low-level characters who have no role in causing war and live with nature in a very poignant way,’ says Amar.

Director Sujit Bidari’s film ‘Aina Jhyalko Putli’ was released in 2079. At the time, the film received a lot of praise from critics and audiences. Many compared the power of the film to the taste of Iranian films. Sujit, however, jokingly revealed that he was influenced by Majid Majidi’s ‘Children of Heaven’.

He first watched ‘Children of Heaven’ around 2011/12 while studying at a film college, which introduced him to the world of cinema outside of Hollywood. According to him, these films focus on the daily lives and morals of people rather than 'larger than life'. 'Such films have made me realize that we can tell our own stories and make films even in our society, village and with limited resources,' says Sujit.

He particularly likes films like 'Children of Heaven', 'Offside', 'A Separation' and 'The Salesman'. After watching Farhadi's film 'A Hero', he was deeply struck by the moral dilemma of right and wrong.

Filmmaker Manoj Babu Pant feels, 'With the increased access of foreign cinema in Nepal, film students and makers have learned a lot from Iranian cinema.' He says that Iranian cinema has taught him how to present the small, minimal things and experiences of life through real and subtle human sensitivity.

Manoj believes that Iranian cinema has broken the traditional concept that there must be a certain 'protagonist', 'antagonist' and conflict as soon as we say cinema. 'The experience of life, like life, can also be seen in cinema.' Iranian cinema taught us that parts of life can be easily extracted without any special polishing for this,' he says.

How did beautiful cinema emerge in Iran despite the very strict censorship? 'Due to the suffocating situation, there is a possibility of being more vocal by creating a basis for freedom.' Makers like Zafar Panahi and Abbas Kiarostami have sought new dimensions and depth in cinema even within the control and limitations of the state,' says Manoj.

Film critic Yagyash remembers how important Iranian cinema was not only for filmmakers, but also for critics. According to Yagyash, the influence of Iranian films on Nepali filmmakers, writers and critics is very deep. Although Iranian films were not released in Nepali cinemas, these films were preferred through film festivals and DVDs.

‘Especially films like Majid Majidi’s ‘Children of Heaven’ and ‘The Color of Paradise’ touched the sensibilities of Nepali audiences.’ Yagyash analyzes that these films felt very relevant and close to us because they were not stories of highly developed societies like the Western world but stories of rural and semi-urban environments, deprivations of life and family relationships like ours.

Yagyash believes that the ‘family and collective struggles’ seen in Iranian cinema, which are different from the ‘individual struggles’ seen in Hollywood or European cinema, appeal more to our Eastern consciousness and emotions. He adds, ‘The main feature of Iranian films is the style of presenting small subjects in a subtle way, without great production value, and reaching the depth of human emotions.’

Yagyash was initially influenced by Majidi’s films. Later, the films of Abbas Kiarostami, Zafar Panahi, Asghar Farhadi and the Makhmalbaf family added a new dimension to the overall aesthetics and Yagyash’s consciousness. Earlier Iranian films were more about children and emotions. Yagyash analyzes that political commentary and new dimensions of society are also beginning to appear in current films. ‘Despite the ban on making films in Iran, filmmakers there have maintained their influence worldwide by winning the highest awards at big stages like the Oscars and Cannes,’ says Yagyash.

A lotus blooming in the mud

Iranian filmmakers have never had an easy path. They look like lotuses blooming in the mud. After the 1979 Islamic Revolution, strict religious and political censorship was imposed on filmmaking in Iran. The representation of women was made very narrow. In films, women were required to wear a 'hijab' even when indoors or sleeping, and actors playing husband-wife or mother-son roles on screen were not allowed to touch or hug each other.

Direct criticism of the country's poverty, administration, or religious system was banned. Freedom of expression was restricted to such an extent that filmmakers had to resort to symbols to say the same things. The filmmakers used those symbols very forcefully.

Iranian filmmakers are still forced to pay the price for creative freedom. The government banned Zafar Panahi from making films and from traveling abroad for 20 years. He secretly filmed films like 'Taxi' and took them to Cannes and Berlin by hiding them on a pen drive. He was repeatedly imprisoned and spent a long time under house arrest. Similarly, Taraneh Alidoshi, the actress of the Oscar-winning film 'The Salesman', had to spend her life in prison while supporting social movements.

Director Mohammad Rasoulof was forced to seek refuge in Europe because he made 'There Is No Evil'. Nevertheless, the momentum of Iranian filmmakers has not stopped. The last time, at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, Zafar Panahi's 'It Was Just an Accident' won the 'Palme d'Or', further proving the power of Iranian cinema.