Cinema Day in Iran Date in the current year: September 12, 2024

The history of Persian cinema began in 1900, when the King of Persia Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar was introduced to the art of cinema at the Paris Exposition. He instructed the royal photographer Mirza Ebrahim Khan Akkas Bashi to purchase filmmaking equipment in order to document the Shah’s visit to Europe. The first Iranian motion picture was the footage shot at the Ostend Flower Festival in Belgium.

The first public screening in Iran took place in 1904. Merely a year later, the first movie theater opened in Tehran. Iran’s first feature-length film was made in 1930 by Ovanes Ohanian. It was a silent comedy film titled Abi and Rabi. The first Iranian sound film was Lor Girl, it was filmed by Ardeshir Irani in Bombay and released in 1933. The film had a limited release because it was still a taboo at the time to broadcast female performers.

In September 2000, Iran hosted a festival of Iranian cinema dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the cinema of Iran. Soon after the festival, it was decided to establish Cinema Day that would be celebrated on September 12 every year.