Farrokh Ghaffari ( fa, فرخ غفاری, 26 February 1922 – 17 December 2006) was an Iranian film director, actor, critic and author. Along with Ebrahim Golestan and

Fereydoun Rahnema Fereydoun Rahnema ( fa, فریدون رهنما; 1930 – 1975) was an Iranian film director and poet. He is most known for his 1960 short film, ''Takht-e Jamshid'' (''Persepolis''), and his feature film, ''Siavash dar Takht-e Jamshid'' (''Siavas ...

he was one of the founders of Iran's New Wave film movement. By establishing the first National Iranian Film Society in 1949 at the Iran Bastan Museum and organizing the first Film Week during which English films were exhibited, Ghaffari laid the foundation for alternative and non-commercial films in Iran.

Early life

Ghaffari was born in

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

, but was educated in

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

and at the University of Grenoble in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. In 1958, Ghaffari made one of the first neorealist films in Iranian cinema, ''Jonoub-e Shahr'' (''South of the City''). Because of its depictions of working class poverty the film was banned by the

Shah Shah (; fa, شاه, , ) is a royal title that was historically used by the leading figures of Iranian monarchies.Yarshater, EhsaPersia or Iran, Persian or Farsi, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII no. 1 (1989) It was also used by a variety of ...

's government, who feared the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

would use it as a propaganda tool to show the distressed economic condition of Iran's lower classes. In 1963, a heavily edited version of the film entitled ''Reghabat Dar Shahr'' (''Urban Rivalry'') was finally released. In 1964, he produced and directed his next film ''Shab-e Quzi'' (''Night of the Hunchback''). Based on '' One Thousand and One Nights'', the film was originally set during the time of Caliph

Harun al-Rashid Abu Ja'far Harun ibn Muhammad al-Mahdi ( ar , أبو جعفر هارون ابن محمد المهدي) or Harun ibn al-Mahdi (; or 766 – 24 March 809), famously known as Harun al-Rashid ( ar, هَارُون الرَشِيد, translit=Hārūn ...

but was changed to contemporary times because of censor objections. ''Shab-e Quzi'' is a

black comedy Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discu ...

about smugglers who try to hide the body of a dead hunchback who is left on their doorstep. The film starred Ghaffari and Mohammad-Ali Keshavarz in his film debut. Ghaffari worked for National Iranian Television during this time. In 1975, Ghaffari released his final film ''Zanbourak'' (''The Running Canon'') starring Parviz Sayyad and Shahnaz Tehrani. In 1979 with the onslaught of the

Iranian Revolution The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dyna ...

, Ghaffari moved to Paris, where he worked as a film critic for the magazine '' Positif''. He lived in exile in Paris until his death in 2006.

Filmography

Feature films

* 1958: ''Jonoub-e Shahr'' (South of the City) * 1960 ''ArusKodumeh?'' (Who is the Bride?) * 1965: ''

Shabe Quzi ''Night of the Hunchback'' ( fa, شب قوزی, translit=Shab-e Quzi) is a 1965 Iranian film comedy, directed and produced by Farrokh Ghaffari. The film script was based on a story from One Thousand and One Nights, but arranged for modern city life ...

'' (Night of the Hunchback) * 1975: '' Zanbourak'' (The Running Canon) *''Mard-e Kerayei'' (Rent Man) (unfinished)

Documentaries

*''Siman-eTehran Norouzeman'' (Our New Year) *''Daryaye Pars'' (Persian Gulf) *''Zendegi Naft'' (Oil and Life) *''Vezarat Sanaye Va Maaden'' (Ministry of Industry and Mines)

References

External links

*
His ancestral website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ghaffari, Farrokh Iranian film directors 1922 births 2006 deaths Iranian film critics Iranian screenwriters Iranian male film actors People from Tehran Commandeurs of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres 20th-century screenwriters Iranian expatriates in Belgium Iranian expatriates in France