Photography and Cinematography in Qajar Era Iran
Conference
About This Conference
In memory of Farrokh Ghaffari (1921-2006), the Soudavar Memorial Foundation made a special grant in 2011 available for archival research on Qajar cinematography in preparation for this symposium (August 27-28, 2011). This two-day symposium and film season discussed and developed ideas derived from social and visual anthropological research, and debated the diverse forms and aspects of photography and cinematography of the Qajar era in Iran, not exclusively through monarchic art. It was convened by Professor Manouchehr Eskandari-Qajar of Santa Barbara City College and Dr Pedram Khosronejad of the University of St Andrews.
Farrokh Ghaffari was an Iranian film director, actor, critic and author. Along with Ebrahim Golestan and Fereydoun Rahnema, he was one of the founders of Iran’s New Wave film movement.[1] By establishing the first National Iranian Film Society in 1949 at the Iran Bastan Museum and organising the first ‘Film Week’ during which English films were exhibited, Ghaffari is widely recognised as laying the foundations for alternative and non-commercial films in Iran
