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Freedom in Madness – On Nasib Nasibi, an Avant-Garde Iranian Filmmaker
by Hadi Alipanah

Nasib Nasibi, a filmmaker, poet, and writer, was born on April 8, 1940, in Tehran. His father was a military officer, and his mother was a person of culture and art. In an unpublished interview I had with his brother, Basir Nasibii, Basir identified their mother as the most important encourager and supporter of their education and artistic activities. Nasib Nasibi, who never received formal academic art or film education, was introduced to cinema in his youth through the influence and companionship of his cousin, Houshang Kavoussiii. His brother mentioned in the aforementioned interview that Kavoussi would take both brothers to watch films and then, often during long walks, would talk to them about the history of cinema and the works of great filmmakers.

Nasib Nasibi began his film career in 1961 and 1962, first working behind the scenes on the documentary Standard directed by Houshang Kavoussi, and then as an assistant director on the documentary Aircraft Refueling and the feature film House by the Sea, both directed by Houshang Kavoussi. In an interview with Ayandegan newspaperiii, he also cited watching the film Persepolis directed by Fereydoun Rahnemaiv as his most important experience in shaping his artistic taste and preferred filmmaking style.

In an article published in the book Cinema-ye Azad Vol. 1 (Free Cinema) in 1971, he writes about another of Fereydoun Rahnema's films: "The secret hidden in the film Siavash in Persepolis (1965) is the secret of humanity; it is the secret of love and existence. When watching the film, we are no longer on earth, we are uprooted. Rahnema is an intelligent interpreter of nature. His camera, like a skilled surgeon, dissects moments of life and exposes humanity naked before itself."

During this same period, Nasibi made several 2-minute short films, but unfortunately, the titles of these films and any copies of them have not been found. The only film he mentioned from this period of his filmmaking is a 5-minute short fiction film titled Fershtei Ke Balhayash Bar Rooyeh Shahr-e Man Sayeh Andakhteh Bood (The Angel Whose Wings Cast a Shadow Over My City). Eventually, in 1963, he made his first officially screened short film, Khoon-e Yek Khatereh (Blood of a Memory). This 15-minute short film was shot on 16mm film in black and white. Later, the only existing copy of this film was sent in 1966 to participate in a festival or symposium titled "Festival or Symposium of Avant-garde Filmmakers" held in Karlsruhe, Germany. This film won an award for "Best Film" at this event. The event was likely held at a university or film school in Karlsruhe. Unfortunately, no further information about this event, its format, or its location is available.

However, the only existing copy of this film, which was in reversal format, never returned to Iran and has not been found to this day. 

  • Khoon-e Yek Khatereh (Blood of a Memory) (1963)

Note: I ask readers of this article, especially German readers who might have any information about this festival held in the city of Karlsruhe, to please contact us. Even if you know of a person or an organization that might have information about this event, sharing that information could help us obtain important details that might lead to finding the only copy of this film.

Nasibi's acquaintance and close relationship with Fereydoun Rahnema can perhaps be considered the most important event in his artistic life. Fereydoun Rahnema, an Iranian poet and filmmaker who had previously established himself as the first experimental filmmaker in the history of Iranian cinema with his short film Persepolis, was in charge of the research group at Iran's National Television. Through a project titled Iran Zamin (Land of Iran), he gathered many talented young people to produce artistic documentaries outside the norm of television reportage documentaries, focusing on introducing the culture and history of different parts of Iran. Among the most important filmmakers who worked in this group were Mohammad Reza Aslaniv, Parviz Kimiavivi, Nasser Taghvaivii, and Nasib Nasibi.

With Fereydoun Rahnema's support, Nasibi made more than 20 documentaries during this period, in most of which his name was removed from the credits as director at his own request. Although Nasibi made these documentaries with complete freedom and incorporated his avant-garde and poetic approach in most of them, he considered these films as commissioned works and did not want his name in their credits. In most of these documentaries, he focused on folk tales and people's relationships with historical monuments. Unfortunately, copies of these films are not available. The only existing copies of these films are kept in the archives of Iran's National Television (now Islamic Republic of Iran TV Broadcasting), and access to these films is not possible even for researchers. Through an agreement with Fereydoun Rahnema and Reza Ghotbiviii, in exchange for making 8 documentaries, he acquired the necessary equipment to make a film of his own choice, which resulted in the production of films such as Death of a Tale and CHE HARASI DARAD ZOLMAT-HE ROOH! (How Frightening Is the Darkness of the Soul!).

  • Nasib Nasibi’s interview with Ayandegan Newspaper (26 Sept 1969) titled “I Salute the Holy Death"

Nasibi also had very close connections with members of the Theatre Workshop (Kargah-e Namayesh)ix and the poets of Poetry of Volumex. He was even one of the signatories of the Poetry of Volume manifesto. This close relationship not only led him to extensively use the presence of Theatre Workshop members and works of Poetry of Volume poems in his works, especially in the film CHE HARASI DARAD ZOLMAT-HE ROOH!, but it was also in line with his artistic vision and goals in filmmaking. He consistently tried to establish a meaningful connection between cinema, poetry, and theatre in his works, even in his television documentaries. All the actors in CHE HARASI DARAD ZOLMAT-HE ROOH!, including Shahnaz Sahebixi, were from the Theatre Workshop. In writing the screenplay, in addition to using poems from six poets of Poetry of Volume, he also collaborated with Abbas Nalbandian in writing the film's dialogues. During these years, he was also one of the main supporters of his brother, Basir Nasibi, who founded and expanded the Cinema-ye Azad (Free Cinema) movement. Nasib never made a film in this movement himself, as he considered himself an established filmmaker who could make his works with the support of Iran's National Television. However, he was always one of the main supporters of Cinema-ye Azad, standing alongside the filmmakers of this group and participating in Cinema-ye Azad activities and events. 

  • Nasib Nasibi and Shahnaz Sahebi backstage at the shoot of CHE HARASI DARAD ZOLMAT-HE ROOH! © Hadi Alipanah

The works of Nasib Nasibi that are available today demonstrate a unique characteristic of his artistic approach. Influenced by his mentor Fereydoun Rahnema, who was himself a multifaceted artist with a profound impact on both poets and innovative filmmakers who came after him, Nasibi is a multifaceted artist on at least two levels. Not only does he utilize the presence and works of theater artists and poets in his films, but he also positions cinema as a bridge between poetry, theater, and madness in the themes and content of his films. In another interview published in Ayandegan newspaper on September 26, 1969, he said: "People have a strange inclination towards madness. In my films, I have used insanity to negate restrictive social conventions." The characters in his films are always dealing with some form of madness or insanity, and this characteristic not only doesn't limit them but becomes an opportunity for their liberation and happiness.

Many texts analyzing the works of other pioneering and avant-garde Iranian filmmakers have also been left behind by Nasib Nasibi. He always felt that people should be made aware of the liberating capacity of art. However, he never tried to create works that would appeal to a wider range of audiences. He actively distanced himself from this approach in art. "Art is the secret of humanity, and a secret cannot be public."xiii In another quote from him, explaining his approach to making the film CHE HARASI DARAD ZOLMAT-HE ROOH!, one can understand his view of art and cinema: "A work takes on the concept of art for me when it has been able to come close to poetry. In some moments of my new film, the dialogues are from poems I love. I have always believed that a poet should rain an essence on me so that I feel the expanse of the earth is my homeland."

After the Islamic Revolution in 1979, Nasibi tried to continue his approach to Iranian culture and history by maintaining his documentary filmmaking process on television. However, he quickly realized that in the new structure, there was no place for him and his perspective on cinema. Unfortunately, accurate information about his post-revolution works is not readily available. Nevertheless, the names of two documentaries and one long television film can be found amongst his few interviews and news published in periodicals.

  • Nasib Nasibi’s last interview with Jam-e Jam newspaper (13 April 2004) titled "All My Love is Documentary Films"

In his last published interview, released one year before his voluntary death, Nasibi said: "Everywhere in the world, when a director makes a work, they can have a copy for themselves. We didn't know that one day these films would be imprisoned. Even for the documentary Moozeh-ye Abghineh, Sher-e Sofal-o Shisheh (Glass Museum, Poetry of Pottery and Glass, 1981), my cameraman recorded it during its television broadcast. I don't understand the reason for this non-standard strictness. They even reluctantly provide the film to researchers for study."xiv Nevertheless, his works, which were never officially screened in Iranian cinemas, have attracted the attention of many cinema enthusiasts whenever they found brief opportunities for screening in cinematheques and cine-clubs. The short film "Death of a Tale" was screened at the Paris Cinematheque on March 9, 1970, and later on French television. This film was also shown at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1973.xv According to Basir Nasibi, the original copy of this film is kept at the Paris Cinematheque.

After enduring a long period of illness that also resulted in the loss of his eyesight, Nasib Nasibi attempted suicide and finally passed away on January 26, 2004, after 10 days in a coma. In his final years, he was trying to publish his memories and experiences by writing a book titled The History of Documentary Cinema in Television. Unfortunately, the text of this book has been lost or destroyed by him, and only a 22-page summary of this book in his own handwriting remains. Additionally, after losing his sight, Nasibi tried to record his ideas for films he wanted to make on cassette tapes. Unfortunately, these tapes have either been lost or were destroyed by him in the final months of his life. At the beginning of his book summary, he talks about his loneliness and despair, which led him to abandon writing the book several times or destroy significant portions of it and rewrite them. Niatus Nasibi, his only son, describes the final months of his father's life: "He had gone mad. It seemed as if he chose madness for liberation; just like in his films..."xvi

  • Nasib Nasibi’s handwriting © Hadi Alipanah

In a comparative analysis, Nasib Nasibi can be placed alongside filmmakers such as Hassan Bani-Hashemixvii, Faramarz Moattarxviii, Parviz Kimiavi, Arby Ovanessianxix, and many others who, despite making brilliant films at the beginning of their filmmaking careers, fell victim to the Islamic Revolution in Iran and were never able to reveal the true potential of their cinematic vision by making more films afterward. Nasibi made his desired films with minimal technical facilities and budget, which can be discerned from the films themselves. His important works, Marg-e Yek Qeseh (Death of a Tale) and CHE HARASI DARAD ZOLMAT-HE ROOH!, were never seriously screened and were mostly deemed unsuitable for television broadcast despite support from Iran's National Television. CHE HARASI DARAD ZOLMAT-HE ROOH! was shown only once at the Shiraz Arts Festivalxx, and its subsequent rare screenings were limited to the Cinema-ye Azad Cinematheque. None of these filmmakers managed to continue their filmmaking process naturally after the Islamic Revolution in Iran, and many of them never made another film. Often, the image of Iranian cinema after the Islamic Revolution has been accompanied by images of cinemas burned in fires. However, a larger and more destructive fire engulfed Iranian cinema after the Islamic Revolution, and more than any other group, it was these avant-garde and innovative filmmakers of Iranian cinema who burned in their solitude.

  • [Translate to English:] Nasib Nasibi

Below, you will find Nasib Nasibi's filmography. Please note that there is not much information available about many of his films. No source has provided a complete list of his works, and the following list has been compiled based on scattered sources, Nasibi's interviews, a few of his films that are available to us, and some other sources. At the writing of this piece only 4 of his films are available to us.

In conclusion, I would like to thank Niatus Nasibi for providing me with the original copies of some of the sources used in this text, as well as his father's handwritten notes and the photographs used.

Hadi Alipanah

Documentary Films

  • Yoosh-e Nima (Nima’s Yoosh) / 20 minutes / Black and White / 16mm / 1968 (A documentary about Nima Yooshij, the father of modern Persian poetry, and his connection with his people and land)
  • Tavalod-e Yek Asar (Birth of a Work)
  • Jahrom / 1968
  • Fasa va Darab (Fasa and Darab) / 1968
  • Isfahan – Shomar-ye Yek Va Do (Isfahan – Numbers One and Two) / 1969
  • Izadkhast / This film could also be from the series "From Isfahan to Pasargadae" / About an old man who had thrown his daughter into a well and later in his old age and blindness would come to the well, performs religious rituals, throws a stone into the well, and leave. (Information about this series was given by Nasibi in an interview with Ayandegan newspaper on Saturday, September 26, 1969.)
  • Az Abargoo Ta Shiraz (From Abarkooh to Shiraz) / 28 minutes / 16mm / Black and White / 1969
  • Az Isfahan Ta Abargoo (From Isfahan to Abarkooh) / 35 minutes / 16mm / Black and White / 1969-1970 (A documentary about historical buildings from Isfahan to Abarkooh and the events that took place in these buildings) / According to Nasibi, this series includes four documentaries under the general title "From Isfahan to Pasargadae"
  • Shiraz – Banaha-ye Tarikhi (Shiraz –  Historical Buildings) / 1969-1970 (Mentioned in the Ayandegan interview) No other information about this film exists.
  • Gozareshi Az Hafariha-ye Elmi-e Maabad-e Anahita – Gozaresh-e Aval (Report on Scientific Excavations of Anahita Temple - First Report) / 30 minutes / 16mm / Black and White / 1970 (A documentary about the excavations of Anahita Temple in Kangavar and the relationship of local people with the temple and the legends they talked about the temple before archaeological excavations. This documentary was made in two 30-minute parts)
  • Gozareshi Az Hafariha-ye Elmi-e Maabad-e Anahita – Gozaresh-e Dovom (Report on Scientific Excavations of Anahita Temple - Second Report) / 30 minutes / 16mm / Black and White / 1971
  • Chabahar / 1972
  • Paygah-e Shahrokhi (Shahrokhi Base) / 32 minutes / 16mm / Black and White
  • Firouzabad (Life) / 19 minutes / 16mm / Black and White / 1970
  • Gowati / 27 minutes / Black and White / 16mm / 1971 (A documentary about expelling illness from mentally ill patients using music and poetry in Baluchistan)
  • Maled (or: Maleh) / 1973 / No other information about this film exists.
  • Bazr-e Tahvor (The Seed of Courage) / 1973 / A documentary about the local games of Iranian children
  • Acrojet / 1974
  • Khatam, Az Janghal Ta Khaneh (Khatam, From Forest to Home) / 35 minutes / Color / 16mm / 1974 (A documentary about the art of Khatam)
  • Karkhane-ye Tasfi-ye Shekar-e Ahvaz (Ahvaz Sugar Refinery) / 1974
  • Shahnameh va Mardom (Shahnameh and People) / 55 minutes / Color / 16mm / 1975 (A documentary about people's relationship with Shahnameh)
  • Ostad Zande Vakili (Master Zand Vakili) / 18 minutes / 16mm / Color / 1976
  • Abyaneh Sheri Az Gozashteh (Abyaneh, A Poem from the Past) / 30 minutes / Color / 16mm / 1976 (A documentary about Abyaneh village)
  • Az Kangavar Ta Qasr-e Shirin (From Kangavar to Qasr-e Shirin) / Short documentary / 1977
  • Gharb, Gharb-e Iran (West, West of Iran) / 1978 / a documentary about western provinces of Iran as a part of "Iranology collection" produced in collaboration of Cinema-ye Azad and National TV
  • Moozeh-ye Abghineh, Sher-e Sofal-o Shisheh (Glass Museum, Poetry of Pottery and Glass) / 30 minutes / Color / 16mm / 1981 (A documentary about the works kept in the Glass Museum)
  • Torbat-e Jam (Sights of Jam) / 30 minutes / Color / 16mm / 1985 (A documentary about Torbat-e Jam)
  • Roosta Dar Jangh (Village at War) (No other information about this film exists)

Fiction Films
The filmmaker has mentioned making several short films before Khoon-e Yek Khatereh and states that most of them were two minutes long, but he hasn't named them. He refers to Khoon-e Yek Khatereh as his first short film that was publicly presented.

  • Fershtei Ke Balhayash Bar Rooyeh Shahr-e Man Sayeh Andakhteh Bood (The Angel Whose Wings Cast a Shadow Over My City) / 5 minutes / fiction.
  • Khoon-e Yek Khatereh (Blood of a Memory) / 15 minutes / Black and White / 16mm / 1963 (It's about people's relationships with each other in the face of a shared mentality. When people think alike about a subject, their minds become similar to electrical waves that spread that mentality to the group.) / This film received the Avant-garde Filmmakers Symposium or Festival award in Karlsruhe in 1966, and the only copy of the film was lost at this festival.
  • Marg-e Yek Qeseh (Death of a Tale) / 30 minutes / Black and White / 16mm / 1967
  • CHE HARASI DARAD ZOLMAT-HE ROOH! / 62 minutes / Black and White / 35mm / 1971
  • Oufool-e Foorood (Decline of the Fall) / 1974 / A story based on Shahnameh
  • Bist-o Panjomin Saat-e Rooz (The Twenty-fifth Hour of the Day) / 16mm / Fiction / A man who has reluctantly become a taxi driver decides to sell his only possession, his car when he learns that his wife has been hospitalized due to kidney disease.

Sources

  • History of Iranian cinema / Masoud Mehrabi / Nazar publication / 1984
  • Memorandum of Naseeb Nasibi / Association of Iranian Cinema Documentary Makers / 2001
  • Iranian documentary cinema, the field of differences / Mohammad Tahami Nejad / Soroosh publication / 2002
  • Cinema-ye Azad Vol 1 / Nazar publication / 1971
  • Chronology of the history of Iranian television – from 1956 to 1980 / Homa Javdani / 2005
  • Ten years of Cinema-ye Azad / Basir Nasibi / Cinema-ye Azad publication / 1994
  • History of Iranian cinema - from 1900 to 1979 / Jamal Omid / Rozaneh publication / 1995

i Basir Nasibi is the founder and director of the "Cinema-ye Azad Movement". Over the course of 10 years (1969 to 1978), he successfully established and expanded this movement in more than 20 cities across Iran. Membership of 300 filmmakers, production of over 1,000 short films in 8mm format, production of 6 feature-length television films, establishment and organization of the first specialized national and international short film festivals in Iran, publication of the first books and specialized magazines about short films, and production of the first radio and television programs about short films are considered among the achievements of the Free Cinema Movement.

ii Amir Houshang Kavousi (1301 - 1392 in the Iranian calendar, corresponding to 1922-2013 in the Gregorian calendar), known as Houshang Kavousi, was a critic, cinema instructor, and director. He graduated in filmmaking from the IDHEC school in France. He is considered the founder of analytical film criticism in Iran. Undoubtedly, he is the most important and influential Iranian film critic who first used the term "FilmFarsi." In most of his writings, Kavousi tried to support artistic films made in Iran while raising awareness about commercial works produced in commercial film studios and their negative impact on people and culture. He used the term "FilmFarsi" for these types of films that possess minimal artistic quality and often disregard filmmaking rules in their production process.

iii Ayandegan Newspaper (26 Sept 1969)

iv Fereydoun Rahnema (1309 - 1354 in the Iranian calendar, corresponding to 1930-1975 in the Gregorian calendar) was a poet, filmmaker, journalist, and cultural manager. He graduated in literature from the Sorbonne University and the Paris Film School. His first film, the short Takht-e Jamshid (Persepolis) (1960), is considered the first experimental film in Iranian cinema. His artistic activities include publishing several poetry collections, the book "Realism in Film," and making two feature films titled Siavash dar Takht-e Jamshid (Siavash in Persepolis) (1965) and Pesar-e Iran az Madarash Bi ettela' Ast (The Son of Iran Has No News from His Mother, 1972). From 1966 to 1970, he was the head of the research department at Iran's National Television. He is considered one of the most influential figures in contemporary Iranian art. Many renowned Iranian poets and filmmakers refer to him as their spiritual father. His films were praised by some Western experts, including Henri Langlois, the prominent French film historian and director of the Cinémathèque Française, and Henry Corbin, the famous French philosopher. He received the Jean Epstein Award for advancing the language of cinema from the Locarno Film Festival in 1966.

v Mohammad Reza Aslani (born 1322 in the Iranian calendar, corresponding to 1943 in the Gregorian calendar) is a poet, filmmaker, and philosopher. One of his most important works is the feature film Shatranj-e Baad (Chessgame of the Wind, 1976).

vi Parviz Kimiavi (born 1318 in the Iranian calendar, corresponding to 1939 in the Gregorian calendar) is a director, screenwriter, and editor. Among his most important films are Mogholha (The Mongols, 1973) and Bagh-e Sangi (The Stone Garden, 1976). He emigrated to France after the revolution. He returned to Iran only once in 1998 (1377 in the Iranian calendar) and made the feature film Iran sara-ye man ast (Iran Is My Land, 1999).

vii Nasser Taghvai (born 1320 in the Iranian calendar, corresponding to 1941 in the Gregorian calendar) is a filmmaker, photographer, and writer.

viii Reza Ghotbi (born 1317 – 1403 in the Iranian calendar, corresponding to 1938 - 2024 in the Gregorian calendar) was a mathematics professor at Arya Mehr University of Technology, a politician, and the head of Iran's National Television from 1963 to September 1978.

ix The Theatre Workshop (Kargah-e Namayesh) was a theatrical group established on June 3, 1969 (14 Khordad 1348 in the Iranian calendar). It was proposed by Reza Ghotbi, who wanted to create a free environment for theater and was founded with the collaboration of Iraj Anvar, Bijan Saffari, Bijan Mofid, Arby Ovanessian, Davoud Rashidi, and Abbas Nalbandian. The works written and performed by members of this workshop are considered the most important and influential pieces of modern and avant-garde theater in Iran.

x Espacementalism or Poetry of Volume (She'r-e Hajm) is a type of modern Persian poetry that officially declared its existence in 1967-1968 (1346-1347 in the Iranian calendar). Yadollah Royaei and several other poets, including Parviz Eslampour, wrote the Manifesto of Poetry of Volume during those years, which was first published in the literary magazine Baroo in 1969 (1348 in the Iranian calendar).

xi Shahnaz Sahebi (1325 - 1402 in the Iranian calendar, corresponding to 1946-2023 in the Gregorian calendar) was an actress in theater, cinema, and television, and a member of the Theatre Workshop.

xii Abbas Nalbandian (1949 –1989) was a writer, playwright, and translator. He did not have a formal academic education and learned theater and writing on his own. His avant-garde theatrical works garnered significant attention from many prominent figures in both Iranian and international theater circles, while also sparking considerable debate. After the Islamic Revolution in Iran, he was imprisoned and suffered greatly due to the physical and psychological torture he endured while incarcerated. Following his release, he became reclusive, and in 1989, he ended his life in poverty and solitude.

xiii Tamasha Magazine (No. 6, 1971).

xiv In an interview with Jam-e Jam newspaper (13 April 2004).

xv Unpublished manuscripts of Nasib Nasibi.

xvi Ali Farahmand’s interview with Shahnaz Sahebi and Niatus Nasibi (https://web.archive.org/web/20220825180603/https:/alifarahmand.com/nasib-nasibi).

xvii Hassan Bani-Hashemi, born in 1949, is considered one of the most important filmmakers of Cinema-ye Azad Movement. After the Islamic Revolution, he only made a nine-part television series called “The Distant Path of the Sea” in 1981 (originality filmed in 1978). He then emigrated to Dubai and was no longer able to make any films.

xviii Faramarz Moattar is one of the most obscure filmmakers in Iranian cinema. He has experimental films such as “Organic” and “The Book of Death” to his credit, but he completely abandoned filmmaking after the Islamic Revolution. There are almost no written sources about him, and no copies of his works are available. In a meeting I had with him, he mentioned that copies of all the films he made should be available in the Iranian television archives. Unfortunately, he is not very interested in talking about his filmmaking years.

xix Arby Ovanessian, born in 1941, is a film and theater director and a university professor. He was one of the founders and directors of the Theater Workshop. His most important work is the film Cheshme (The Spring, 1972). After the Islamic Revolution, he emigrated to France and did not make any more films.

xx The Shiraz Arts Festival was a festival of performing arts and music that took place annually from 1967 to 1977 at the end of each summer in the city of Shiraz and at Persepolis. The festival was organized under the supervision of Farah Pahlavi's office and managed by Farrokh Ghaffari. The film CHE HARASI DARAD ZOLMAT-HE ROOH! was screened during the sixth edition of the festival in 1972.

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