TEHRAN – Thirty-one film reels from Iran’s Qajar era recently uncovered at the UNESCO-listed Golestan Palace in downtown Tehran are undergoing preparation and decoding before being put on public display, palace officials said on Monday.

Afarin Emami, director of the Golestan Palace World Heritage complex, said the films were identified during a periodic inventory of the palace archives. "During the latest protective and informational organization, Seyyed Reza Rezaei Amin discovered that some of the 189 raw films from the Qajar period contain visual content," Emami said.

Following this finding, a re-examination confirmed that 31 reels, 28 of 35mm and three of 16mm, contain visual material, Emami added.

While specialists have not yet conducted a detailed analysis of the films’ content, an initial review suggests some may contain images from the Qajar period, potentially adding new historical information, Emami said. “However, the precise content and titles have not yet been thoroughly studied.”

Emami noted that plans are underway for a meeting with the General Directorate of Museums to decide on the experts and institutions, such as the National Film Center or reputable centers, that will assist in decoding the films. “We aim to use available domestic capacities for extracting the content,” he said.

Regarding public access, Emami said that once the films are fully analyzed, they will be presented in a formal unveiling event at Golestan Palace, inviting experts, researchers, and the public. A suitable platform for releasing the films, coordinated with other related bodies, will be arranged.

The timeline for the expert review process has yet to be determined.
    
Years ago, 38 reels from the Qajar period were identified in the palace’s album house. These were sent to the French National Centre of Cinema (CNC) in France during the late Professor Shahryar Adl’s tenure, resulting in the extraction of 59 minutes of footage. Moreover, another 22 reels were found in 2010, Emami said.

Films restored and extracted under Professor Adl’s direction and sent to Germany have since been returned to Iran and are now stored under standard conditions at the Golestan Palace archive.

Emami explained that researchers requesting access to these archival films have been provided with digital copies on compact discs during past viewings held at the palace.

Golestan Palace, located in central Tehran, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its historic palaces, museums, and extensive archives from the Qajar dynasty era.
AM