A Glance at First Cinemas in Tehran
Referring to the device in his memoirs, Mozaffaredin Shah said that it is a kind of instrument which projects images on the wall and which shows people moving.
The Iranian king ordered his entourage to buy the device, and at this moment the 100-year-old history of the Iranian cinema begins.
The cinematograph also attracted the royal family and Iranian aristocrats, and they started using it on different occasions.
One year later, the king ordered his cinematographer Mirza Ebrahim Khan to shoot a film of a mourning ceremony in Tehran's Sabzeh Meidan, and another film of a zoo in Farah-Abad. These were the first films made outside the royal court.
The first place outside the royal court where films were screened was on Cherahg-Barq Street in Tehran. This is where the first Iranian cinema was established.
Later, an immigrant from the Caucasus, Aqayof, set up another cinema on the same street. Then, Rousikhan, a well-known photographer, used a part of his photo studio for screening films.
Gradually, there were more cinemas in Tehran, most of them located on Lalezar and Ala'oddoleh streets. But they were different from modern cinemas.
In 1924, the first standard cinema, named Grand Cinema, was inaugurated in Grand Hotel. It was set up by Ali Vakili, who also established Sepah and Zohreh cinemas. The old buildings which housed these cinemas can still be seen in Tehran.
After World War II, the number of cinemas in Tehran increased considerably. Some 109 cinemas were set up in Tehran from 1936 to 1974.
Although cinema can be used to educate people, unfortunately, it is not always used for this purpose.
During the Pahlavi regime vulgar films were screened which caused righteous people to protest and attack cinemas during the time of the revolution.
Today, at a time when Iranian cinema is highly acclaimed throughout the world, we should support the committed filmmakers and call on officials to support film producers.