Masterpieces of the Iranian New Wave, Part II at the Barbican, London

Secrets of the Jinn Valley Treasure

Following the Barbican Centre’s sell-out programme Masterpieces of the Iranian New Wave in February 2025, the second part will present an even richer array of rare cinematic gems, many of them never before seen in the UK.

Featuring numerous new restorations, this expanded foray into the classics of Iranian cinema that first brought worldwide admiration to the nation’s film culture will include the world premiere of the newly restored director’s-cut version of Ebrahim Golestan’s satirical film Secrets of the Jinn Valley Treasure. Starring Parviz Sayyad, Mary Apick, and Shahnaz Tehrani, this long-unseen version has been restored by Cineteca di Bologna in partnership with the Iran Heritage Foundation.

The programme also includes three other short films by Ebrahim Golestan, among them The Hills of Marlik, which documents 3,000-year-old artefacts discovered during an archaeological excavation in northern Iran, and A Fire, a dazzling account of the extinguishing of an oil-well blaze in Ahvaz, masterfully edited by Forough Farrokhzad.

Farrokhzad also appears – in her only acting role – in Golestan’s third short in the programme, Courtship.

Another highlight is the late Dariush Mehrjui’s international hit Postchi, which will be screened for the first time in the UK in a brand-new restoration courtesy of Martin Scorsese’s Film Foundation and Cineteca di Bologna.

Further highlights include Bahram Beyzaie’s The Ballad of Tara, featuring Susan Taslimi in one of her greatest performances, and Masoud Kimiai’s cult classic The Deer, with Behrouz Vosoughi in his most memorable screen role. The Deer will be screened with both the censor-imposed ending and the original ending.

Among the major stars of pre-revolutionary Iranian cinema, Forouzan and Nasser Malek-Motie shine in Dancer of the City, one of the finest examples of Iranian popular cinema. From Shahla Riahi – the first woman director in Iranian cinema – the only surviving fragment of her 1956 film Marjan will be screened. Riahi also appears in the work of the master of Iranian comedy, Nosrat Karimi, in The Carriage Driver.

While the selection features a long list of remarkable filmmakers, including Abbas Kiarostami and Kamran Shirdel, the films collectively reveal an extraordinary stylistic and tonal range: from heavily allegorical dramas to satirical comedies, and from poetic documentaries to militant crime films.

The series will run at Barbican Cinema 1 from 4th February until the end of the month. Booking is open here.