How Iran's 'filmfarsi' remains the biggest secret in cinema history

For many Iranians, the oft-forgotten films are a souvenir of a lost past, painting a picture of life before the 1979 revolution

Shortly after the 1979 Iranian revolution, the country's national newspapers published a joint subpoena, unique in film history. All the key stars of "filmfarsi" - a form of popular cinema that embodied the aspirations and illusions of a modernising society - were summoned to the revolutionary court. The careers of hundreds of actors and directors ended overnight. Unlike the Hollywood blacklisting of the McCarthy era, there was not even the opportunity for a mock hearing. The cinema, seen as emblematic of corruption, "westoxification" and the decadence of the ousted Pahlavi regime, was consigned to oblivion.

Related: Sex, violence and lots of dancing - the soundtrack to Iran pre 1979