The Joy Of Cinema

Living in Tehran, I had almost forgotten about the taste of watching a movie on the big screen. I had forgotten about the act of walking into the theater room, the joy of sitting in the dark and hear others laughter and sighs. All those beautiful tiny details you can only notice on a wide screen, I've been missed them all.

Not that we don't have theaters back there, but me and my generation, almost gave up on cinema after some religious hard-liners took over it. Strict censorship didn't allow most of the great Iranian talents to screen their films. Just like the Eastern bloc. The only movies were allowed, were the ones which reflected the propaganda needs of the government. Therefore like any other generation, we found a replacement: The Underground film club.

Every week we were gathering at this big house of my friend and by using a projector and some dvd player, we were merged in the beauty of cinema by watching the worlds true artists as well as Iranian talents on our little screen.We were watching Godard, Taviani Brothers, Bergman, Alain Resnais and so many others.

While we had been banned of watching any American or European cinema, almost everyone who walked in the streets of Tehran, had access to all genres of movies, from Hollywood and Bollywood to the European cinema for only $1!

Now being away from my city and my friends, I enjoy the movies in real screen. I can not say that the experience is the same. I miss my film club days, when I knew I was sharing something valuable with my friends and it was always the fear of some military breaking to the house or some neighbors reports us as we watched "The lives of others" * in the dark.

*Directed by

Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck		a movie about the East Germany secret Police hearing all the secrets.