History of Film Still Photography in Iranian Cinema from 1900 to 1948

Mohsen Marasy | Amin Alikordi

---

URL :   http://research.shahed.ac.ir/WSR/WebPages/Report/PaperView.aspx?PaperID=159545
Date :  2022/06/04
Publish in :    Xian Jianzhu Keji Daxue Xuebao/Journal of Xian University of Architecture & Technology

Link :  http://www.xajzkjdx.cn/Current-Issue/
Keywords :Photograph, Film Still Photography, Iranian Cinema, Film Titling

Abstract :

---

Abstract- MirzaEbrahim Khan Akasbashi purchased the first cinematograph unit by order of Mozaffar al-Din Shah on his first trip to Europe, and in the summer of 1900, the first moving images in the history of Iranian cinema were recorded from a flower festival. The court held the monopoly of the cinematograph unit and film screening for a long time. For this reason, cinema and related professions such as film still photography, which played a major role in promoting films and advertising for audiences, remained silent until the creation of the first silent film in 1930. The present study examines the important role of photography in film advertising and its impact on the audience, concerning visual and written sources with a descriptive-analytical approach. As there are no written sources that have been collected about film still photography in Iranian cinema; the main purpose of this study is to identify the beginning and history of the film still photography in Iranian cinema. The results and achievements of this study show that the first behind-the-scenes photographs taken by MirzaEbrahim Khan Akasbashi while shooting 30 film pieces of Mozaffar al-Din Shah during the years 1900 to 1902 are considered the first-ever film stills in the history of Iranian cinema.