Hamed Soleimanzadeh, an active and influential film critic, filmmaker, and university lecturer in Germany and Italy, holds a postdoctoral degree in Film and Philosophy from the Berlin University of the Arts.
To date, Soleimanzadeh has served as a juror at more than fifty prestigious international film festivals, including the Golden Globes, Cannes, the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale), and the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. He is recognized as one of the most respected Iranian cultural and artistic figures working internationally.
He has also directed several short films and published several books, along with hundreds of articles on cinema, philosophy, theatre, culture, and the media. In addition, he serves as the Secretary of the Koker International Short Film Festival and is a member of the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI).
We had an engaging and insightful conversation with him about his wide-ranging activities and the reputation he has earned through years of dedication and hard work in the arts.
Cinema Without Borders: When did you first feel that you were interested in cinema? What is the first film you remember watching?
Hamed Soleimanzadeh: First of all, I would like to thank you, dear Bijan, for providing me with this opportunity to talk. Your question is a very good one, as it takes me back to my childhood and teenage years. Apart from the usual films that children of my generation used to watch on television and in cinemas at that time, I have a very special memory from those days.
When I was about twelve years old, on a Friday morning—our official day off—my father woke me up and asked me to go to the cinema with him. I was surprised and wanted to keep sleeping! But eventually, I went with him to Ghods Cinema in Mashhad, my hometown—a cinema that unfortunately no longer exists today. From my father’s explanation, I understood that the film The Cow (Gav), the valuable and classic work by Dariush Mehrjui, was being shown again in a special one-off screening.
I remember that there were only about four people in the cinema hall: two soldiers who were asleep for almost the entire duration of the film, and a young couple who were more absorbed in their own world and paid little attention to the screen. The only different element I remember from that screening was my father’s face while watching the film, completely absorbed in it.
Obviously, at that age I did not understand anything from the film—I cannot even claim that I fully understand The Cow today after watching it several times. I could not connect with the philosophical world of the film, nor grasp its intellectual depth. After the screening, I asked my father why he had brought me to see this film. He said, “You will understand later!” Or maybe he just didn’t want to go to the cinema alone—I don’t know.
In any case, when I think back to that moment today, I realize that the first seed of my interest in artistic, philosophical, minimalist, and ontological cinema was planted on that very day.
A few years later, I attended filmmaking courses at the Iranian Youth Cinema Society in Mashhad, an important institution with branches in many cities across the country. Around that time, I started making experimental short films and formally entered the world of cinema.
During those years, I became familiar with the works of filmmakers such as Tarkovsky, Kieślowski, Bergman, Ozu, Kurosawa, and Angelopoulos, whose works had a profound influence on me. Ultimately, I must say that my father played a very important role in shaping this interest in me. He is not a filmmaker, but he is deeply passionate about cinema and has many memories of watching films.
Cinema Without Borders: When did you start writing about cinema?
Hamed Soleimanzadeh: Before attending filmmaking courses, I took an acting course at the Moje-No Institute in Mashhad because I had a strong interest in becoming an actor—an interest that still remains with me today, although less intensely.
My instructor at that time, the late Reza Kamal Alavi, asked us one day to perform some acting études. He gave us several prepared texts. I read them, but I didn’t like any of them. I decided to prepare my own text for the exercise. When he saw my performance, he asked, “Did you write this text yourself?” and I confirmed that I had. After that, he encouraged me to take writing courses, which eventually led me to the Iranian Youth Cinema Society in Mashhad.
During that period, I was writing short screenplays as well as analytical notes and small essays about the short and feature films and theater performances I was watching. My first writings were published in local newspapers and magazines in Mashhad. I believe it was during that time that I realized writing was going to become one of the most important parts of my life.
I should also mention that, while I was attending writing and filmmaking courses, I was simultaneously appointed as the head of the library at the Mashhad branch of the Iranian Youth Cinema Society. Reading extensively during that period greatly contributed to the development of my writing.
Cinema Without Borders: Which Iranian writers and critics had the greatest influence on you in those years, especially in the field of film criticism?
Hamed Soleimanzadeh: I used to read a great deal of Persian literature and poetry, and I still do. Among the writers who had a profound impact on my way of thinking, I can mention Sadegh Hedayat, Houshang Golshiri, Sadegh Choubak, Ahmad Mahmoud, Gholamhossein Saedi, Samad Behrangi, Reza Baraheni, and several others.
Among non-Iranian writers, I should also mention Kafka, Dostoevsky, Gorky, James Joyce, Camus, Beckett, Pinter, Hemingway, Faulkner, Nabokov, and others. In poetry, I followed the works of Nima Yushij, Ahmad Shamlou, Forough Farrokhzad, Sohrab Sepehri, Akhavan Sales, Shafiei Kadkani, Manouchehr Atashi, and others with great interest.
In the field of film criticism in Iran, the first person who had a deep influence on me was Parviz Davaei. His writing style, simple yet poetic tone, and analytical approach were very impressive to me. Alongside him, I closely followed the writings of Houshang Golmakani and contributors to Film Magazine.
Cinema Without Borders: Abbas Yari?
Hamed Soleimanzadeh: Yes, of course—Abbas Yari, Massoud Mehrabi, and later Babak Ahmadi (and his books and writings on cinema), Morad Farhadpour, Majid Eslami, Saleh Najafi, and others are writers whose works I have always followed. I believe their writings, each with a distinct approach, are more serious than many others. However, without a doubt, the first person who influenced me was Parviz Davaei.
I should also mention that the programs Cinema Mavara and Cinema Chahar, which broadcast a selection of philosophical and classic films on television and included critical analysis segments, were very inspiring for me. I fondly remember the late Akbar Aalami.
Hamed Soleimanzadeh: If I remember correctly, I was about fifteen or sixteen years old, coinciding with the Fajr Film Festival. At that time, some of the festival films were also screened simultaneously in Mashhad, and I wrote about Slalade Fasl (Season Salad) by Fereydoun Jeyrani, which is considered a mainstream commercial film. That text was published in a local bulletin, and I received very positive feedback for it.
Cinema Without Borders: Did you continue writing as a film critic after that?
Hamed Soleimanzadeh: Yes. It is quite natural that when you write something and receive positive feedback, you are encouraged to continue. In the early years of my activity as a film critic, I mostly wrote about short films, as there were many publications and bulletins released alongside the Tehran International Short Film Festival, which provided a suitable space for my writings.
At that time, while Film Magazine was being managed by figures such as Golmakani and Yari, I sent a few articles to them, but they were not published. Perhaps it was because of my young age or for other reasons—I don’t know.
Later on, I worked with many newspapers, magazines, journals, and websites in Iran, and I generally received good feedback, which encouraged me to continue on this path.
Cinema Without Borders: When did you leave Iran?
Hamed Soleimanzadeh: About four years and eight months ago. However, even before that, over a period of about ten years, I traveled extensively to different countries to attend film festivals. My actual migration and permanent residence in Berlin began roughly four years ago.
Cinema Without Borders: When you were in Iran, there was a period when Alfred Hitchcock was extremely popular among cinephiles and critics. Parviz Davaei—who is a very close friend of mine—was among those who wrote passionately about his films. What is your relationship with Hitchcock’s cinema? Have you written anything about his work?
Hamed Soleimanzadeh: I like Hitchcock and his cinema, but mainly as one of the most important figures in the history of cinema. He is not among my top-tier favorite filmmakers.
I admire his work and fully recognize his historical and artistic significance, but his cinematic world differs from my personal taste. I am more interested in poetic, philosophical, experimental, and, in a word, contemplative cinema. This is why I have never written a serious article about his films.
However, during my undergraduate and graduate studies, I did give two presentations on his films—Vertigo and Rope. What fascinated me most in these works was their mise-en-scène, visual atmosphere, and cinematography. I still believe that the set design in Hitchcock’s films is one of the most brilliant yet under-discussed aspects of his cinema.
Cinema Without Borders: If you had to name only one film from world cinema that has had the greatest impact on you, which film would it be?
Hamed Soleimanzadeh: Usually, for a film critic, choosing just one film is very difficult, but for me the answer to this question is completely clear: The Sacrifice by the unforgettable Andrei Tarkovsky. I remember watching this film for the first time without subtitles—I was only following the images. It was a strange experience, something that is still difficult for me to describe. It created a kind of intensity and spiritual ecstasy that changed my life—at least from a cinematic perspective—especially the final sequence of the film.
I love all of Tarkovsky’s works, but The Sacrifice has always held a special place for me, both because of its worldview, its tribute to Bergman, and perhaps also because it feels like his final testament as a filmmaker.
Cinema Without Borders: It has long been said that Iranian cinema changed after Qeysar by Masoud Kimiai, and then The Cow further solidified this transformation. However, there have been many differing opinions on this matter. Critics such as the late Houshang Kavousi did not view Qeysar positively, while Parviz Davaei considered it a rupture from the commercial “Film Farsi” tradition. What is your view?
Hamed Soleimanzadeh: To be honest, I have never been a strong admirer of Masoud Kimiai’s cinema. If we specifically talk about Qeysar and its place in the formation of the Iranian New Wave, I do not fully agree with that interpretation.
In my view, many elements of the commercial “Film Farsi” cinema of that time are still strongly present in this film, although in a more stylized and sophisticated form.
I know that critics such as Parviz Davaei and many others consider Qeysar a turning point in Iranian cinema history, but personally I have never been able to accept why this film should be placed alongside works such as Mehrjui’s The Cow or Nasser Taghvai’s Peace in the Presence of Others as a starting point of the Iranian New Wave.
Of course, I respect Masoud Kimiai, especially for two things: first, for inviting Abbas Kiarostami to design the title sequences of some of his films, and second, for making Sorb (Lead), which I personally like very much.
Overall, I should say that he is not among my favorite filmmakers, and I fundamentally do not agree with critics who overly idealize his body of work.
Cinema Without Borders: After leaving Iran, how did your professional work and activities change? Starting over in another country, especially in the West, is usually not easy. How were you able to continue writing?
Hamed Soleimanzadeh: Without a doubt, starting over is very difficult, but at the same time, I had prepared myself for it. Before emigrating, I completed my PhD at the Nazar Research Center in Tehran, and during those years I wrote numerous academic articles for peer-reviewed and reputable international journals in English. Several of my articles were also translated into other languages such as Spanish, French, Arabic, and Dutch.
This academic experience taught me how to pursue research and writing in an international context in a structured and thoughtful way. Later, I completed my postdoctoral studies in film and philosophy at the Berlin University of the Arts (UdK). Naturally, a significant part of my work during that period was also dedicated to writing, publishing articles, and producing critical and analytical texts.
My dissertation focused on the concept of the movement-image of the path as a philosophical sign in the cinema of Kiarostami, based on the philosophy of Gilles Deleuze. I extracted several articles from this research, all of which were published in various journals across the United States, France, the Netherlands, and Germany.
Of course, I must emphasize that this path was by no means easy. It required constant, around-the-clock work. When I was in Iran, many magazines and journals invited me to write for them, but I am not a daily writer. For me, the creative process of writing begins only when a work truly shakes me—like a shock. Then, to borrow Goethe’s expression, one must “sweat the soul” in order to understand the work through writing. In any case, writing continues.
Cinema Without Borders: After settling in Germany, were you able to publish your works?
Hamed Soleimanzadeh: Yes, fortunately, this became even more possible than before. For any writer, it is important that their work is seen and reaches an audience. When you see that your texts are published and read, you gain more motivation to continue. That was also the case for me.
Cinema Without Borders: How did you become a member of FIPRESCI? In my opinion, this organization is one of the most important associations of film critics in the world. From your perspective, what is the significance of being a member?
Hamed Soleimanzadeh: In 2019, while I was in Russia as a jury member at a festival, I met Katharina Dockhorn, a German member of FIPRESCI, who was also serving as a juror in one of the sections. We spoke about FIPRESCI, as I had long known it as the oldest and most prestigious international federation of film critics, and I was well aware of its position in the world of cinema.
She told me that the number of Iranian members in FIPRESCI was very small and suggested that I apply. I then compiled a selection of my critical writings in both Persian and English, along with an application letter, and sent them to the FIPRESCI board.
The evaluation process took about three to four months, after which my application was accepted. At that time, Klaus Eder, the prominent German film critic and journalist, was the president of FIPRESCI. In this way, I officially became a member in 2020.
My first experiences as a FIPRESCI jury member coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, so I participated in several festivals online. This was a valuable opportunity for me to establish myself as an active member.
In my view, FIPRESCI remains one of the most prestigious film criticism institutions in the world. In many countries in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, the Arab world, and Latin America, receiving a FIPRESCI prize is considered equivalent in importance to the main competition awards. Many filmmakers who have received this award speak of it with great respect.
One of the main reasons I respect FIPRESCI is its strong focus on promoting artistic, independent, and auteur cinema. This orientation is clearly visible in many of its selections. Naturally, I do not agree with all of its choices and sometimes have differences with certain selections, but overall, I am largely in harmony with a significant portion of the awarded films, as they represent values that are fundamentally important to me.
Cinema Without Borders: As a film critic, how do you evaluate Iranian cinema in recent years? Alongside filmmakers such as Asghar Farhadi who remain active, a new generation of directors has also emerged. What is your view on this trend?
Hamed Soleimanzadeh: In my opinion, Iranian cinema today benefits from the presence of many highly talented young filmmakers and writers. The image that many cinephiles, critics, and international media have long had of Iranian cinema has mostly been limited to names such as Abbas Kiarostami, Jafar Panahi, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Sohrab Shahid Saless, or Asghar Farhadi. However, today there is another generation with its own approach, motivation, and aesthetics.
Filmmakers such as Shahram Mokri, Saeed Roustayi, Behtash Sanaeeha, Maryam Moghaddam, Mani Haghighi, Majid Barzegar, Nima Javidi, Hooman Seyyedi, and others have each presented their own cinematic worlds in different ways, introducing global audiences to new aspects of Iranian society and culture.
However, in recent years—especially after the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement—a certain trend of filmmaking has emerged that, although courageous and politically bold and often pursuing democratic aims, is more supported for its political stance and slogan-like expression than for its cinematic values. I fundamentally disagree with this type of cinema.
For me, cinema must go beyond and remain independent of any manifesto, especially political ones. I have been shaped by philosophical and artistic cinema, where I learned that asking questions is more important than giving answers. Therefore, if a film merely carries a clear political message and is valued only for that reason rather than its cinematic qualities, it is not sufficient for me. I expect much more from cinema.
Cinema must, alongside any political or social position, also possess artistic, aesthetic, and intellectual value. Of course, I am not opposed to purely political cinema—such as Third Cinema or “cinema as a weapon” in the 1960s and 1970s, or certain works of the French New Wave.
Cinema Without Borders: Some Iranian films in recent years have attracted attention in the West more for their political positions than for their cinematic qualities. But let us talk about Asghar Farhadi. What is your view of his cinema?
Hamed Soleimanzadeh: I like Farhadi’s films, especially About Elly and A Separation. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend the Cannes Film Festival this year, so I have not yet had the chance to watch his latest film, but I followed the reactions, many of which were not particularly positive.
In my opinion, Farhadi is a relatively conservative filmmaker. He achieved success through a specific narrative style—stories based on moral dilemmas, hidden truths, and the use of absence as one of the key elements of drama. He is an intelligent filmmaker and highly skilled from a technical perspective.
However, if we follow common categorizations, if Abbas Kiarostami is a filmmaker of style and authorship, then Asghar Farhadi is more of a method-driven filmmaker and an excellent technician. He understands mise-en-scène, knows how to work with actors, and is familiar with atmosphere-building. However, he sometimes repeats himself.
The difference between Kiarostami and Farhadi lies in the question of self-challenge. Kiarostami embraced the risk of constant experimentation. Alongside his feature films, he made short films, directed opera, worked in installation art, and continued experimenting until his final work 24 Frames. Each time, he opened a new window onto his cinematic world and, to borrow Marcel Duchamp’s idea, opened a window toward something else.
Farhadi’s cinema, however, is generally predictable—not in terms of visual style, but in narrative structure and his dramatic approach to surrounding realities. Despite this, he remains a very intelligent and respectable filmmaker.
Cinema Without Borders: What is your opinion on Saeed Roustayi?
Hamed Soleimanzadeh: I see Saeed Roustayi, to some extent, within the same framework I described regarding Farhadi, although on a different qualitative level. I saw his latest film Woman and Child at Cannes and did not like it at all. Leila’s Brothers is also not a film I appreciate. However, I very much liked Just 6.5, especially its opening sequence, which in terms of design and visual energy is reminiscent of City of God. His first feature, Life and a Day, was also a very successful film.
I believe that despite his strong talent, Roustayi has lost some of the freshness and quality of his first two films in his more recent works.
Cinema Without Borders: How do you evaluate Oktay Baraheni and his film The Old Bachelor (Pir Pesar)?
Hamed Soleimanzadeh: I believe that from the perspective of experimentation within narrative cinema, he is one of the successful filmmakers. The courage in narration and direction in The old bachelor was interesting to me.
Alongside him, we should also mention the capable duo Behtash Sanaeeha and Maryam Moghadam. The film My Favourite Cake, which I saw for the first time at Berlinale, is a very respectable film—poetic, ironic, and at the same time bold and critical, without falling into sentimental or slogan-driven emotionalism.
Their other films such as Ballad of a White Cow and Risk of Acid Rain are also very solid works.
Cinema Without Borders: What is your opinion on Rakhshan Bani-Etemad? Have you followed her works?
Hamed Soleimanzadeh: Yes, I have seen all of her films. Bani-Etemad is one of the most important female directors in Iranian cinema. Her cinema is almost consistently engaged with social representation, moral crises, women’s conditions, and the lower classes.
In my opinion, Nargess, The Blue-Veiled, Under the Skin of the City, and Tales are among her best films. I particularly like Tales. Its episodic structure and departure from single-narrative storytelling create a unique social mosaic. Her depiction of femininity is subtle, non-didactic, and believable.
Unfortunately, I feel she has not received the international recognition she deserves. I have often thought that I should write more about her work and introduce it more widely to international audiences.
The same applies, at another level, to Mohammad Reza Aslani. When Chess of the Wind was rediscovered and seen internationally, only then did people realize the presence of such an avant-garde and poetic filmmaker in Iran.
Or even Sohrab Shahid Saless. My doctoral dissertation, titled ACinema in Iran and Sohrab Shahid Saless, was later published by the University of Tehran. In that book, I proposed that his films can be considered serious case studies of “Acinema”—a philosophical term defined by Jean-François Lyotard—a form of cinema that revolts against itself and breaks conventional aesthetic and economic structures of production and circulation.
He made several films in Germany as well, but still has not been properly recognized by Western audiences. In any case, we need to pay much more attention to these important figures in the history of Iranian cinema.
Cinema Without Borders: Among Iranian female filmmakers, Tahmineh Milani also holds a special position. How do you evaluate her works?
Hamed Soleimanzadeh: Milani is not among my favorite filmmakers. There are several reasons for this, the most important being my disagreement with her interpretation of feminism. I do not understand feminism in the same way she does in her cinema. From my readings, I have reached different conclusions about feminism. Her direct, explicit, slogan-like, and dialogue-heavy narratives are not to my taste. Perhaps her best film is The Hidden Half.
Cinema Without Borders: Today, many Iranian actors are internationally recognized; from Golshifteh Farahani and Leila Hatami to other actors of the younger generation. How do you assess the state of acting in Iranian cinema?
Hamed Soleimanzadeh: In my opinion, Iranian cinema has experienced significant growth in acting in recent years. However, due to recent developments, many actors have left the country. As far as I know, Niki Karimi is in London, Leila Hatami no longer lives in Iran, and Golshifteh Farahani left Iran many years ago. Essentially, three major stars from three different eras of Iranian cinema are now living abroad. Some others who remain inside the country are no longer active.
To return to your question, if I am to be realistic, I must say that talent alone does not guarantee international success. Our emigrant actors, even if they are fluent in language, still have limited opportunities. Those who do not speak the language obviously work mainly on Persian-language projects and with Iranian filmmakers. Golshifteh Farahani is an exception—she speaks several languages, has professional representation in Europe, and has therefore created more opportunities for herself. This does not apply to others. I think Leila Hatami also has similar potential, but perhaps she does not choose to pursue this path.
Inside Iran as well, very talented actors have emerged in recent years—not only well-known names such as Amir Jadidi, but also a less recognized yet highly capable and dedicated generation such as Iman Sayad Borhani, who has acted in films by Mokri, Farshbaf, and Lakzadeh.
Cinema Without Borders: What is your opinion on Shahab Hosseini?
Hamed Soleimanzadeh: Shahab Hosseini’s career has had many ups and downs. At certain periods he has shone brilliantly, such as during his collaborations with Farhadi in About Elly, A Separation, and The Salesman. At other times, he has become involved in controversies and, by taking contradictory positions, has moved away from a consistent professional trajectory. Nevertheless, he is undoubtedly a powerful actor.
If you ask me who my favorite Iranian actor of all time is, I would name Mohammad Ali Keshavarz. For me, he represents a complete model of acting. The wide range of roles he performed, as well as his collaborative spirit with different directors, have always kept him vivid and inspiring in my mind.
Among younger generations and female actors, Hedieh Tehrani is highly admirable to me. She possesses consistent intelligence and has always made thoughtful decisions regarding her professional path. Her choices, not only in acting but also in parallel aspects of her career, reflect her intellectual capacity.
Ultimately, I see Iranian acting as an evolving and improving field, and I am very optimistic about its future.
