Iranian Cinema and Philosophy

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xii

   PDF

2. Introduction

   • Farhang Erfani

   Pages 1-12

3. How Orphans Believe

   • Farhang Erfani

   Pages 13-37

4. “What Are Filmmakers for in Needy Times?”

   • Farhang Erfani

   Pages 39-67

5. Committed Perception

   • Farhang Erfani

   Pages 69-86

6. Regarding You

   • Farhang Erfani

   Pages 87-114

7. Stolen Jouissance

   • Farhang Erfani

   Pages 115-155

8. Deafening Silence

   • Farhang Erfani

   Pages 157-192

9. Back Matter

   Pages 193-230

   PDF

In film studies, Iranian films are kept at a distance, as 'other,' different, and exotic. In reponse, this book takes these films as philosophically relevant and innovative. Each chapter of this book is devoted to analyzing a single film, and each chapter focuses on one philosopher and one particular aesthetic question.

• cinema
• color
• ethics
• film
• Gilles Deleuze
• Jacques Lacan
• Martin Heidegger
• Maurice Merleau-Ponty
• perception
• philosophy
• politics
• truth

'A fascinating piece of work which brings the insights of Continental philosophy to bear on Iranian cinema and perhaps more importantly brings Iranian cinema to bear on those insights.' - Simon Critchley, Hans Jonas Professor of Philosophy, New School for Social Research

'Erfani's important and informative book makes a stunning contribution to the relatively new field of film and philosophy. In it, Iranian cinema and western philosophy peer into each other like facing mirrors, finding there both confirmation and disorientation. Lucid and sophisticated, this work will have wide appeal to those interested in cinema and contemporary theory.' - Joan Copjec, professor of English, Comparative Literature, and Media Study, University at Buffalo

FARHANG ERFANI Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the American University, USA, and a research associate at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in South Africa.

Policies and ethics