Once Upon a Time, Cinema

Friday, January 31, 2025

Special Events

  • Fri Jan 31 : 

    Q&A with actress Fatemah Motamed-Aria after the 6:45 p.m. show

    Buy Tickets

SHOWTIMES AT IFC CENTER

Restored Version!

Followed by a Q&A with actress Fatemah Motamed-Aria

A silent-era cinematographer living in the early 20th Century finds himself mysteriously transported back to a precinema time. Seized by guards and brought to the reigning Shah, the cinematographer introduces cinema to the leader who soon becomes entranced by the medium and enamoured with silent movie actor Golnar (Fatemah Motamed-Arya). Soon, the line between fantasy and reality becomes impossibly blurred.

Best Film – Karlovy vary Film Festival 1992
Best Director – Seattle International Film Festival 1994
Official Selection: Los Angeles Film Festival 1994, Locarno International Film Festival 1994.

Screening as part of Iranian Film Festival New York 2025

See more and save! Get an Iranian Film Fest New York 2025 Ticket Pack ($42 for IFC Center members and $53 for non-members). Ticket packs are good for any three shows in the festival.

  • Country Iran
  • Language Persian with English subtitles, English
  • Year 1992
  • Running Time 92 minutes
  • Format DCP
  • Director Mohsen Makhmalbaf
  • Cast Ezzatolah Entezami, Mehdi Hashemi, Mohamad Ali Keshavarz, Akbar Abdi, Dariush Arjmand
  • Accessibility Assistive Listening, T-Coil

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.