The first Iranian film festival, called Golrizan, took place from March 13 to March 19, 1955, at the Metropol Cinema in Tehran. But the story of this historic event goes deeper. In the months following the coup on August 19, 1953, Iran found itself in a state of turmoil. Many supporters of Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh were left disillusioned as they witnessed his trial, the arrest and execution of Dr. Fatemi, the shutdown of newspapers, and the oppressive rule of Mohammad Reza Shah and Fazlollah Zahedi.

Amid this political chaos, some journalists, especially those interested in cinema and intellectual culture, began using cultural events to shift the public mood. In the latter half of 1954, more than a year after the coup, their efforts started to take shape.

One major cultural milestone during this period was the establishment of the First Iranian Cinema Congress in March 1955, along with the Golrizan film festival. Held at the Metropol Cinema on Lalehzar Street, the festival awarded Payan-e Ranj-ha (End of Sorrows) as Best Film. Samuel Khachikian won Best Director for Chaharah-e Havades (Crossroads of Events), while Arman Hovsepian received the first-ever Best Actor award for Iranian cinema, and Hushang Beheshti was honored for his performance in Mahtab-e Khoonin (Bloody Moon). Mahin Deyhim earned Best Actress for Payan-e Ranj-ha, and Monir Tasleemi, who passed away in 1956, was also recognized for her role in Mahtab-e Khoonin.

The Golrizan festival marked an important moment in Iranian cinema, but to trace the roots of film festivals in Iran, we need to look back a few years to the work of Toghrol Afshar. Known as Iran’s first film critic, Afshar played a pivotal role in introducing the concept of film festivals to the country.

In 1950, when Iranian cinema was still in its infancy, Afshar organized a small festival featuring foreign films at the Crystal Cinema on Lalehzar Street. Over the years, despite the political upheaval, he continued hosting similar events. The fourth edition, held in July 1954, showcased films from nine countries and coincided with the launch of Payk-e Cinema (Cinema Post), a magazine Afshar edited.

Before Afshar’s initiatives, only a few foreign films—typically screened by embassies—had been shown in Iran. Afshar, born in 1933 and a nephew of the renowned poet Nima Yushij, began writing about cinema in 1950 when he was only 17 years old. In 1954, he published his first book, Dar Kaman-e Rangin-e Cinema (The Colorful Arc of Cinema), and briefly acted in the 1953 film Bi Panah (Helpless). However, he later expressed regret, saying, “I just wanted to understand the corruption behind the scenes.”

Afshar was also an advocate for thoughtful cinema. On November 7, 1953, he and fellow critic Hushang Kavusi signed a statement condemning the disruptive behavior of some audience members during the screening of Jean Renoir’s The River, which led to the film being pulled from theaters. Tragically, Afshar’s life was cut short when he drowned in the Caspian Sea near Babolsar on August 19, 1956, at just 23 years old. His gravestone bears the inscription: “Here lies Toghrol Afshar, the first cinema critic in Iran, whose noble and peaceful soul is now at rest.”