AVINIÕS CITY: SHAHRI DAR AASEMAAN
A Thesis
Presented to
The Faculty of the Department of TV,
Radio, Film and Theatre Department
San Josˇ State University
In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree
Master of Arts
by
Mehrzad Karimabadi
December 2009
ABSTRACT
This thesis examines the documentary Shahri dar Aasemaan (i.e. A City in the Sky) by the late filmmaker Sayyed Morteza AviniÕs
in order to establish its key elements and argue for Avini as an auteur with a
unique cinematic style that includes strong personal and ideological ties. Shahri dar Aasemaan, which was AviniÕs last documentary,
covers the initial forty-five-day battle leading to the Iraqi occupation of the
Iranian city of Khorramshahr when the Iran-Iraq war broke out in October of
1980. In order to better
comprehend Avini as an auteur and his work, this study begins with a brief
introduction to AviniÕs biography and the history of the Iran-Iraq war. The following chapter is a comparison
to The War, a documentary in seven episodes by
American director Ken Burns in 2007 about the Second World War. The purpose of this comparison is to
discuss Shahri dar Aasemaan in the context of another film that has documented a war at
length rather than in isolation, a type of analysis that has not yet been
conducted either inside or outside of Iranian borders about AviniÕs films. The focus of the thesisÕ remaining chapters
is on Shahri dar Aasemaan as both artistic and cultural artifact. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I
want to acknowledge the following for this thesis:
My
parents, my pillars of life: Pedar, only if you could stay with me just a
little longer. I am not far from
where you are, look down from heaven and see this. Madar, this would not happen without your unconditional love
and your gift of strength, I am forever blessed.
My
sisters, my best friends: Shahrzad, thank you for sending me wisdom through
telepathy! We are indeed Yin-Yang. Nikzad, thank you for the long,
sleepless nights you endured for editing just as I was writing. Our geographical distance cannot keep us
apart.
My
brothers, ties beyond blood: Alireza, your kindness was a complement to
ShahrzadÕs support during this process. Mohammad Hossein, you not only helped with the resources, but
also encouraged Nikzad to continue the editing process despite the hardships.
My
niece: Shireen, bundle of happiness, you added warmth to my moments throughout.
My
first Advisor, Dr. Alison McKee: your guidance and continuous support through
this process was a graduate studentÕs dream. If it was not because of the long hours you spent with me on
this project, I would have been still wondering in unknown territories.
My
committee members, Dr. David Kahn: Thank you for accepting a photographer in
the graduate program, helping her turn into one who can use words as much as images. My
first scholar-friend, Dr. Jonathan Brennan: You are truly an inspiration. Thank
you for giving your invaluable feedback on this despite your numerous responsibilities.
My
resource hunters in Iran: Nikzad, Mohammad Hossein, Hamid and the team, thank
you for spending days hunting for out of prints, last copies, and personal
copies from publications, organizations and beyond.
And
last but not least: My friends and relatives, large in number, true in heart,
some here and others scattered around the world. Thank you for your gift of love especially during the time of
writing this thesis.
Table of Contents
1.
Introduction 1
2.
Why They Fought 12
3.
Avini as Documentarist 31
4.
Avini as Auteur 52
5.
Conclusion 61
6.
Work Cited 66
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