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The Glass Agency

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The Glass Agency
International poster
Directed byEbrahim Hatamikia
Written byEbrahim Hatamikia
Produced byVarahonar
Farabi Cinema Foundation
StarringParviz Parastui
Reza Kianian
Habib Rezaei
Bita Badran
CinematographyAziz Saati
Edited byHayedeh Safiyari
Music byMajid Entezami
Release dates
  • 1 February 1998 (1998-02-01) (Fajr)
  • 8 July 1998 (1998-07-08) (Iran)
  • 19 February 1999 (1999-02-19) (BIFF)
Running time
114 minutes
CountryIran
LanguagePersian

The Glass Agency (Persian: آژانس شیشه‌ای) is a 1998 Iranian drama film written and directed by Ebrahim Hatamikia.[1] It is one of Hatamikia's most successful works and one of the most popular and controversial films of post-revolutionary Iranian cinema.[2]

One of the many Hatamikia films of the Sacred Defense cinema genre, The Glass Agency focuses on the Iran–Iraq War's impact on various aspects of Iranian society. The Glass Agency is set in a travel agency where an armed veteran takes hostages after failing to raise enough money for his injured comrade to travel abroad for medical treatment. The film candidly reveals some of the major fault lines in Iranian society today. With its complex message of sympathy for the veterans and criticism of those who exploit their status for political purposes, the film has won praise from conservatives and reformists alike.[3]

Plot

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Two veterans of the Iran-Iraq war, Abbas and his wartime commander Kazem are the main protagonists of the film. Abbas comes to Tehran to seek medical treatment for a war injury. Kazem wants to help Abbas as the doctor recommends that he should go abroad for the operation. However, it is almost New Year's Eve, and arranging a flight becomes difficult. Kazem is suffering from hegemony which is seen in the postwar society. The problems they encounter make Kazem lose his temper, and he ends up taking a whole travel agency hostage.[4]

Cast

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  • Parviz Parastui as Haj Kazem
  • Reza Kianian as Salahshoor
  • Habib Rezaei as Abbas Heydari
  • Bita Badran as Narges
  • Asghar Naghizadeh as Asghar
  • Ghasem Zareh as Ahmad Kuhi
  • Behrouz Shoeibi as Salam
  • Farshid Zarei Fard as Agency Manager
  • Majid Moshiri
  • Ezzatollah Mehravaran
  • Nasrin Nakisa
  • Mehrdad Falahatgar
  • Mohammad Hatami
  • Sadegh Safai

Reception

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Accolades

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At the 16th Fajr International Film Festival, The film won both Best Film and Audience Choice of Best Film, making it the first film in The history of cinema of Iran to win the latter. The Glass Agency also won nine Crystal Simorgh awards and a Diploma Honorary including:

and It was nominated in four other categories including:

  • Best Cinematography (Aziz Saati)
  • Best Sound Editing (Mohsen Roshan)
  • Best Makeup (Mehrdad Mirkyani)
  • Best Production Design (Hamidreza Charkchyan)

References

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  1. ^ Vara Honar Film Company - The Glass Agency
  2. ^ Naficy, Hamid (2012). A Social History of Iranian Cinema, Volume 4: The Globalizing Era, 1984–2010. Durham: Duke University Press. p. 28. ISBN 9780822348665.
  3. ^ York, Geoffrey (13 March 1998). "Iranian film a symbol of cultural thawing". The Globe and Mail. p. 7. ProQuest 384708229
  4. ^ Entry in New York Times Movie Section - The New York Times

Further reading

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  • Rastegar, Kamran (2010). "The Glass Agency: Iranian War Veterans as Heroes or Traitors?". In Thiranagama, Sharika; Kelly, Tobias (eds.). Traitors: Suspicion, Intimacy, and the Ethics of State-Building. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. pp. 188–199. ISBN 9780812205893.
  • Zeydabadi-Nejad, Saeed (2009). The Politics of Iranian Cinema: Film and Society in the Islamic Republic. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. pp. 69–76. ISBN 9780415455374.
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