Saved events

Dancer of the City + Courtship + Introduction (15*)

Masterpieces of the Iranian New Wave

,Cinema 1
A man and a woman drinking from a dish

A tale of dancers, lovers and gangsters that moves with effortless agility from musical to melodrama, from crime film to comedy.

A passionate affair begins when married Gholam falls for Pari, a carefree dancer. Their romance angers both Pari’s thuggish ex; and the owner of the cabaret where she works, setting the stage for tragedy. Shapour Gharib’s film was banned in Iran following the Revolution.

Dancer of the City (Raghase-ye Shahr) is a vivid and exhilarating account of the arduous pursuit of artistic freedom and a woman’s independence within a religiously conservative society. Starring two giants of Iranian cinema, Forouzan and Nasser Malek Motie, it showcases the talents of the prolific yet undervalued director Shapour Gharib, who later gave Asghar Farhadi one of his earliest writing jobs in film. Gharib draws upon the increasingly popular New Wave trends of the time.  

The soundtrack moves between moody percussion and strings, to unabashedly groovy pop songs.

Tagged with: Cinema Masterpieces of the Iranian New Wave 2026

Introduced by season curator Ehsan Khoshbakht. 

In Persian with English subtitles 

Film information
  • Release year   1970
  • Director   Shapour Gharib
  • Runtime   2 hr 2 min

Screening with

Courtship (Khastegari) 

The sister and mother of a young welder visit the home of an even younger girl to ask for her hand in marriage, only to find themselves negotiating with a stoic, shisha-smoking patriarch. Although the patronising voice-over was later imposed by the Canadian producers, the film endures as a fascinating snapshot of its era. 

1961 Iran dir Ebrahim Golestan, 10 mins, in English 

Courtship is part of a Canadian anthology on courtship rituals around the world. Directed by Ebrahim Golestan in a lighter, more playful mode, this forebear of the Iranian New Wave is especially significant for featuring poet and filmmaker Forough Farrokhzad as the groom’s sister.

Explore the season

Cinema 1

Location
Barbican Cinema 1 is located within the main Barbican building on Level -2. Head to Level G and walk towards the Lakeside Terrace where you’ll find stairs and lifts to take you down to the venue floor.   

Address
Barbican Centre
Silk Street, London
EC2Y 8DS

Public transport
The Barbican is widely accessible by bus, tube, train and by foot or bicycle. Plan your journey and find more route information in ‘Your Visit’ or book your car parking space in advance.