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The Carriage Driver + Introduction (15*)

Masterpieces of the Iranian New Wave

,Cinema 1
A woman and a man on a carriage.

One of the finest examples of Iran’s classic popular comedies, which often revolved around sex and the obstacles that tradition and religion placed in its path. 

Complications arise when the marriage of young lovers Morteza and Pouri becomes contingent on an awkward condition: Morteza must first approve the union between his recently widowed mother and Pouri’s father. 

With warmth and sharp wit, Karimi delivers a critique of Iranian society, using its entrenched anxieties around namus (the “virtue” of the family’s women) as fertile ground for comedy, while playfully skewering such everyday rituals. 

Nosrat Karimi’s The Carriage Driver (Doroshkechi) draws, with remarkable fluidity, on Italian pink neorealism, Iranian filmfarsi, and the mischievous spirit of Czechoslovak cinema — the latter playing out in a dream sequence with an unexpected burst of animation, a nod to Karimi’s years of study in Prague.  

Introduced by season curator Ehsan Khoshbakht. 

Tagged with: Cinema Masterpieces of the Iranian New Wave 2026

In Persian with English subtitles. UK premiere.

Content warning: Please note, this film contains depictions of childhood trauma and fear prior to a boy's circumcision. 

Film information
  • Release year   1971
  • Country of origin   Iran
  • Director   Nosrat Karimi
  • Runtime   1 hr 57 min

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.