Haji Agha, the Cinema Actor, is the second feature film directed by Avanes Ohanian, one of the pioneering figures of early Iranian cinema and the founder of Iran’s first formal acting and film school. Filmed around 1933 and released in 1934, it stands today as the only surviving silent film of Iranian cinema, offering a precious glimpse into the narrative and artistic ambitions of the period.
This silent, black-and-white comedy follows the story of Haji Agha, a conservative, tradition-bound man who considers the emerging art of cinema immoral and corrupting. Unbeknownst to him, a film crew begins secretly recording moments of his daily life. Through a humorous sequence of misunderstandings and mishaps, Haji Agha is ultimately brought to a private screening—where he sees himself on the screen for the first time. His shock turns to fascination, and he ends up embracing the very medium he had condemned.
With intertitles in Persian, French, and Russian, the film reflects Ohanian’s cosmopolitan background and the diverse audience of Tehran at the time. Though many films of that era have been lost, this work endures as a rare artifact of Iran’s silent era, marking a foundational moment in the country’s cinematic history.
The displayed image is the original poster of the film, a visual testament to the early promotion and public presentation of Iranian cinema during its formative years.