Abdolhossein Sepanta is widely regarded as a founding figure of Iranian cinema, having written the screenplay for the country’s first sound film, The Lor Girl (Dokhtar-e Lor), a landmark work that remains central to Iran’s film history.
According to the Iran Cinema Museum News Agency, Sepanta—born Abdolhossein Shirazi—was a pioneer of film production and the early formation of Iran’s cinema industry. In 1933, he successfully brought The Lor Girl, Iran’s first talkie, to the screen, earning him recognition by many historians as one of the founders of Iranian cinema.
Sepanta was born on May 25, 1907, in Tehran (then known as Wagonkhaneh Street, today’s Ekbatan). He began his cultural career in journalism and published his first newspaper, Dornamaye Iran, in 1928 in Bombay (Mumbai). His deep interest in the arts led him from theater to cinema, culminating in the writing of The Lor Girl’s screenplay.
The film was directed by Ardeshir Irani and shot in India, largely due to Sepanta’s frequent travels there and Irani’s established base as a filmmaker and producer in the country. Their collaboration laid the groundwork for the production of The Lor Girl, marking a turning point in Iranian film history and the beginning of sound cinema in Iran.