Tuesday, July 2, 2019

Producing nostalgia: Iranian diaspora TV's rebranding of the Shah


Iran's diaspora media showcase the achievements of the Pahlavi monarchy while skirting around oppression and censorship.


When TV producer Mostafa Azizi returned to visit Iran six years ago, he was surprised to find that almost everyone he knew was watching the then relatively new TV channel, Manoto.
"What guaranteed the channel's success was their access to Iranian archive footage from the period before the revolution," he said in an interview with The Listening Post.
These images take viewers back in time and paint a glorious picture of pre-revolutionary Iran - women are walking unveiled, Iran's royal family are dining with world leaders, arts and culture are celebrated, men and women dance together.
If Iran was so great back then, you might wonder, why did the 1979 revolution and the overthrow of the Shah ever happen?

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