Slide Mahmoud Koushan was an Iranian
cinematographer, director, and producer.
His career as a cinematographer
spans four decades, from the early days
of improvised sets at Pars Film Studio
in the mid-1950s until the mid-1990s.
Dedicated to the lives and works of
Esmail and Mahmoud Koushan
Esmail Koushan was an Iranian film
producer, director, and screenwriter.
He revived the Iranian film industry
in the late 1940s after a decade-long
slump, earning him the title of
“The Father of Iranian Cinema"

ESMAIL KOUSHAN

Esmail Koushan, standing behind his siblings.

1917
Esmail Koushan was born on
February 22, in Tehran, Iran.

The Desert Song, Directed by Paul Martin

1938
Esmail appeared as an extra in The Desert Song while he attended graduate school in Berlin. This was his first exposure to filmmaking.

Esmail Koushan, 1942 Berlin, Germany

1942
Fleeing the Berlin bombing, Esmail moved to Vienna, where he continued his studies while working as a production assistant at Wien Film in Vienna, Austria.

Esmail Koushan and his friends, 1944 Istanbul, Turkey 

1944
Esmail escaped the Nazis in Austria and made his way to Turkey, where he completed his degree and married. While in Istanbul, with the help of his friends, he dubbed foreign films into Persian for the first time.

Her First Affair, Directed by Henry Decoin 

1946
Her First Affair, the first Farsi-dubbed foreign film premiered at the Crystal Movie Theater in Tehran, Iran.
1947
Esmail Koushan founded Mitra Film, the first Iranian film company.

A scene of the first Iranian movie The Storm of Life, 1948 Directed by Ali Daryabeigi

1948
He revived the Iranian cinema (after a decade-long hiatus) with The Storm of Life, an all-Iranian film which turned out to be an unqualified disaster.
1949
Esmail Koushan founded the Pars Film Studio after the failure of his first movie. Later, he produced over 90 Iranian movies in Pars Film Studio.

Newspaper movie advertising of the box office smash Sharmsar or (Guiltridden), directed by Esmail Koushan.

1950
The box office smash Sharmsar or (Guiltridden), directed by Esmail Koushan, came on the heels of two financial fiascoes earlier the same year. The success was short-lived as Pars Film Studio was demolished in a fire later in the same year.

Esmail Koushan preparing Iranian prime minister Dr. M. Mossadegh for an interview, at the United Nation.

1951
Accompanied Prime Minister M. Mossadegh to New York during the Nationalization of the Iranian Oil Industry to produce a documentary film.

Ebram A Paris, 1964 directed by Esmail Koushan, first Iranian movie co-production 

1964
Produced and directed the first Iranian/French co-production,
Ebram in Paris.

Harbor of Love, 1967 directed by G. Obadiah.

1967
Produced the first Iranian/Italian co-production, Harbour of Love, directed by G. Obadiah.

Tehran Macersi, 1968 directed by T. Inanoglu

1968
Produced the first Iranian/Turkish co-production, Tehran Macersi, directed by T. Inanoglu. Eight more joint productions followed between 1968-1971.

Sleeping Lion, 1976 directed by M. Koushan

1976
Produced the first Iranian/German co-production, Sleeping Lion,
directed by M. Koushan

Slide R W K S
Producer, Director, Writer
Biography: See full bio >>
Born: 1917 | Tehran, Iran
Died: 1981 (age 64) | Tehran, Iran

Known For


Filmography





Slide Koushan Life

Mahmoud Koushan

1933

Mahmoud Koushan was born, on May 24th, in Tehran, Iran.

Mahmoud Koushan at age 7

Mahmoud Koushan in Pars Film Studio, 1953

1950

Started work as a production assistant in Pars Film Studios after graduating from Tehran Technical College.

1955

Debuted his career as a cinematographer with the epic Amir Arsalan, directed by Sh. Yasami. Another 60 films followed over the course of his career.

1957

Shot The Runaway Bride, the first Iranian color and CinemaScope motion picture, directed by E. Koushan.

1959

His second color movie, Broken Spell, (also in CinemaScope format) was recognized at the Berlin Film Festival. Director: S. Yasami.

Broken Spell, 1959 in Agfa Color and Cinemascope format, premiered  at the Berlin Film festival, directed by S. Yasami.

1961

Made his directorial debut with The Nouveau Riche. He directed 17 films over the course of his career.

1968

Received the best cinematography award from Seppas Cinema Festival for Joseph and Zoleika, directed by M. Firouz.

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