Sayyid Morteza Avini (; also spelled Aviny; 23 September 1947 – 9 April 1993)
was an Iranian documentary filmmaker, author, and
theoretician of "
Islamic
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
Cinema."
He studied Architecture at
Tehran University
The University of Tehran (UT) or Tehran University (, ) is a public collegiate university in Iran, and the oldest and most prominent Iranian university located in Tehran. Based on its historical, socio-cultural, and political pedigree, as well as ...
in 1965.
During the
Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution (, ), also known as the 1979 Revolution, or the Islamic Revolution of 1979 (, ) was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979. The revolution led to the replacement of the Impe ...
, Avini started his artistic career as a director of documentary films, and is considered a prominent war filmmaker.
He made over 80 films on the
Iran–Iraq War
The Iran–Iraq War, also known as the First Gulf War, was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. Active hostilities began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for nearly eight years, unti ...
. According to Agnes Devictor, Avini invented original cinematography methods, depicting the
esoteric
Western esotericism, also known as the Western mystery tradition, is a wide range of loosely related ideas and movements that developed within Western society. These ideas and currents are united since they are largely distinct both from orthod ...
side of the
Iran–Iraq War
The Iran–Iraq War, also known as the First Gulf War, was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. Active hostilities began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for nearly eight years, unti ...
in terms of
Shia mystical thought. Most of his work was devoted to reflecting on how ''
bassijis,'' a
paramilitary
A paramilitary is a military that is not a part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. The Oxford English Dictionary traces the use of the term "paramilitary" as far back as 1934.
Overview
Though a paramilitary is, by definiti ...
volunteer militia within the
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also known as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, is a multi-service primary branch of the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces, Iranian Armed Forces. It was officially established by Ruhollah Khom ...
'','' perceived the war and their role in it. His most famous work is the documentary series ''
Ravayat-e Fath
''Ravayat-e Fath'' (), variously translated as ''The Chronicles of Victory'', ''The Tales of Victory'', ''The Narrative of Victory'', ''The Narration of Victory'', ''The Story of Victory'', and ''Witness to Glory'', was an Iranian war documentary ...
'' (''Narration of Victory''), which was filmed during the Iran–Iraq War. He was killed by a landmine explosion in 1993, while filming. He was described as a ''
Shahid
''Shahid'' ( , , ) denotes a martyr in Islam. The word is used frequently in the Quran in the generic sense of "witness" but only once in the sense of "martyr" (i.e. one who dies for his faith); the latter sense acq ...
'' (martyr) after his death, and Ayatollah
Ali Khamenei
Ali Hosseini Khamenei (; born 19 April 1939) is an Iranian cleric and politician who has served as the second supreme leader of Iran since 1989. He previously served as the third President of Iran, president from 1981 to 1989. Khamenei's tenure ...
declared him "the master of martyred literati" (). The 20th day of
Farvardin
Farvardin (, ) is the Iranian Persian name for the first month of the Solar Hijri calendar, the official calendar of Iran, and corresponds with Aries on the Zodiac. Farvardin has thirty-one days. It is the first month of the spring season (''B ...
is entitled the day of "Islamic Revolution art" in his honor.
Early life and education
Avini was born in 1947 in the city of
Rey, south of
Tehran
Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...
,
to a middle-class Muslim family that was not particularly religious.
He attended elementary and secondary school in
Zanjan,
Kerman
Kerman (; ) is a city in the Central District (Kerman County), Central District of Kerman County, Kerman province, Kerman province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district.
History
Kerman was founded as a def ...
, and Tehran.
Avini entered university in 1965, earning a master's degree in architecture from
Tehran University
The University of Tehran (UT) or Tehran University (, ) is a public collegiate university in Iran, and the oldest and most prominent Iranian university located in Tehran. Based on its historical, socio-cultural, and political pedigree, as well as ...
.
Massoud Behnoud described Avini's lifestyle during the period he was studying in Tehran in the following manner: "for a period he became a hipster. He grew his hair long and started wearing jeans, bracelets."
Behnoud went on to argue that Avini's lifestyle had changed after 1978, when Avini became interested in literature and
spiritual matters.
Avini's friends and classmates later said that his lifestyle and personal beliefs had changed after the
1979 Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution (, ), also known as the 1979 Revolution, or the Islamic Revolution of 1979 (, ) was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979. The revolution led to the replacement of the Impe ...
.
Shahrzad Beheshti, one of Avini's friends during his time at the university, later said that "Avini was a very different person before and after the revolution." After the revolution, Avini gave up writing and burned all his writings with the stated intention of annihilating his "self."
After the revolution, Avini was introduced to
Ayatollah
Ayatollah (, ; ; ) is an Title of honor, honorific title for high-ranking Twelver Shia clergy. It came into widespread usage in the 20th century.
Originally used as a title bestowed by popular/clerical acclaim for a small number of the most di ...
Khomeini's ideology
An ideology is a set of beliefs or values attributed to a person or group of persons, especially those held for reasons that are not purely about belief in certain knowledge, in which "practical elements are as prominent as theoretical ones". Form ...
. He was described as a follower, but not a close disciple, of Khomeini.
Artistic work
According to
Agnes Devictor, a professor at the
Sorbonne who specializes in Iranian cinema, Avini chose to participate in the Iranian Revolution by making documentary films, instead of entering politics as many of his colleagues did, and which he was capable of doing.
Afterwards, he joined the television team of
Construction Jihad.
His film-making has been described as having an ideological goal.
He was the head of Jihad Television Unit, a documentary film unit co-sponsored both by
IRIB
The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB; ) or Seda va Sima () for short, formerly called National Iranian Radio and Television until the Iranian revolution of 1979, is an Iranian state-controlled media corporation that holds a monopo ...
channel 1 and Construction Jihad.
According to Avini, his position was "suspended" between the two institutions, and if not for that, none of the films would have been created.
Avini made over 80 films on the
Iran–Iraq War
The Iran–Iraq War, also known as the First Gulf War, was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. Active hostilities began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for nearly eight years, unti ...
, and is considered a major contributor to the documentation of the war. During the war and in particular the
battle of Khorramshahr, Avini decided to record the events and make promotional films.
Style
Reviewer Kamran Rastegar described Avini's work as melding "documentary techniques and ideological aims." His films rarely mention the national identity of the enemies in a battle, and instead explore the actions of young Iranian soldiers in comparison to the actions of historical
Shi'a
Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor ( caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community ( imam). However, his right is understoo ...
"martyrs."
According to Devictor, Avini created an original cinematic approach which was neither strictly realistic nor glorifying. Instead, Avini tried to capture both the visible (military operations) and the esoteric (the inner or moral) aspects of battle. He overlaid these with
Shia mystic philosophy, and invited the viewer to develop a personal place within the event.
In discussing the nature of authorship in his films, Avini says: "Of course anything that an author writes emanates from inside. All arts are this way. Likewise, a film is the result of the filmmaker's inspiration. However, if one entirely immerses oneself in God, then God will inspire in his works and appear in them. That is my goal, not my claim."
"Filming something differently" was the editorial policy of Avini in his documentary series. He worked with a crew of young amateur volunteers. As he had based his works on the break with the imperial past, he could not work with a team formed under the
Mohammad Reza Shah
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (26 October 1919 – 27 July 1980) was the last Shah of Iran, ruling from 1941 to 1979. He succeeded his father Reza Shah and ruled the Imperial State of Iran until he was overthrown by the Iranian Revolution, which ...
or use older Iranian television methods, which drew from American styles.
Avini has stated that his film crews tried to avoid the "sloppy fakery" of most TV News reports.
He had his teams stay at the set for long periods of time, taking the time to discover and encounter "the other." He tried to maintain realism by minimizing the use of cinematic effects, and worked to avoid depicting the habits that combatants had adopted when they were being filmed. Avini rarely filmed major victories and was hardly interested in strategy or military issues; his documentaries were almost exclusively devoted to how volunteers (''
bassijis'') viewed the conflict
and their participation in it.
Ravayat-e Fath
Ravayat-e Fath
''Ravayat-e Fath'' (), variously translated as ''The Chronicles of Victory'', ''The Tales of Victory'', ''The Narrative of Victory'', ''The Narration of Victory'', ''The Story of Victory'', and ''Witness to Glory'', was an Iranian war documentary ...
(''Narration of Victory'') was a "lifelong" documentary of the Iran–Iraq War which focused on the daily life of Iranian soldiers. It consisted of five series and dealt with the spiritual aspect of the war. It depicted "a lifetime spiritual experience" through its ideological narration.
Theoretical works
He wrote a series of articles in ''Sureh'' magazine critiquing Western civilization, a subject which was later the focus of his film ''Sarab'' (Mirage).
According to Devictor, Avini was an intellectual and theorist who worked on reconciling the Iranian Islamic regime with political and aesthetic modernity.
Avini's work had similarities to that of 19th century thinkers in the Muslim world who felt it was necessary to employ Western political, economic, or cultural techniques in the service of spiritual art.
However, Avini said that artists needed to be able to subdue what he described as the profane nature of modern techniques to use them in spiritual revolutionary art.
At a conference at the
Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance
The Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance (, ''Vezârat-e Farhang va Ershâd-e Eslâmi'') ("Ministry of CIG") is a ministry responsible for managing access to media that, in the view of the Iranian government or the ministry, violates Iranian ...
, he said that Western art was a container that could accept any content, and that it was possible to insert religious thought without changing or betraying it.
Death and legacy
Avini was killed by shrapnel from a landmine explosion in
Fakkeh, in northwest
Khuzestan Province
Khuzestan province () is one of the 31 Provinces of Iran. Located in the southwest of the country, the province borders Iraq and the Persian Gulf, covering an area of . Its capital is the city of Ahvaz. Since 2014, it has been part of Iran's R ...
, on 9 April 1993, while producing a documentary.
He was dubbed a ''
shahid
''Shahid'' ( , , ) denotes a martyr in Islam. The word is used frequently in the Quran in the generic sense of "witness" but only once in the sense of "martyr" (i.e. one who dies for his faith); the latter sense acq ...
'', or "martyr," after his death.
Ayatollah
Ali Khamenei
Ali Hosseini Khamenei (; born 19 April 1939) is an Iranian cleric and politician who has served as the second supreme leader of Iran since 1989. He previously served as the third President of Iran, president from 1981 to 1989. Khamenei's tenure ...
, the
Supreme Leader of Iran
The supreme leader of Iran, also referred to as the supreme leader of the Islamic Revolution, but officially called the supreme leadership authority, is the head of state and the highest political and religious authority of Iran (above the Presi ...
, described him as "the master of martyred literati" () on the 20th day of Farvardin, which was declared the day of "Islamic Revolution art" on the Iranian calendar.
Selected films
Sources:
Bibliography
See also
*
Sacred Defense Cinema
*
Culture of Iran
The culture of Iran () or culture of PersiaYarshater, Ehsa, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII no. 1 (1989) is one of the oldest and among the most influential in the world. Iran (Persia) is widely regarded as one of the cradles of civilization.
*
Islamic art
Islamic art is a part of Islamic culture and encompasses the visual arts produced since the 7th century CE by people who lived within territories inhabited or ruled by Muslims, Muslim populations. Referring to characteristic traditions across ...
*
Iranian art
Persian art or Iranian art () has one of the richest art heritages in world history and has been strong in many media including architecture, painting, weaving, pottery, calligraphy, metalworking and sculpture. At different times, influences ...
*
Iranian art and architecture
Iranian () may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Iran
** Iranian diaspora, Iranians living outside Iran
** Iranian architecture, architecture of Iran and parts of the rest of West Asia
** Iranian cuisine, cooking traditions and practic ...
*
List of Iranian artists
The following list of notable Iranian artists (in alphabetical order by last name) includes artists of various genres, who are WP:ARTIST, notable and are either born in Iran, of Iranian descent or who produce works that are primarily about Iran.
...
*
Martyr Avini Literary Award
*
Occidentalism
Occidentalism refers to a discipline that discusses the Western world (the Occident). In this context the West becomes the object, while the East is the subject. The West in the context of Occidentalism does not refer to the West in a geographical ...
References
External links
Martyr Aviny institution of cultural and artAvini Collection, University of Andrews
{{DEFAULTSORT:Avini, Morteza
1947 births
1993 deaths
People from Ray, Iran
Iranian photographers
University of Tehran alumni
Deaths by explosive device
Recipients of the Holy Defense Year Book Award
Iranian documentary filmmakers
Burials at Behesht-e Zahra
Jihad of Construction personnel of the Iran–Iraq War