Cinematic Representations of Iran after 9/11 and their Instrumentalization by the American Foreign Policy

Abstract

This paper is part of PhD research that studies the audiovisual representations of Iran by the American Popular Culture from 1973 until the present, emphasizing the films and series representing the country that were released after 2001 and were mainly productions of the Hollywood Industry and the Conglomerate American Media. Findings so far suggest that the majority of the audiovisual images referring to Iran construct the profile of a country that is Oriental, backward, condoning human rights violations, and being described as a state sponsoring terrorism. Such descriptions endorse the country’s positioning on the “Axis of Evil” and legitimize American foreign policy in the Middle East. What is striking is that the majority of the biased cinematic storytelling regarding Iran does not directly coincide with the skyrocketing Islamophobic depictions of Arab Muslim populations, which was one of the many repercussions of the tragic events of 9/11, but rather the majority of the racialized viewings of Iran seem to take place during 2005–15 and can be associated with the presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the agony of Western governments for non-proliferation of Iran and the imposition of economic sanctions to the country because of its nuclear program.