Representation of the Kurdish People in the Iranian Feature Movies: A Cultural Semiotic Study

Starting with the first Iranian film, A Girl from Lurestan (Dokhtare Lor), a silent film, viewers are faced with notable insight drawn from ethnic cultures and life in Iran. Different directors have attempted to properly present the lives of ethnic groups in Iranian Cinema and furthermore, employ it to enrich and foster their stories, cultural backgrounds, contexts and motifs. The directors of such films, nevertheless, often reproduce typical images or characteristics of these ethnic groups and sometimes their movies act as an agent for spreading a stereotype among pop culture and the public. Some elements such as food, clothing and place are key components that indicate the cultural image of the ethnicity. Some Iranian ethnic groups such as the Gikak, Lor, Turk, and Kurds have been shown more in Iranian Cinema. This article is dedicated to discuss the representation of Kurdish Ethnic cultures in Iran as an Iranian ethnic group whose presence in Iranian cinema has been remarkable in recent decades. This article concentrates on the key elements in the culture of Kurdish Ethnic groups, including clothing, food and place and reviewed the movies that have driven inspiration from this ethnic culture.