Hezardastan

Ali Hatami's reputation outside Iran is not in proportion with the quality of his work. His keen understanding of Persian history and socio-political structure has not been surpassed by any other Persian director.

His critical insight and brilliant formulation of different aspects of Persian culture reaches far more than a simple nostalgic reconstruction of it. Contrary to many of other Persian directors, his influence on the way in which his home addressees understand themselves has been great. Most specifically, his contribution to our visual understanding of Persian modern history is unrivalled.