Filmfarsi is Khoshbakht’s journey through the history of Iranian popular cinema before the 1979 revolution. The term “filmfarsi” refers to the rowdy and melodramatic genre films made in Iran from the early 1950s to 1979. This documentary provides a fascinating archaeology of “the biggest secret in cinema history” (Guardian) – a vibrant film culture full of song, dance and sex – and a compelling window into a lost past. Filmfarsi uncovers a cinema of titillation, action and big emotions, which also presented a troubling mirror for the country, as Iran struggled to reconcile its religious traditions with the turbulence of modernity, and the influences of the West.