Internationalization of Iranian Films and Cinema to Gain a Share of Regional and International Markets

Iranian cinema has won remarkable success in the most prestigious film festivals and communities with more emphasis on its role as a cultural medium. The issues including the industrialization of film and cinema, and the extent to which Iran has changed its world share of the markets have also raised in the context of internationalization. However, the aforementioned have failed to enjoy success achieved as the media and cultural dimension. The research population for this research was asked to answer to the question “Why the economic share of Iranian cinema in the world markets is so small that it failed to enjoy the expected returns on capital spent?” To find answers to the question the number of 23 experts focusing on Cinema, Creative Industries and Creative Industries Economics, Film Trading and Marketing, International Marketing and Entering World Markets, Cultural Marketing and Content Marketing have been interviewed between 2018 to 2019. The data was analyzed using the Grounded theory. Findings suggests that cinema cannot only be taken as entertainment or merely the flagship of a country’s culture, but also as an interdisciplinary field that requires diverse expertise across a value chain to transform an idea into a product that is consciously presented to the right audience. Designing this product and reaching the desired target audience in the selected market is possible only on the basis of business research, marketing and consumer behavior. On the other hand, accessibility method to the audience is also important in today’s vibrant media world; an in-depth investigation can determine which types of media provides the most appropriate platform for the right product presentation to the target audience. At the same
Alireza Tabesh1, Ali Akbar Farhangi**2, Seyed Rouhollah Hosseini3, Tahmures Shiri4
1 Ph.D Student in Media Management, Department of Cultural Affairs and Media Management, Faculty of Management and Economics, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
2 Professor, Department of Cultural Affairs and Media Management, Faculty of Management and Economics, Science and Research branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
3 Assistant Professor, Department of European Studies, Faculty of World Studies, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
4 Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, Islamic Azad University, Central Tehran Branch, Tehran, Iran.
(Received 22 Jan 2020, Accepted 6 Feb 2021)
time, the income level of the product can be increased by extending its intellectual property rights to related industries, thereby prolonging product life. Cinema can become internationally sustainable and receive a share of the world market and achieve commercial success when it becomes an industry-based through meticulous planning and interdisciplinary knowledge. Of course, Iranian cinema also needs centers of innovation and acceleration to create such a product. Given the issue of a foreign trade of a product, the film business environment must be examined from a political, cultural, social, legal and economic point of view in order to properly plan and select the foreign market. A product, enjoying these features and produced based on targeted content and authentic Iranian content, relying on the creative thinking and art power of the filmmaker’s can have the power to earn foreign currency. These are aspects that, despite the overwhelming motivation to internationalize Iranian cinema, have been neglected and thus cinem has not been able to achieve a comprehensive and sustained success. Thus, various macro, reformative, educational-research based, developmental, marketing, international, legal, income based, and investment and financing strategies have been proposed. The current findings show the path taken by Iranian cinema, the present conditions it faces, and what needs to be accomplished in order to receive a share of the world’s international film market.