آژانس شیشه ای | The Glass Agency / Azhans-e Shisheh'i (1998)

Abbas Heydari, a veteran of the Iran–Iraq War, comes to Tehran for treatment of an old war wound that is now close to killing him. His former commander, Haj Kazem, decides to take him to London for urgent surgery. But it is almost Nowruz, and they cannot raise the money for the plane tickets in time. Unable to accept Abbas's death, Haj Kazem takes a travel agency hostage. Azhans-e Shisheh'i, known in English as The Glass Agency, is a drama written and directed by Ebrahim Hatamikia.

Hostages in a Travel Agency

Almost the whole film takes place inside the agency, where the standoff turns into a confrontation between two ways of seeing post-war society. Haj Kazem feels that the ideals he and his comrades fought for have been sidelined. The standoff draws in the people trapped inside and the authorities outside.

Sympathy and criticism

The film combines sympathy for veterans with criticism of those who exploit that status for political ends. It has drawn praise from conservatives and reformists alike.

Parviz Parastui as Haj Kazem

Parviz Parastui plays Haj Kazem, Reza Kianian plays Salahshoor and Habib Rezaei plays Abbas. Bita Badran plays Narges, Asghar Naghizadeh plays Asghar and Ghasem Zareh plays Ahmad Kuhi. Behrouz Shoeibi and Farshid Zarei Fard, as the agency manager, are also in the cast.

A Landmark of Sacred Defence Cinema

The Glass Agency is one of Hatamikia's most successful films and a key work of Iran's Sacred Defence genre, focusing on the war's impact on society. Hatamikia wrote the script in a period when it was difficult for him to work, inspired by a real event. Its bitter tone made obtaining a production permit difficult, and it was eventually licensed in 1376.

Record Night at the Fajr Festival

At the 16th Fajr Film Festival, the film won both best film and the audience award for best film. It was the first film in Iranian cinema history to win the audience award. In all it took nine Crystal Simorghs, including best director and best screenplay for Hatamikia. Parastui won best actor and Kianian best supporting actor.

The Glass Agency: Questions

Azhans-e Shisheh'i is one of the most popular and widely discussed films of post-revolutionary Iranian cinema.