The Cow is a 1969 Iranian film directed by Dariush Mehrjui, based on a story by Gholam-Hossein Sa'edi, about a villager named Masht Hassan whose most prized possession, his cow, dies while he is away, prompting the other villagers to hide her death from him out of fear of his reaction. When Hassan learns the truth he descends into a delusion that he himself has become the cow, a transformation the village cannot cure. Delayed by Iranian censors before its domestic release and later smuggled to the 1971 Venice Film Festival, where it won the International Critics' Prize, the film is widely credited with launching the Iranian New Wave.
Facts
Classification
Original Language AwardBest Film Award (La Rochelle) 1 AwardFIPRESCI Prize at Venice 1 Release Year FAQs
Why was The Cow banned in Iran and how did it reach Venice?
It was banned by the shah for showing rural poverty, then smuggled abroad to Venice.
The Cow was immediately banned by the shah because of its negative portrayal of impoverishment in rural Iran. It was later smuggled out of the country and won the FIPRESCI critics prize at the 1971 Venice Film Festival.
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Source Wikipedia: The Cow (1969 film)
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Source Wikipedia: The Cow (1969 film)
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Source Wikipedia: The Cow (1969 film)Lead sentence 1Quote, Lead sentence 1
The Cow (Persian: گاو, Gāv, Gaav, or Gav) is a 1969 Iranian film directed by Dariush Mehrjui, written by Gholam-Hossein Saedi based on his own short story, and starring Ezzatolah Entezami as Masht Hassan.
Sources
1. Wikipedia: The Cow (1969 film)
Infobox, released
1969
Infobox, country
Iran
The Cow (1969 film), Description, original language
The Cow is a 1969 Iranian film directed by Dariush Mehrjui, based on a story by Gholam-Hossein Sa'edi, about a villager named Masht Hassan whose most prized possession, his cow, dies while he is away, prompting the other villagers to hide her death from him out of fear of his reaction.
Wikipedia Awards section (la-rochelle), checked 2026-09-27
Best Film Award La Rochelle 1994
Wikipedia Awards section (fipresci-venice), checked 2026-09-27
FIPRESCI Prize 32nd Venice International Film Festival 1971
In Medium: Film, Article lead sentence
The Cow (Persian: گاو, Gāv, Gaav, or Gav) is a 1969 Iranian film directed by Dariush Mehrjui, written by Gholam-Hossein Saedi based on his own short story, and starring Ezzatolah Entezami as Masht Hassan.
Created By: Dariush Mehrjui, Infobox: director
Dariush Mehrjui
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