Docunight #38 [Toronto]: Plane Grove

Plane Grove

Directed by Hadi Afarideh

2014 / 67 min

Persian with English Subtitles

This is the story and history of the longest street in the Middle East that expands 17 km from the south to the northern parts of the city of Tehran.This is also the largest plane grove, found in these parts with the plane trees lining and adorning the street all along its corridor.

This street holds the collective memory of the Iranian people and has been witness to the country’s most important social and political upheaval taking place in and around it. The street has gone through many reformations in step with the changes in the society; mass increase in population, changes in the governmental systems and social changes, to name a few, have all left their marks along the side of Vali e Asr Street. The street itself has changed names in line with the times, from Pahlavi to Mossadegh to the current Vali e Asr.

This engaging film is not only nostalgic in many ways, but educational as it provides a glimpse into Iran’s past century.