Holy Defense cinema () refers to a genre of Iranian films that deals with various aspects of the Iran-Iraq war of 1980–1988. Although little noticed in the West, the genre has produced more than 200 movies, including some critical and commercial hits. Some of Iran's most noted directors have engaged with the genre, among them Ebrahim Hatamikia, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Majid Majidi and Kamal Tabrizi. Hatamikia is one of the most prolific and successful proponents of the genre.
In 2007, Iranian war cinema retrospectives were curated by Pedram Khosronejad and held in New York and at the Barbican Centre in London. The first comprehensive academic study in the West was published in 2012: Iranian Holy Defence Cinema: Religion, Martyrdom and National Identity by Khosronejad.
Notable directors Ebrahim Hatamikia Mohammad Bozorgnia Rasoul Mollagholipour Shahriar Bahrani Ahmad Reza Darvish Mohsen Makhmalbaf Abolqasem Talebi Kamal Tabrizi
Notable films The 5th Kilometer, 1980 Jan-bazan, 1981 A Military Base in Hell, 1982 Hesar, 1983 Rahaei, 1983 Two Blind Eyes, 1983 A Boat to the Beach, 1984 Land of Lovers, 1984 Eagles, 1984 The First Bell, 1984 We Are Standing, 1984 The Flag Bearer, 1985 Passage, 1986 Identity, 1987 Man and Weapon, 1988 Horizon, 1989 Transition, 1989 Snake Fang, 1989 The Scout, 1989 Bashu, the Little Stranger, 1990 The Immigrant, 1990 The Glass Eye, 1991 The Sergeant, 1991 Union of the Good, 1992 The Abadanis, 1993 From Karkheh to Rhein, 1993 Journey to Chazabeh, 1996
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