Although a film renaissance altered the shape of cinema in Iran in the late 1960s, it was the radical revolution in 1979 that brought full international attention to Iranian cinema and made it a regular staple in film festivals across the world. Friendly Persuasion is a feature-length documentary that examines this body of work by framing several key questions—about the role of government, about censorship codes and the banning of Hollywood films, about the representation of women, and about the importance of children’s films—that are answered through commentary, scene analysis, and interviews with top Iranian filmmakers. Those interviewed represent three generations of Iranian filmmakers, from new-wave visionaries (Abbas Kiarostami, Dariush Mehrjui, Bahram Bayzai, Masoud Kimiai) to the generation of post-revolutionaries (Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Rakhshan Bani Etemad, Ebraheem Hatami).