Coup 53

TAGHI AMIRANI’s Thrilling deep dive into the US/UK conspiracy that crushed democracy in Iran and toppled a beloved leader.

While making a documentary about the CIA/MI6 coup in Iran in 1953, Iranian director Taghi Amirani and Academy Award winning editor Walter Murch (Apocalypse Now, The Conversation, The English Patient) discover never seen before archive material hidden for decades. The 16mm footage and documents not only allow them to tell the story of the overthrow of the Iranian government in unprecedented detail but also leads to explosive revelations about dark secrets buried for 67 years.

Working with Ralph Fiennes (Conclave,The Grand Budapest Hotel, Schindler’s List, The English Patient) to help bring the lost material to life in a mesmerising performance, what begins as a historical documentary about four days in August 1953 turns into a live investigation, taking the filmmakers into uncharted cinematic waters. The roots of Iran's volatile relationship with the west have never been so forensically and dramatically exposed.