LAAT

Abstract

LAAT is a short hybrid documentary that offers a glimpse into the world of Tehran’s elderly lutis and the emotions they confront in the twilight of their lives as they reflect on their past. The film explores their role in the Iranian 1953 coup, a perspective that is often overlooked, seen through the eyes of a former child labourer who witnessed the events firsthand. Through interviews with participants and eyewitnesses, as well as archival footage, it explores how a gang of luti figures helped ignite the chaos that led to the fall of Mohammad Mossadegh’s government, a pivotal moment in the country’s political history that not only disrupted the elite but also shattered the hopes and dreams of the working class, leaving a deep wound on the soul of modern Iran, one that has yet to heal. This film, grounded in research on different aspects of luti culture and history, as well as its portrayal in post-coup Iranian cinema, seeks to offer an authentic representation of the luti character, a rebel figure whose presence in both politics and cinema has been marked with controversy and debate.