Ali Limonadi, Film Director and Producer, is founder of the first Iranian Television program outside of Iran in 1979, broadcasting news, political analysis and documentaries in Farsi Language since 1981 from KSCI, Channel 18 in Los Angeles. He is also Founder of Iranian Studies and Archive in the USA.

Ali Limonadi, born in Tehran/Iran at Marvi Ave., Shamsolemareh, started his elementary and high school education at Hafez, Elmiyeh, Hadaf and Bou Ali Sina.

He continued his education in Germany/ Munich at the Academy of Fine Arts in Schwabing. From 1960 till 1962 studied the Subjective Photography at Volkwang Academy of Arts in Essen Werden Under the supervision of Professor Otto Steinert, his mentor and the world known photographer for introducing the “Gestalt” school of photography.

From 1962 till 1968 he studied Film Directing and Cinematography at the University of Fine Arts, Berlin (Universitat der Kunst HFBK Berlin).

Der Deutch was the first film made by Ali Limonadi in 1966. In this film he looked at the negative aspects of atmosphere existed in the post world war-II, in Germany. This film was chosen and screened at Berlin Short Films Festival in 1967.

His second movie, Das Abonnement (The subscription) explored and criticized the destructive effects of Mass Media in Germany, and specifically targeted the Axcel Springer Networks that owned and controlled most of the Germany’s main stream media at that time. Limonadi made this film as his master degree thesis which he received in 1968 from the University of Fine Arts, Berlin.

Abonnement was recognized as one of the best films in the New Generation Genre and was shown at the Oliver Platz Movie Theatre, every Monday for several months at 1967.

Gudrun Ensselin, then a PHD student of Philosophy at Free University, played the leading role in Abonnement as Rosa Ensselin. Two years later, following the rise of student movements in Germany, Gudrun joined the infamous Bader Meinhoff Group that at the time was the most anti-government group in Germany. After joining this group, Gudrun Ensselin was arrested and imprisoned along with other members of Bader Meinhoff Group. Jean Paul Sartre, the famous French philosopher and writer, has visited Gudrun Ensselin and other members of Bader Meinhoff before Gurdun committed suicide in prison along with other main members i.e. Bader, Meinhoff who committed suicide on the same day in prison of the German government in Stutgard.

A copy of Abonnement is now kept as a historic documentary in the Historic Museum of Frankfurt (Historiches Museum), Germany.

In April of 1979, after the Islamic Revolution took place in Iran, Ali Limonadi left his country for the second time and immigrated to the USA. In the same year, he established Studio Cinegraphic branch in Los Angeles with the goal to produce the first ever Farsi-speaking Iranian Television programs (IRTV) to be aired from outside of Iran. This was unfortunately, delayed due to the hostage crisis of November 1979 as the result of which, Channel 18, Los Angeles, the station that contracted to air IRTV program from its antenna, refused to broadcast IRTV program due to the existing unfavorable public opinion against the Iranians in the USA where several attacks on the Iranian businesses and demonstrations took place. Broadcasting of IRTV was delayed until March 1981.

BROADCASTING OF THE FIRST IRANIAN TELEVISION PROGRAM FROM OUTSIDE OF IRAN

IRTV, the first Iranian Television Programs, ever broadcasting regular TV programs in Farsi language from outside of Iran, was aired on March 15, 1981, after 444 days of the hostage crisis ended.

SOME OF IRTV PROGRAMS

One of the most popular and highly watched TV programs produced and aired by IRTV is a comprehensive series of exclusive interviews by Ali Limonadi with most of the political and social scholars, intellectuals, opposition leaders and analysts regarding the Democracy in Iran and exploring the reasons why the Iranian nation has not been successful in achieving democracy throughout its’ 100 years of struggle towards reaching Democracy.