The Iranian Americans
Views: 72

The Iranian Americans

Tuesday, December 18 at 9:30 p.m.

Filmed around the United States – from Los Angeles to Washington, DC -- "The Iranian Americans" chronicles the underreported history of a group of immigrants finding refuge, overcoming adversity and ultimately creating new lives in the United States.


As "The Iranian Americans" shows, the Iranians’ story begins more than two millennia ago in the Middle East, in a land that came to be called Persia. They built an empire that stretched from North Africa to India, from the Caspian to the Red Sea. A people of diverse ethnicities and faiths, they developed rich traditions that endured centuries of migrations and conquests.

In the second half of the 20th century, the nation, now known as Iran, was racked by political and religious upheaval, leading ultimately to revolution. In 1979, the revolution thrust Ayatollah Khomeini into power, beginning an era when dissent was not tolerated. Tens of thousands of Iranians left their homeland for the United States, a country they would come to call home.

Iranians had been immigrating to America in small numbers for decades, primarily for education, but 1979 saw massive migration. "The Iranian Americans" is an emotional account of displacement told by more than 25 Iranians who were uprooted from their home and heritage and built completely new lives in the United States.

  • The Iranian Americans