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Many Western cinemaphiles were first introduced to Iranian movies in 1997 after director and screenwriter Abbas Kiarostami took home the well-deserved Palme d'Or for his film Taste of Cherry. And yet Iranian film has had a long and lively history -- one that began well before Taste of Cherry and has often been fraught with political and social controversy. As the world holds its collective breath awaiting the results of the Iranian election and all its implications, here is a list of 10 films that have stirred the country's politics over the years.

1. The Cow (Gaav), Dariush Mehrjui, 1969

One of the first, if not the first, of Iran's "New Wave" films, this picture had an enormous influence on Iranian cinema, pushing several generations of filmmakers to focus on serious social issues. Perhaps not the most entertaining movie, The Cow, a psychological drama, portrays a poor villager who is so upset by the loss of his cow that he begins to think he is the cow, eating hay and living in the barn. The shah banned The Cow for depicting the country as poor and backward, but it is rumored that Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini respected the film so much that it was the reason he did not ban movies outright in 1979.

2. Caesar (Qaysar), Masoud Kimiai, 1969

Caesar is one of the first to develop what is perhaps my favorite Iranian film archetype, the Iranian antihero. Starring Iran's version of Clint Eastwood, Behrooz Vosooghi, Caesar tells the story of a man who, after coming home to find that his sister has been raped, avenges her honor by going to kill the guilty parties. This film signaled a turn to increased depictions of violence in Iranian cinema in the 1970s and appealed to a whole generation of young Iranians who liked the idea of vigilante justice. It was these same kids who overthrew the shah, many sporting the "Caesar" hairdo.

3. The Deer (Gavaznha), Masoud Kimiai, 1975

The Deer also stars Vosooghi, a poor man who takes on the authorities. This time, the protagonist is an opium addict running from the police. The original film ends with a spectacular shootout, but the censored version shown in Iran in 1975 ends on themes of surrender. In fact, The Deer was the film playing at Cinema Rex in 1978 when its doors were locked and set on fire, killing the 500 patrons trapped inside -- an event that marked a major turning point in the revolt against the shah.

4. The Imperiled (Barzakhiha), Iraj Ghaderi, 1982

One of the earlier Iran-Iraq War films, The Imperiled follows a small group of "antirevolutionaries" accidentally freed by the opening of the shah's prisons in 1980. During their escape to the Iraqi border, this group -- a former SAVAK agent, a capitalist, and a murderer -- get caught up in the war, valiantly defending an Iranian border town. Iranian film connoisseurs might consider The Imperiled an odd, if not obscure, top-10 pick. But though The Imperiled was never banned, authorities disliked the movie so much that it essentially ended the careers of its stars -- Malik Motii, Ali Fardin, and Said Rad (all icons from the '60s and '70s). The controversy surrounding the film eventually led to the resignation of the minister of culture and Islamic guidance, who was succeeded by Mohammad Khatami, who later became president. Mohsen Makhmalbaf, a godfather of sorts in contemporary Iranian cinema, hated The Imperiled so much he claims it was the reason he started making movies.

5. Bashu, The Little Stranger (Bashu, Gharibeh-ye Kuchek), Bahram Beizai, 1986

This is by far one of the best Iran-Iraq War films, distinguished by director Beizai's treatment of taboo subjects. A cry against a war that eventually killed more than a million Iranians, it was banned by the authorities. The film was also controversial for taking on ethnic disparities and racism in Iranian society by depicting a dark-skinned child from southern Iran trying to fit in among the "white" northerners. Equally daring at the time, it highlights a "strong" female character, typical of Beizai's films but rare for 1980s Iranian cinema. The drama centers on a child named Bashu who, after his family and village are destroyed by the Iraqi Army, escapes to a farm run by a woman and her two children. The woman (who becomes Bashu's adoptive mother) is left to fend for herself and her children in a difficult environment.

6. Gabbeh, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, 1995

I love Makhmalbaf. In addition to being a controversial character -- a reputation he's earned -- he makes fascinating films. Gabbeh is a triumph in part merely because of its rich hues (the film's subtitle is aptly named, "Life Is Color.") Makhmalbaf shows off his daring by challenging the often unspoken rules against depicting bright colors in film, while simultaneously pushing the gender envelope. The film follows the story of a young woman who wishes to marry a mysterious horseman, but when her dreams are delayed she lives out her fantasy in the carpet she is weaving.