Alborz FatemiMoghaddam - Master of Cinema Study, The Faculty of Art, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
Ali Sheikhmehdi - Associate Professor, The Faculty of Art, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran

The Iran-Iraq war, known as "Defa-e Moqaddas" (Sacred Defense), commenced in September ۱۹۸۰with Iraqi airstrikes on Iranian airports. Sacred Defense encompasses diverse military, cultural, andsocial efforts sustaining Iran's integrity against Iraq, persisting beyond the conflict's end. Sacred DefenseCinema emerged a year into the war, spawning films addressing its themes. By October ۲۰۰۶, ۲۳۱ suchfilms had been produced. While not all directly depict warfare, many explore related topics, notably thedichotomy of good versus evil, mirroring societal perceptions of friend and foe. Evolving notions of theenemy, evident in post-war cinema, prompt an analysis rooted in discourse theory. Drawing on Foucaultand Fairclough's discourse analysis methodologies, the study aims to scrutinize shifting enemyrepresentations and underlying factors. By treating texts as constructions of discourse, this approachallows for comprehensive exploration of diverse perspectives. The study seeks to identify and explainchanges in enemy discourse over time, shedding light on ideological shifts and external influencesshaping societal perceptions.

Sacred Defense, Enemy, Critical Discourse Analysis, Iranian Cinema