Favorite Courtroom Film

@rubyfruit76​ I like that I can create a poll and people are challenged to choose. Thanks for your movie suggestions, it's interesting that you don't have a TV, although we do have one, but I don't usually use it.

@rubyfruit76​ Thanks for your suggestion! The Accused has now been added to the list — it’s a strong fit for a courtroom/ legal‑drama poll.

And regarding Erin Brockovich: You’re right — since this poll is specifically focused on courtroom films, Erin Brockovich may not be the best fit because most of its drama happens outside the courtroom. I’ll remove it to keep the list strictly aligned with the theme

@RezaKJoi​ I do have an actual, physical TV set that I used for a long time but for the past three years or so, it just sits there because cable service got ridiculously expensive here so now I just stream everything on my laptop, which is not much smaller than the TV. There hasn't been much on American broadcast TV that I've been interested in for a quite a while, except PBS (the Public Broadcasting System) and I can watch much of their programming for free online. I get nostalgic about TV sometimes but I can't afford it and I doubt the reality would be worth it nowadays even if I had the money. I think the way TV used to work here was more democratic and it provided a common cultural experience that I think was valuable so I do definitely mourn that broadcast television has been rendered almost obsolete here in the U.S. 

It makes me wonder how TV service functions in other countries. Several of my friends live in other countries so I should find out more. I know that my American friend who has been living in China for about twenty years gets streaming services that are illegal there and black market DVDs for most of what he watches. My best friend lives in Spain and she mostly uses Netflix, although she  has a small TV that she uses to watch Spanish TV. What's it like in Iran?  

@rubyfruit76​ 

In Iran, the situation is different. We do not have cable television here.

There is one national broadcasting organization that operates all TV channels, and all of them are launched and controlled by the government. There are no private television networks. Signals are received through antennas, and all channels are free for the public.

Satellite television is also widely used, and through it people can watch Persian-language channels based outside Iran (such as in the UK, the US, etc.).

With the widespread expansion of the internet—especially over the past decade—several platforms have emerged that produce or stream series and films. They are somewhat similar to Netflix (not at the same level, just for comparison) and are known as “home entertainment networks.” Many films are even released there for the first time. Before this shift to online platforms, these types of series and films were sold on DVD and were available in stores known as video clubs. Those stores still exist, but DVDs are no longer used as widely as they once were. Nowadays, people usually watch films and series either online or obtain them through video clubs or from others via USB flash drives or by copying them onto hard drives.

However, when it comes to non-Iranian films, the situation is different. There are two main categories. The first consists of films distributed legally by dubbing companies that also apply censorship. These can be watched online (on the same domestic platforms) or purchased from video clubs.

The second category includes so-called unauthorized films that contain certain scenes (especially involving women) or political content. These can be accessed in two ways:

1. Through video clubs, which is technically illegal, although in practice the government generally does not enforce it strictly. I have not personally seen a video club shut down for selling uncensored films.

2. Through specialized film websites, which are quite numerous. These sites often have large archives, subtitles, user request options, dubbing, and customer support. Although these websites are regularly filtered by the government, they frequently launch new unfiltered domains (for example, if one domain is blocked, they create another). Users can purchase one- to three-month subscriptions to download films. Some also maintain permanently blocked domains.

Some of these websites also offer online streaming and mobile or smart TV apps. I personally access films through such sites. Their updates are usually very fast—for example, there is often only a short gap between a release on Netflix and its availability on these sites, especially for popular series like Stranger Things. Subscription fees are generally not very high. The only time we really have to wait is for films that are still in theaters and whose Blu-ray versions have not yet been released.

Since Iran has not joined international copyright conventions (I am not sure why—perhaps due to sanctions), access to global films is not particularly difficult for Iranians, and I have been following international cinema this way for many years.

@RezaKJoi​ 

@Breumaster​ Thanks for your help, the changes can be seen in this post.

@RezaKJoi​ 

Besides the polls Breu mentioned, this was the one I thought was closest to yours:

https://www.imdb.com/poll/S_9sZk7SldA/

I didn't get a chance to compare the options in your list with the ones in that poll, so I don't know if there was enough to make a Part 2.

@Jessica​ Thanks for your comment, there were several similar titles on that list and mine, I don't think there was a need for a part 2

@RezaKJoi​ 

OK.

Normally, I would ask you to delete this thread, but if you want to keep the above conversation with rubyfruit, maybe we can let it remain.