Following numerous starring roles on the stage, she was offered her first film role in
Gozāresh (
The Report), directed by Abbas Kiarostami, which won the Critics Award at the Moscow Film Festival. Her next film was
Shatranje Bad (loosely translated:
Chess With the Wind), directed by Mohammad Reza Aslani, which screened at several film festivals. Both films were banned in her home country, but in 1978, Aghdashloo won acclaim for her performance in
Sooteh Delan (
Broken Hearts), directed by the late Iranian filmmaker Ali Hatami, which established her as one of Iran's leading actresses.
