Tag Archives: Abbas Kiarostami

Experiencing Anti-Matter With Some Friends

Posted on February 7, 2011 by sheila

Yesterday afternoon, I trekked out to Brooklyn again to Keith and Dan’s. Their friend Michael was also joining. Keith was making dinner, and we were all going to watch Certified Copy, which I have been absolutely chomping at the bit … Continue reading →

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Shirin (2008); Dir. Abbas Kiarostami

Posted on August 26, 2010 by sheila

We tell ourselves stories in order to live. The princess is caged in the consulate. The man with the candy will lead the children into the sea. The naked woman on the ledge outside the window on the sixteenth floor … Continue reading →

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Crimson Gold (2003); Director: Jafar Panahi

Posted on June 4, 2010 by sheila

Crimson Gold opens with a stick-up at a jewelry store. The camera is placed inside the dark store, and through its point of view we can see out onto the sunny street beyond. We see the little old jeweler come … Continue reading →

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Jafar Panahi’s release: “A moral victory”

Posted on May 25, 2010 by sheila

Geoffrey Cheshire, expert in Iranian cinema, writes a great piece about the release of Jafar Panahi. It just so happens that Panahi’s imprisonment coincided with the Cannes Film Festival (although there may be more than coincidence at work here). If … Continue reading →

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Binoche and Kiarostami

Posted on May 22, 2010 by sheila

Great interview from Cannes with Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami about his latest film, Certified Copy, starring, among others, Juliette Binoche. I loved this part: My next film is going to be a road movie too. In my film €Ten on … Continue reading →

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“Finally, I swear upon what I believe in, the cinema: I will not cease my hunger strike until my wishes are satisfied.” – Jafar Panahi

Posted on May 19, 2010 by sheila

Iranian director Jafar Panahi, who was invited to be on the jury at Cannes, is obviously not present, due to his imprisonment. A chair has been left open for him at Cannes, a clear statement of solidarity and support of … Continue reading →

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“My heartfelt wish is that artists no longer be imprisoned in this country because of their art and that the independent and young Iranian cinema no longer faces obstacles, lack of support, attention and prejudice.”

Posted on March 10, 2010 by sheila

Abbas Kiarostami, perhaps the most famous of Iranian directors working today, has published an open letter in a Tehran newspaper calling for the release of Jafar Panahi (and also Mahmoud Rasoulof) – two filmmakers incarcerated in the last couple of … Continue reading →

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Taste of Cherry (1997); Dir. Abbas Kiarostami: The Taboo of Suicide

Posted on April 20, 2008 by sheila

Suicide is (and always has been) a cross-cultural taboo. No religion is indifferent to it. I think the ancient Egyptians might have been a culture that thought it was a valid way to go, if you wanted to escape this … Continue reading →

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Deserted Station (2002); Dir. Alireza Raisian

Posted on April 14, 2008 by sheila

Deserted Station is a haunting quiet (at times too quiet) film based on a story by Iranian great Abbas Kiarostami, and directed by Alireza Raisian, it tells the story of a husband and wife (the wife is played by the … Continue reading →

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