Abbas Kiarostami

Screening List

Take Me Home

76 Minutes and 15 Seconds with Abbas Kiarostami

Close-Up

Through the Olive Trees

Where Is the Friend\'s Home?

The Wind Will Carry Us

Taste of Cherry

Certified Copy

Take Me Home

Directed by: Abbas Kiarostami
Genre: Short film

This is Abbas Kiarostami’s final work. The 16 minute film features a "football" rolling down on different stairs, but Abbas managed to convey the fun of rhythm and poetry of light and shadow.

76 Minutes and 15 Seconds with Abbas Kiarostami

Directed by: Seyfolah Samadian
Starring: Abbas Kiarostami
Genre: Documentary

76 Minutes and 15 Seconds, represents the life span of the legendary film maker Abbas, whose life came to an end at 76 years and 15 days. The director, photographer and long-time friend of Kiarostami, Seyfolah Samadian has put together some footage of his moments with Kiarostami, his travel photography, film making etc., and made this documentary. It demonstrates to us how Abbas captured the subtle life details neglected by us, as well as his meticulous attitude, which will definitely inspire the audience who are fond of movies, cinematography and aesthetics.

Close-Up

Directed by: Abbas Kiarostami
Written by: Abbas Kiarostami
Starring: Mohsen Makhmalbaf
Genre: Drama/ Crime

The young man Hossain Sabzian is arrested for fraud by posing as the popular Iranian director Mohsen Makhmalbaf. Hearing of it, Abbas Kiarostami interviews the police, victims and Sabzian in the form of a documentary. During the interrogation, Sabzian admits regret for cheating the Ahankhah family, but also claims that he is doing it out of his love for arts. If he has money, he will shoot a film of his own. And pretending to be Makhmalbaf has given him confidence. In the end, the real Makhmalbaf meets Sabzian and gives him a ride back to the Ahankhah\'s house to apologize.
For the first time, Abbas mixed the fictional and documentary elements in one movie, and created a unique style, which is inherited by most of his films after that. This film is a latest 1.85 digital restored version.

Through the Olive Trees

Directed by: Abbas Kiarostami
Written by: Abbas Kiarostami
Starring: Mohamad Ali Keshavarz/ Farhad Kheradmand
Genre: Drama

After an earthquake, a film crew comes to a village for shooting, and the director decides to use local actors. Outside the set of the film, the leading actor Hossein has fallen in love with the leading lady Tahereh for a long time and makes a marriage proposal to her…
The film features a structure of “play within a play”. The director intentionally blurred the boundaries between fiction and reality again, making the audience deeply immersed in the confusing relationship between the two protagonists.

Where Is the Friend\'s Home?

Directed by: Abbas Kiarostami
Written by: Abbas Kiarostami
Starring: Babek Ahmedpour/ Ahmed Ahmedpour/ Kheda Barech Defai
Genre: Drama

Because of repeatedly failing to complete his homework, the little boy Mohamed is warned by his teacher that he will get expelled if he cannot hand in his homework next time. As Ahmed prepares to do his homework, he realizes that he accidentally brought home a notebook belonging to his deskmate Mohamed. In order not to get Mohamed expelled, Ahmed goes looking for his classmate. Since the adults all refusing to help him, he goes to the neighboring village alone…
It was Kiarostami\'s first film to gain major international attention. The boy’s simple and sincere emotion is impressive. It is the first time that the children’s world is presented in front of the audience in such an arresting way, and Iranian child films start to blossom from then.

The Wind Will Carry Us

Directed by: Abbas Kiarostami
Written by: Abbas Kiarostami
Starring: Noghre Asadi/ Behzad Dorani / Roushan Karam Elmi
Genre: Drama

A group of production engineers arrive in a Kurdish village. All the villagers are talking about their sudden visit. They kindly receive the strangers. One of the engineers is interested in everything in the village. Up on a mountain, he discovers that one villager is digging a hole alone all the time, so he often talks with the villager out of curiosity. But one day, something disturbs the peaceful village: the hole that the villager is digging collapses and buries another villager. Doctors come to save the villager and find a dying old lady on the way. Facing the lady’s life passing away, the engineer feels melancholy.
The title The Wind Will Carry Us, is a reference to a poem talking about life and death, while the images and plots of the film are as poetic and nice as the poem.

Taste of Cherry

Directed by: Abbas Kiarostami
Written by: Abbas Kiarostami
Starring: Homayoun Ershadi/ Abdolrahman Bagheri
Genre: Drama

A man drives his truck in search of someone who will quietly bury him under a cherry tree after he commits suicide. One the way, he meets an Afghan seminarist, a Kurdish soldier, a Turkish… and finally, he starts to change his mind.
Just like Abbas’ other realistic works, Taste of Cherry is shot primarily with long takes; the pace is leisurely and there are long periods of silence. Through the communication between the suicide and others, different people’s understanding and belief on life conveys a life philosophy.

Certified Copy

Directed by: Abbas Kiarostami
Written by: Abbas Kiarostami

Starring: Juliette Binoche/ William Shimell/ Jean-Claude Carrière

British writer James Miller is in Italy to give a talk about his new book, titled "Certified Copy", and meets a French antiques dealer Elle. Miller argues about the authenticity of art creation and the status of reproduction, which appeals Elle and she suggests they get out and see some of the countryside. When they are mistaken for a couple, they start to play along…