The Cinema of Abbas Kiarostami

Abbas Kiarostami’s films have taken their place alongside the masterworks of world cinema. He remains the most influential filmmaker of post-revolutionary Iran and has produced a body of work that is as rooted in his native land as it is universal in appeal.Respected cinema historian Alberto Elena uses Iranian sources wherever possible to frame Kiarostami’s oeuvre within the context of the rich artistic and intellectual Persian tradition that has nurtured the director. He examines his blending of fiction and reality, and his recurring themes of death, meaning in life, isolation, solidarity and the lives of women. The result is a retrospective that reveals exactly how this most Iranian of directors has come to assume a place in the pantheon of international cinema, from his early days as an illustrator and graphic designer, and his collaborative work and influences to his current master-status.