On July 4, the fifth anniversary of the death of the late Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami, the Asian Film Archive will host a retrospective of Abbas films from the 10th of this month to August 28, presenting 27 of his 34 films, 27 of which are feature films, and the rarely screened short and documentary films are minor versions, known as the "feat" of Asian screening.
Where Is My Friend's Home (right) is one of director Abbas's (left) "Iran Trilogy," in which students return homework books to their classmates.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="2" > tickets are available today</h1>
Abbas has been filming for more than half a century, and his works have been internationally renowned, and he died of gastrointestinal cancer five years ago, leaving countless works to fans who are nostalgic. American director Martin Scorsese once described Abbas as representing the highest level of cinematic art; Iranian director Asghar Farhadi believes that he is not only important to Iranian cinema, but also a pioneer of world cinema, daring to do what many people dare not do. Jafar Panahi believes that Abbas teaches people to see things in their own unique way; Austrian director Michael Haneke believes that Abbas is the greatest of all filmmakers.
Directed by Abbas
Tickets for the retrospective are available from the Asian Film Archive today.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="5" > the soulful work of the "Iran Trilogy"</h1>
The retrospective will screen Abbas's well-known "Iran trilogy" from 1987 to 1994 — "Where Is The Friend's House?", "And Life Goes On" and "Through The Olive Trees." At the end of the 1970s, the Islamic Revolution broke out in Iran, Khomeini established a closed and conservative Islamic Republic, and many filmmakers who were contemporaries of Abbas fled abroad, but Abbas stayed and compared himself to a tree, believing that the tree was rooted in the land, transplanted to other places, and it would not bear fruit. The "Iran Trilogy" is his soulful work.
"Where Is My Friend's Home"
"Taste of Cherry" explores life and death; "Close up" is full of Italian neo-realism, and Italian director Nanni Moretti is amazed, and a 9-minute short film pays tribute to Abbas, which has become a good story in the film world. "24 Frames", with its white snowy woodlands and images of birds flapping their wings over the wilderness, was inspired by Abbas's personal collection of photographs, and he and his team spent three years using digital imaging tools to reimagine the past and present lives of these photographs. The repeated and intimate pursuit and questioning between photography and film are like a gentle video poem.
Stills from "The Taste of Cherries"
French actress Juliet Binoche's "Certified Copy" is the story of a "fake couple"; "Like Someone In Love" is the story of a female college student played by Japanese actress Takanashi Lin who sells a smiley face in a sound venue for tuition.