Doha Film Institute (DFI) celebrates the illustrious cinematic and internationally renowned, award-winning filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami with a dedicated showcase of 14 short and feature films from 13 to 21 September, 2013 at the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) in Doha for the first time. Abbas Kiarostami himself is expected to attend and to make appearances […]
Doha Film Institute (DFI) celebrates the illustrious cinematic and internationally renowned, award-winning filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami with a dedicated showcase of 14 short and feature films from 13 to 21 September, 2013 at the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) in Doha for the first time. Abbas Kiarostami himself is expected to attend and to make appearances at screenings from September 13 to 16 to engage with audiences from around the GCC.
Featuring a number of his acclaimed films, the Kiarostami Retrospective underscores DFIs role in bringing the best of cinema and international filmmakers to Qatars audiences, stimulating discussion on world cinema, and continuing the development of appreciation for the art form among audiences in Qatar.
Abdulaziz Al Khater, CEO of Doha Film Institute, said: DFI is proud to present this rich selection of Abbas Kiarostamis great works for the first time in the region. We are not only sharing some of the finest world cinema with Qatars audiences, but we also hope to inspire local and regional talent to expand boundaries of traditional filmmaking to experiment with various media, styles, and interpretations.
Ludmila Cvikova, Head of Film Programming at Doha Film Institute, said: One of the most admired contemporary auteurs of cinema, Abbas Kiarostami is an inspiration for emerging as well as established filmmakers. His approach to filmmaking, which often defies conventional techniques, is much discussed and often emulated. This film retrospective offers audiences as well as film professionals in Qatar a rare chance to see the works of the grand master of Iranian Cinema.
The Kiarostami Retrospective will include: Bread and Alley (1970); Breaktime (1972); Experience (1973); The Traveller (1974); Where Is the Friends House? (1987); Close-Up (1990); Cannes Palme dOr winner Taste of Cherry (1997); Venice Film Festival Silver Lion winner The Wind Will Carry Us (1999); ABC Africa (2001); Ten (2002); Five (2003); Shirin (2008); Certified Copy (2010), for which Juliette Binoche won the best actress prize at the Cannes Film Festival; and Like Someone in Love (2012).
A master of conceptual cinema and the first Iranian filmmaker to win a Palm DOr Cannes in 2007, Kiarostami has over 70 credits to his name, making him one of the most celebrated filmmakers from the region. He has been voted one of the most important filmmakers of the 1990s in two polls conducted by independent film critics. He is not only a director, but a screenwriter, producer and photographer, stretching his artistic skills to writing poetry and painting. Multi-talented Kiarostami also spends considerable amount of time reaching out to aspiring filmmakers and teaching them ways to achieve excellence in the craft through his master classes.
The flagbearer of Iranian cinema within the international film circuit, Kiarostami has been attributed with being instrumental in elevating the presence of Iranian cinema, today one of the most respected national cinemas in the world.
