Internationally acclaimed director Jafar Panahi drives a yellow cab through the vibrant streets of Tehran, picking up a diverse (and yet representative) group of passengers in a single day. Each man, woman, and child candidly expresses his or her own view of the world, while being interviewed by the curious and gracious driver/director. His camera, placed on the dashboard of his mobile film studio, captures a spirited slice of Iranian society while also brilliantly redefining the borders of comedy, drama and cinema.
Run time: 86 mins
Jafar Panahi is one of the preeminent filmmakers working today, and he is a central figure within contemporary Iranian cinema, a cinema known for producing some of the most compelling films of the past forty years. Panahi is one of four directors in history to win the top prizes at the Cannes, Venice, and Berlin Film Festivals, and he has regularly pushed the boundaries of cinematic narrative and political cinema with his films, all while facing increasing censorship and political repression, including imprisonment. This film series will examine Panahi’s work within the context of cinema history and “art cinema” traditions, contemporary Iranian cinema, and the constricted landscape of film production within Iran while also considering how Panahi questions what it means to make films and what the boundaries of cinema might be for filmmakers and spectators.
This series is a partnership between the Hollywood Theatre and the Portland State University School of Film. These films are presented as part of the curriculum for The Cinema of Jafar Panahi, taught by Portland State University Professor of Film Studies, Mark Berrettini. Berrettini will be on hand to introduce each screening.
Screenings are Thursdays at 4:00 starting April 16th and concluding May 28th.