Retrospective: Jafar Panahi

Jafar Panahi is believed to be one of the most influential directors of the Iranian new wave. He began as Abbas Kiarostami’s assistant. In the years 1980 – 1988 he created a series of documentaries devoted to the Iraq-Iran war. These films paved the way for his social sensitivity, typical of his later works. “The White Balloon” (1995) is not only the most famous but also the simplest in terms of its form. This story, told from a perspective of a child, has conquered the world and won him the first important award – the Golden Camera for the best film debut during the Cannes festival. His later productions were also awarded prestigious prizes – Golden Leopard in Locarno for “The Mirror”, Golden Lion in Venice for “The Circle” and the Silver Bear in Berlin for “Offside”. However, his skyrocketing career came to a halt. Public manifestation of his support towards the Iranian opposition were an incentive for the regime of Teheran to declare him a political enemy and sentence him to 6 years of imprisonment with a subsequent ban from film making for another 20 years. Ars Independent, following in the footsteps of Berlinale and Cannes, has decided to honour the director’s artistic work presenting his retrospective.

Biały Balonik (White Balloon)

Badkonake sefid, reż. Jafar Panahi, Iran 1995, 85 min.

A debut film of Jafar Panahi, created under the artistic supervision by Abbas Kiarostami, is a simple story told from a point of view of a child. Panahi depicts the adventures of Razieh (7) who according to Iranian New Year’s tradition dreams of having a goldfish. The girl manages to persuade her parents to give her the money for the fish. On the way to the market, however, she loses the longed-for banknote obtained in such a difficult way. Yet, the little heroine does not give up and tries to find it again. Without a clear outline of a plot, the film does not as much embrace the story itself, as the way it is told and the emotions it conveys. The picture was awarded a Golden Camera in Cannes.

Saturday 16.06, Kino Kosmos (mała sala)

Sunday 19.06, Kino Kosmos (mała sala)

TRAILER - http://www.videodetective.com/movies/trailers/the-white-balloon-trailer/6655

Lustro (The Mirror)

Ayneh, reż. Jafar Panahi, Iran 1997, 95 min.

Another of Panahi’s films centering on children. A little Iranian girl finishes her day at school and realises her mother, who usually waits for her outside, is not there. The girl decides to go back home on her own. She gets on the wrong bus, thus being driven to the unknown parts of the city. The lost passenger receives help from the driver. “The Mirror” is not a classic story. With its rich background, it first and foremost constitutes a documentary on everyday life of the citizens in the always busy capital of Iran. The picture connects an unusual form with a socially engaging plot and was awarded prizes during the international festivals in Istanbul, Locarno and Singapore.

Friday 17.06, 20:00, Kinoteatr Rialto

Sunday 19.06, 18:30, Kino Kosmos (mała sala)

FRAGMENT FILMU - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZjHG1lyIMY

Krąg (The Circle)

Dayereh, reż. Jafar Panahi, Iran/Szwajcaria/Włochy 2000, 90 min.

The film presents the critical situation of women in Islamic Iran. They are shown as living on the edge of a male-dominated society of Iran. The director follows the stories of few women wandering on the streets of Teheran. He acquaints us with the way they sneak through the streets like frightened animals. The message sent by the film is further underscored by its video convention: the captures are shot by hand, in a quasidocumentary style, and the dialogues are improvised by amateurs who were given the main roles by Panahi. The classic drama is replaced here with stories and episodes intertwinnedwith one another. The censorship did not authorise Panahi’s “The Circle” for screenings in Iran. It was, however, shown abroad where it achieved a FIPRESCI award in San Sebastian and Venice and won a Golden Lion award for best picture.

Friday 17.06, 20:00, Kinoteatr Rialto

Sunday 19.06, 18:30, Kino Kosmos (mała sala)

TRAILER - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6FahWs_ctg

Crimson Gold

Talaye sorkh, reż. Jafar Panahi, Iran 2003, 95 min.

A pizza deliverer, Hussein, can’t help but notice the twists and turns in the social politics of the system which he lives in. One day, he finds a receipt for a really expensive necklace in a lost purse. He cannot accept the fact that he will never be able to afford such a luxurious purchase. Another disappointment surfaces when he is refused to be let into a prestigious jewellery shop because of his appearance. Both his life and job constantly verify his illusions, making him fully aware of the discrepancies between the lives of the rich and the poor. Every day after work, he wanders off to the adjacent neighbourhood in order to momentarily feel the throbbing lives from behind the doors of rich estates. One night Hussein gets a taste of a life in luxury, only to experience more humiliations and embarrassments a while later.

Thursday 16.06, 20:00, Kinoteatr Rialto

Saturday 18.06, 10:00, Kino Kosmos (mała sala)

TRAILER - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WN5IXf594M

Na spalonym (Offside)

Offside, reż. Jafar Panahi, Iran 2006, 88 min.

In Islamic Iran, women have no right to enter football stadiums. A game between Iran and Bahrain in the Asian Cup 2006 qualification serves as a backdrop for the film. Six young Iranian women, great football fans want to watch the game live. To fulfil that dream they have to disguise themselves as men and hope that the security guarding the stadium will not recognise them. The movie depicts the exclusion of Iranian women as a social group in a conservative society, focusing on one of the limitations imposed in that context.

Tuseday 14.06, 21:00, Kino Kosmos (duża sala)

Wednesday 15.06, 20:00, Kinoteatr Rialto

TRAILER - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xF029bEi00&feature=related