Having grown up in a Western society it took me a while to get away from Hollywood to discover instead international art house cinema. Among Iranian filmmakers there is one who stands out from the crowd : Kiarostami. He has been my favourite one so far. His films are like visual poems with a touch of mystery. The rhythm is always slow, the shots are peppered with discreet details and neat symbols that the viewer is given the task of interpreting. As a result, the atmosphere turns out intriguing and prompts the viewer to dig deeper into Kiarostami’s filmography. But he is not the only Iranian movie directors worthy of interest.
Here are a few gems to explore the Persian culture through the Seventh art :
Persepolis - Marjane Satrapi & Vincent Paronnaud
The Wind Will Carry Us - Abbas Kiarostami
Santouri - Dariush Mehrjui
The White Balloon - Jafar Panahi
Taste of Cherry - Abbas Kiarostami
If you are interested about exploring Iran have a look at my travel photography report.