Abbas Kiarostami

Abbas Kiarostami’s lyrical documentary films blur the lines between fact, fiction, artifice, and earnestness. Kiarostami rose to prominence as part of the Iranian New Wave cinema movement that began in the 1960s and continued on through the country’s political revolution. Early in his career, he made simple, minimalist tales. He later worked in the realm of docufiction, investigating identity and cinema. One such work, Close-Up (1990), is widely considered one of the best Iranian films ever made. His later, more experimental works include Shirin (2008), which features close shots of more than 100 actresses watching a film. Kiarostami’s 1997 film Taste of Cherry was awarded the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, becoming the first Iranian film to win the prize. In addition to filmmaking, Kiarostami worked in photography, painting, and poetry.