Abbas Kiarostami

Abbas Kiarostami
مهرزاد بروجردی · CC BY 4.0 · source
Name	Abbas Kiarostami
Birth date	June 22, 1940
Birth place	Tehran, Iran
Death date	July 4, 2016
Death place	Paris, France
Occupation	Film director, Screenwriter, Photographer

Abbas Kiarostami was a renowned Iranian film director known for his unique and poetic filmmaking style, which often explored the lives of ordinary people in Iran and beyond, as seen in films like Close-Up and Through the Olive Trees. His work was heavily influenced by Italian Neorealism and the French New Wave, and he was often compared to directors like Akira Kurosawa and Andrei Tarkovsky. Kiarostami's films often featured non-professional actors and were shot on location in Iran, Turkey, and other countries, including Japan and France. He was also a prolific photographer and poet, and his work was exhibited in museums and galleries around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York City and the Centre Pompidou in Paris.

● Early Life and Education

Abbas Kiarostami was born in Tehran, Iran to a middle-class family, and grew up in a culturally rich environment, surrounded by Persian literature and Iranian art. He studied fine arts at the University of Tehran, where he was exposed to the works of Federico Fellini and Ingmar Bergman, and later attended the Institute for Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults, where he began making short films, including Bread and Alley and The Experience. Kiarostami's early life and education were shaped by his experiences in Iran during the Iranian Revolution and the Iran-Iraq War, which had a profound impact on his filmmaking style and themes, as seen in films like The Wind Will Carry Us and Certified Copy. He was also influenced by the works of Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola, and was a fan of Hollywood films, including those of Alfred Hitchcock and Billy Wilder.

● Career

Kiarostami's career as a filmmaker spanned over four decades, during which he made numerous short and feature films, including Where Is the Friend's Home? and Life and Nothing More.... He was a key figure in the Iranian New Wave movement, which emerged in the 1960s and 1970s, and was characterized by its use of location shooting and non-professional actors, as seen in films like The House Is Black and The Cow. Kiarostami's films often explored themes of identity, community, and social justice, and were praised for their nuanced and compassionate portrayal of ordinary people, as seen in films like Taste of Cherry and The Traveler. He worked with a range of collaborators, including Mohsen Makhmalbaf and Jafar Panahi, and was a mentor to many young filmmakers, including Asghar Farhadi and Shirin Neshat. Kiarostami's films were also influenced by the works of Jean-Luc Godard and François Truffaut, and he was a fan of European art cinema, including the films of Luis Buñuel and Michelangelo Antonioni.

● Film Style and Themes

Kiarostami's filmmaking style was characterized by its use of long takes, location shooting, and non-professional actors, as seen in films like And Life Goes On and Through the Olive Trees. His films often explored themes of identity, community, and social justice, and were praised for their nuanced and compassionate portrayal of ordinary people, as seen in films like The Wind Will Carry Us and Certified Copy. Kiarostami was also known for his use of metaphor and allegory, and his films often featured complex and open-ended narratives, as seen in films like Taste of Cherry and The Traveler. He was influenced by a range of artistic and literary traditions, including Persian poetry and Iranian folklore, and his films often incorporated elements of music and dance, as seen in films like The Experience and Bread and Alley. Kiarostami's films were also influenced by the works of Yasujirō Ozu and Satyajit Ray, and he was a fan of Asian cinema, including the films of Akira Kurosawa and Shohei Imamura.

● Notable Works

Some of Kiarostami's most notable works include Close-Up, Through the Olive Trees, and Taste of Cherry, which won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1997. He also made a number of short films, including Bread and Alley and The Experience, which were praised for their simplicity and elegance, as seen in films like The House Is Black and The Cow. Kiarostami's films were often screened at international film festivals, including the Berlin International Film Festival and the Venice Film Festival, and he was a frequent collaborator with other filmmakers, including Mohsen Makhmalbaf and Jafar Panahi. He was also influenced by the works of Werner Herzog and Terrence Malick, and was a fan of experimental cinema, including the films of Stan Brakhage and Andy Warhol. Kiarostami's films were also influenced by the works of Chantal Akerman and Agnès Varda, and he was a fan of feminist cinema, including the films of Jane Campion and Sally Potter.

● Awards and Legacy

Kiarostami won numerous awards for his films, including the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. He was also awarded the Honorary Oscar for his lifetime contributions to cinema, and was recognized by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Kiarostami's legacy continues to be felt in the world of cinema, and his films remain widely popular and influential, as seen in the works of filmmakers like Asghar Farhadi and Shirin Neshat. He was also influenced by the works of Roman Polanski and David Lynch, and was a fan of surrealist cinema, including the films of Luis Buñuel and David Cronenberg. Kiarostami's films were also influenced by the works of Federico Fellini and Ingmar Bergman, and he was a fan of European art cinema, including the films of Michelangelo Antonioni and Pier Paolo Pasolini.

● Personal Life

Kiarostami was born and raised in Tehran, Iran, and spent much of his life living and working in Iran and Europe. He was married twice and had two sons, and was known for his love of poetry and music, as well as his passion for cinema. Kiarostami was also a prolific photographer and poet, and his work was exhibited in museums and galleries around the world, including the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the Tate Modern in London. He was influenced by the works of Henri Cartier-Bresson and Ansel Adams, and was a fan of photography, including the works of Dorothea Lange and Walker Evans. Kiarostami's personal life was also influenced by his experiences in Iran during the Iranian Revolution and the Iran-Iraq War, which had a profound impact on his filmmaking style and themes, as seen in films like The Wind Will Carry Us and Certified Copy.