Iran Through the Lens of Childhood
Programmed by: Elias Widawsky
Spanning three generations of Iranian New Wave filmmakers, this series navigates contemporary issues in Iranian society from the precious vantage point of childhood, that "age seven […] where our playground was beneath the desk" (Forugh Farrokhzad). In these works, children, equipped with nothing but the endearing and enduring spirit of innocence, strive against poverty, war, racism, and gender discrimination. Classrooms, village roads, and bustling markets become sites for these characters to confront authority and unearth their independence. A boy wanders through his village to return a notebook to his classmate; siblings resourcefully devise ways to conceal lost shoes; a war orphan searches for belonging in an unfamiliar landscape; schoolchildren speak out against homework. Elsewhere, first love emerges in shy glances across social divides. Navigating the margins of the adult world, these young protagonists discover the immense power of their resilient imaginations. As Ingmar Bergman notes, "This is the prerogative of childhood: to move in complete freedom between magic and oatmeal porridge." These films reveal the creativity, tenderness, and quiet moral seriousness with which children understand the world, their absolute humanity in a world that has denied it.
Doc believes that showing international cinema will contribute to productive dialogue on various issues afflicting the people of Iran, including but not limited to U.S. and Israeli airstrikes and the Iranian government's suppression of protests. Admission to screenings in this series will be free.
Bread and Alley / Where Is the Friend’s House? (1970 / 1987)
Abbas Kiarostami · 12m / 83m · DCP
Young Ahmad arrives home from school only to realize he accidentally took his classmate Reza’s notebook. Knowing Reza is on the cusp of expulsion for failing to complete his homework, Ahmad sets out on an odyssey through his village to return the notebook in a stirring display of earnest morality. Over the course of this journey, Abbas Kiarostami surveys the complexity and beauty of rural Iranian life. Preceded by Bread and Alley.
Wednesday, March 25 7:00 PM
A Moment of Innocence (1996)
Mohsen Makhmalbaf · 78m · DCP
In a remarkably earnest display of autofiction, Mohsen Makhmalbaf re-stages the stabbing of a police officer from his youth with adolescent actors twenty years later. This self-reflexive film balances the weight of history with humor and tenderness, simultaneously offering an amusing glimpse into the filmmaking process. For Makhmalbaf, the title is a punchline, a solution, and a thesis.
Courtesy of Makhmalbaf Film House.
Wednesday, April 1 7:00 PM
Children of Heaven (1997)
Majid Majidi · 88m · Digital
When Ali loses his sister Zahra’s shoes in a marketplace in Tehran, the siblings come up with a strategy to hide the loss from their financially struggling parents. Touching and simple, the film grounds the realities of poverty in the resilient and creative outlook of its young protagonists.
Wednesday, April 8 7:00 PM
Two Solutions to One Problem / So Can I / Homework (1975 / 1975 / 1989)
Abbas Kiarostami · 6m / 5m / 78m · DCP
Kiarostami problematizes education and, in particular, the practice of assigning homework in his documentary Homework. The filmmaker interviews young pupils and parents, exposing the limits of an education system which relies on corporeal punishment and fails to acknowledge the widespread illiteracy of older generations. Preceded by Two Solutions to One Problem and So Can I.
Wednesday, April 15 7:00 PM
Hit the Road (2021)
Panah Panahi · 94m · DCP
Panah Panahi’s award-winning debut film presents a dysfunctional family’s bittersweet road trip through the Iranian countryside. Jam-packed with endearing chaos and endlessly charming performances, the film simultaneously explores the strain of sacrifice, exile, and political oppression on familial bonds.
Wednesday, April 22 7:00 PM
Bashu, the Little Stranger (1989)
Bahram Beyazi · 120m · DCP
In the midst of the Iran-Iraq war, Bashu’s family is killed, and the young Afro-Iranian boy is forced to flee. After winding up in a remote northern village, the traumatized Bashu faces the challenge of adapting to a new language and making a new home for himself. In this urgently relevant film, Bahram Beyzai crafts a powerful tale of grief, displacement, and human compassion.
Wednesday, April 29 7:00 PM
The Runner (1984)
Amir Naderi · 94m · DCP
Largely based on Amir Naderi’s own childhood, orphaned Amiro survives the harsh streets of Abadan by working odd jobs. Living in an abandoned tanker, the resourceful boy finds solace in his imagination and inexhaustible love for running – a testament to his unbreakable spirit.
Wednesday, May 6 7:00 PM
The Apple (1998)
Samira Makhmalbaf · 82m · 35mm
Based on a true story and played by the family members themselves, this film blends documentary and drama to reenact a father’s imprisonment of his two daughters at home. When a social worker shows up to free the girls, Massoumeh and Zahra, they encounter difficulties adjusting to the outside world after being locked up for eleven years. In her daringly genre-bending debut, 17-year-old Samira Makhmalbaf confronts patriarchal norms.
35mm print courtesy of the Walker Art Center.
Wednesday, May 13 7:00 PM
Waiting / Experience (1974 / 1973)
Amir Naderi / Abbas Kiarostami · 43m / 57m · DCP
Amir Naderi’s Waiting, a feat of visual storytelling, follows a boy’s chore of retrieving ice from a neighbor’s house. Although he only sees her hennaed hands, the boy begins to fall for the girl who gives him ice everyday. Experience, directed by Abbas Kiarostami and co-written by Naderi, is the quiet portrait of a 14-year-old photography shop errand boy, who falls in love with a girl from a wealthy family. Punctuated with teenage mischief and timid glances, the film narrates a first love obstructed by social inequality.
