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Via_Chicago wrote:What's most disappointing about the Kiarostami in NY business is that he wanted to teach a master class at NYU and they, unbelievably, said no. He taught at CUNY Hunter instead. How sad.

Wow, that is rather amazing. Makes me lose a lot of respect for NYU's film department as well (previously well-known stories of people like Korine and PTA dropping out notwithstanding...).

Oedipax wrote:

Via_Chicago wrote:What's most disappointing about the Kiarostami in NY business is that he wanted to teach a master class at NYU and they, unbelievably, said no. He taught at CUNY Hunter instead. How sad.

Wow, that is rather amazing. Makes me lose a lot of respect for NYU's film department as well (previously well-known stories of people like Korine and PTA dropping out notwithstanding...).

Sadly, Columbia is apparently just as bad. Their screening room is, I kid you not, sponsored by the Lifetime Channel (at least it used to be). And poor Andrew Sarris is left to teach his students the cultural value of films like Raging Bull and Singin' in the Rain (instead of using the platform to show his students, you know, maybe things they haven't had crammed down their throats their whole lives and have never heard of before). But, that's sort of the way film studies are going in this country.

I just wanted to post how grateful I am to ellipsis7 for posting that interview segment. Really good stuff, thanks.

still waiting for a Kiarostami boxset Criterion!
=D>

godardslave wrote:still waiting for a Kiarostami boxset Criterion!

The Mk2 boxset is great (for french speakers :p)

zedz wrote:What we need is:

Criterion Koker Trilogy box set with all the trimmings.

Criterion Close-Up

Eclipse box of pre-Friend's House TV and theatrical films (including the incredible pre-revolutionary Traveller)

Eclipse "Written by Kiarostami" box, including any stray Panahis, The Key, The Journey, Men at Work.

That should do it.

I echo this - a good Eclipse would be a pre-"Friend's House" films plus all his short films - they are a good number of good short films, ten or so of which recently played at the LA County Museum of Art.

I wrote my masters thesis on Taste of Cherry. I would love to see The Traveller and his short films.

WOW, that must have been one sleep inducing thesis. lol

Having just watched a terrible quality VHS dub of Homework (what a great film) last night, I think more Kiarostami on Criterion is a must.

The man is brilliant.

Well I read Ivyscobie's thesis on Taste of Cherry and it wasn't sleep inducing because it encompassed so many great ideas about film itself and not just on Kiarostami's film alone.

According to jonathanrosebaum.com (under the Publications and Events heading) he recorded a commentary on January 15 for "Close-Up" with Mehrnaz Saeed-Vafa for a Criterion release that will hopefully come out this year with some of his shorter works.

kiarostami wrote:According to jonathanrosebaum.com (under the Publications and Events heading) he recorded a commentary on January 15 for "Close-Up" with Mehrnaz Saeed-Vafa for a Criterion release that will hopefully come out this year with some of his shorter works.

OK, now we're talking.

I thought the UK authorities had moved on from this kind of stuff...

No Così relationship: visa row scuppers ENO's bid to secure Abbas Kiarostami

Charlotte Higgins
The Guardian, Wednesday 6 May 2009

When English National Opera announced that Abbas Kiarostami, the great Iranian film-maker, was to direct a production of Così Fan Tutte at London's Coliseum, it was something of a coup for the company.

But Kiarostami yesterday announced that he would not be travelling to the UK to direct the production, because, an ENO spokeswoman said, he "does not feel he was treated in a respectful way" when applying for his visa. He found the process "unduly time-consuming and hugely complicated", she added.

Instead, Kiarostami's assistant Elaine Tyler-Hall (who worked on the production in Aix-en-Provence last year), will direct the show, which opens on 29 May.

In a statement, Kiarostami said: "I would like to thank ... ENO for the understanding and support they have shown in this very complicated but delicate situation. They respected my position and my principles in spite of the obvious fact that it was putting them in a very precarious and disagreeable position. I have to confess that this gives me hope; the world is still a liveable place malgré tout ... "

The ENO spokeswoman said that Kiarostami, who travels regularly to France and Italy, had not been denied a visa, but gave up the application because of the time it was taking to process.

The British embassy in Tehran could not be reached for comment, but it is understood that the ambassador tried to intervene at the last minute - by which time Kiarostami had decided not to pursue the matter further.

Surely this is that most despicable of things - political censorship of the artist...

when I read just the headline, I briefly thought Brian Eno was going to score an upcoming Kiarostami film

edit: or rather, that Eno wasn't going to score the film

ellipsis7 wrote:I thought the UK authorities had moved on from this kind of stuff...

No Così relationship: visa row scuppers ENO's bid to secure Abbas Kiarostami

Incredible, and brings back memories...

Change of plan then for AK...

Kiarostami's Certified Copy begins shooting in Italy
8 June, 2009 | By Nancy Tartaglione | Screen Daily

MK2 has announced the start of production on the latest film from Abbas Kiarostami.


Certified Copy begins shooting on June 8 in Cortona, Lucignano and Arezzo in Tuscany, Italy. It is the veteran director’s first feature to be shot outside of his native Iran.

The film stars Juliette Binoche, who previously worked with Kiarostami on 2008’s Shirin. UK actor William Shimell, who is best known for his work as an opera singer, will make his feature debut.

The film tells the story of a British author who travels to Italy to hold a conference on the relationship between originals and copies in the art world. During the conference he meets a French art gallery owner, who jokingly pretends that he is often absent husband. The author plays along but the innocent charade becomes a dangerous game as the lines between reality and make-believe blur.

Certified Copy marks the ten-year anniversary of Kiarostami and producer Marin Karmitz. The duo began working together in 1999 with The Wind Will Carry Us.

Copy is an MK2 production in co-production with Bibi Films and France 3 Cinema with support from Canal Plus and the CNC.

A life in cinema: Abbas Kiarostami talks to Maya Jaggi of The Guardian about Shirin, Cosi Fan Tutte, the Iranian Presidential election and a lifetime in film...

Also nice slide show from his London photo exhibition, of Roads and Rain by Kiarostami

I sometimes get the impression that certain links to secondary material (ie not DVD related) don't get the attention they deserve - i really enjoy these, so Thanks for the linkl!

Yeah, I want to add my own thanks as well, ellipsis.God, what glorious images.

Speaking of which, and as long as we're on the subject, if anyone ever sees this get re-released please let me know. I've been trying to get a copy literally for years.

I'd like to randomly speculate (= fervently wish) that Criterion will continue to package early films with their future Kiarostami releases. In which case, the anticipated Koker Trilogy box set could also mop up a number of his pre-Friend's House films - as if that release wouldn't be awesome enough bare bones.

Well there are a number of shorts that have previously made it onto DVD, plus medium length pieces, however some of the most fascinating stuff which I saw live subtitled @ BFI SOUTHBANK/NFT at the AK Fest in 2005 has never made it to home video as yet... THE REPORT, which I last saw in a several generations VHS dub, a transfer with portraits of the Shah in shot erased frame by frame on the film print with felt pen, is most welcome... Also gives great hope that the floodgates will open a propos Kiarostami archival material...

zedz wrote:I'd like to randomly speculate (= fervently wish) that Criterion will continue to package early films with their future Kiarostami releases. In which case, the anticipated Koker Trilogy box set could also mop up a number of his pre-Friend's House films - as if that release wouldn't be awesome enough bare bones.

ellipsis7 wrote:Well there are a number of shorts that have previously made it onto DVD, plus medium length pieces, however some of the most fascinating stuff which I saw live subtitled @ BFI SOUTHBANK/NFT at the AK Fest in 2005 has never made it to home video as yet... THE REPORT, which I last saw in a several generations VHS dub, a transfer with portraits of the Shah in shot erased frame by frame on the film print with felt pen, is most welcome... Also gives great hope that the floodgates will open a propos Kiarostami archival material...

For a bunch of films that I mostly haven't seen, I can't think of many films that I'm more interested in seeing getting a stateside release. These are the films that Kiarostami made for The Center for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults (Kanoon/Kanun). As such, most seem to deal with kids, adolescence, education, etc. They encompass everything that Kiarostami directed in the 1970s and 1980s -- a total of 21 films.

It seems to me that an Eclipse set would be the ideal home for these films. If you exclude the three feature-length narrative films (The Traveler, The Report, Where is the Friend's Home?) made for Kanoon, the 18 remaining films would very easily fit on six discs (or less -- as few as three, depending on Criterion's willingness to cram). It's a little under nine and a half hours worth of material. This, of course, assumes that there are presentable extant elements of all of these films, which has seemed to be a concern in the past. Since these were produced for an Iranian cultural institution, I guess that could make things somewhat difficult, but the release of The Traveler, The Report, and the supposedly impending Koker Trilogy are all very encouraging.

It seems like Criterion has at least theoretical access to whatever elements Kanoon has. If so, Kiarostami at Kanoon: 18 Documentaries and Short Films seems like a no-brainer.

Theoretical Breakdown

Disc 1: 1970 - 1975 -- 90 min.
The Bread and the Alley, narrative, 10 minutes
Breaktime, narrative, 11 minutes
The Experience, narrative, 60 minutes
So Can I, narrative, 5 minutes
Two Solutions for One Problem, instructional, 4 minutes

Disc 2: 1976-1977 -- 99 min.
Colors, instructional, 15 minutes
A Wedding Suit, narrative, 57 minutes
How to Make Use of Leisure Time: Painting, instructional, 7 minutes
Tribute to the Teachers, documentary, 20 minutes

Disc 3: 1978 - 1980 -- 89 min.
Solution, narrative, 12 minutes
First Case, Second Case, documentary, 53 minutes
Dental Hygiene, instructional, 24 minutes

Disc 4: 1981 - 1983 -- 108 min.
Orderly or Disorderly, instructional, 15 minutes
The Chorus, narrative, 17 minutes
Fellow Citizen, documentary, 52 minutes
Toothache, instructional, 24 minutes

Disc 5
First Graders, documentary, 84 minutes

Disc 6
Homework, documentary, 86 minutes

that would be the most awesome box ever, seen a bunch of the movies and they're all great.

This is a very 'do-able' package... I've added some notes...

Jeff wrote: Theoretical Breakdown

Disc 1: 1970 - 1975 -- 90 min.
The Bread and the Alley, narrative, 10 minutes [Already on Films du Paradoxe TRAVELLER DVD]
Breakdown, narrative, 11 minutes [Breaktime I think is the correct title, which is already on Films du Paradoxe WHERE IS THE FRIENDS HOUSE DVD]
The Experience, narrative, 60 minutes [In double bill WEDDING SUIT/EXPERIENCE Films du Paradoxe DVD]
So Can I, narrative, 5 minutes [Was in 2005 AK London Fest @ BFI]
Two Solutions for One Problem, instructional, 4 minutes [On already Films du Paradoxe WEDDING SUIT/EXPERIENCE DVD]

Disc 2: 1976-1977 -- 99 min.
Colors, instructional, 15 minutes [Was in 2005 AK London Fest @ BFI, also is on Youtube currently]
A Wedding Suit, narrative, 57 minutes [In double bill WEDDING SUIT/EXPERIENCE Films du Paradoxe DVD]
How to Make Use of Leisure Time: Painting, instructional, 7 minutes [Was in 2005 AK London Fest @ BFI]
Tribute to the Teachers, documentary, 20 minutes [Was in 2005 AK London Fest @ BFI]

Disc 3: 1978 - 1980 -- 89 min.
Solution, narrative, 12 minutes [Wonderful film. Was in 2005 AK London Fest @ BFI]
First Case, Second Case, documentary, 53 minutes [Fascinating. Was in 2005 AK London Fest @ BFI]
Dental Hygiene, instructional, 24 minutes [This surely is Toothache under another name, not a separate film]

Disc 4: 1981 - 1983 -- 108 min.
Orderly or Disorderly, instructional, 15 minutes [Great. Was in 2005 AK London Fest @ BFI]
The Chorus, narrative, 17 minutes [ Is already on Films du Paradoxe AND LIFE GOES ON DVD]
Fellow Citizen, documentary, 52 minutes [Intriguing study. Was in 2005 AK London Fest @ BFI]
Toothache, instructional, 24 minutes [Witty incisive film. Was in 2005 AK London Fest @ BFI]

Disc 5
First Graders, documentary, 84 minutes [Was in 2005 AK London Fest @ BFI]

Disc 6
Homework, documentary, 86 minutes [Was in 2005 AK London Fest @ BFI. Also was on Film Four some years back]

The putative Discs 3 & 4 are especially interesting, given that they are made around the time of the Revolution, but totally elide overt reference to the political change, instead in the issues treated AK makes a more oblique and subtle commentary on Iranian society and the individual...

To that list might be added a film that he wrote, produced, and edited: The Key, directed by Ebrahim Forouzesh. It was on a Facets VHS, I believe.

What did the prints at the BFI retro look like?

I saw a few of the rarer Kiarostami shorts in Paris about eight years ago (I think it was Solution, Bread and Alley, A Suit for Wedding, and one or two others I can't recall. Those prints, which Emmannuel Burdeau said were the only extant copies in France, were pretty beat up. But the copies on the Paradoxe DVDs aren't bad; does anyone know where they came from, and if they licensed them from the (presumed) Iranian rights-holders?

Is Kiarostami our only "major filmmaker" who has an extensive background in educational shorts? What were the venues for seeing these films in Iran in the 1970s and 1980s? Were they distributed to schools on 16mm, broadcast on TV?