UI Press | Mehrnaz Saeed-Vafa and Jonathan Rosenbaum

Abbas Kiarostami

The first English study of an important Iranian director

This penetrating study of the Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami’s life and work engages a cross-cultural dialogue between Mehrnaz Saeed-Vafa, an Iranian filmmaker, and Jonathan Rosenbaum, a film critic, both of whom have an intense interest in Kiarostami’s work.

A pioneer in Iranian cinema and considered one of the most controversial and influential filmmakers alive, Kiarostami has written or directed more than twenty films. He gained notoriety in the West in the 1990s with the breakaway films Close-Up and Through the Olive Trees and became the first Iranian director to win the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival for Taste of Cherry. He is also largely credited for his contributions to the Iranian New Wave. Abbas Kiarostami is the first full-length, English-language study of his work. A unique and resplendent collaboration featuring two distinct but complementing perspectives, the book places Kiarostami and his films in a national context and provides American readers with valuable insights into Iranian culture, Kiarostami’s portrayal of women and politics, and his influence on other filmmakers.

Mehrnaz Saeed-Vafa is a filmmaker and faculty member at Columbia College in Chicago. She is the author of essays and articles on Iranian cinema. Jonathan Rosenbaum is a film critic for the Chicago Reader and the author of several books, including Movies as Politics, Greed, and Dead Man.