Abbas Kiarostami Biography: Career, Awards

Abbas Kiarostami (1940-2016) was an Iranian film director, screenwriter, poet, photographer, and film producer. A part of the Iranian New Wave, Kiarostami is famous for using poetic dialogue and a unique cinematic storytelling style, in which the aesthetics and scenes say much more about the story than mere words. 

One of the most acclaimed directors of American Cinema, Martin Scorsese, once said that Kiarostami represents the highest level of artistry in cinema. 

The unexplainable charisma that Kiarostami brings to his cinema through often using children as protagonists, the moral codes delivered through them, the art of telling simple stories through the scenes and aesthetics of rural Iran, and the rawness he inculcates through the as-it-is exposure to the locale, all make him a one-of-a-kind director.

Early Years

Born on 22nd June 1940, in Tehran, Kiarostami was into art from the very beginning. He won a painting competition at 18, before he left his home to pursue a major in painting and graphic design at the University of Tehran School of Fine Arts. 

He initially shot commercials for Iranian television, but started creating credit titles for films and illustrating children's books in the late 1960s. This was the beginning of the film career of one of the most widely acclaimed filmmakers of Iranian Cinema.

His first film, ‘The Bread and Alley’, is a 12-minute short film about a schoolboy’s encounter with a hostile dog. The film underlines the theme of how one can conquer the difficulties of one’s life by facing them, confronting them.

Children as Protagonists

One of the signature styles of Kiarostami’s filmmaking is the portrayal of children as protagonists in his films. It was also a means of escape for him from the strict censorship imposed by the Iranian regime on filmmakers. The moral codes of his films are often delivered through the innocence of children in his films. 

In the widely acclaimed ‘Where Is the Friend's Home?’, the child protagonist Ahmed mistakenly takes his school friend Mohammed’s notebook home, and now wants it returned to him badly so that his friend can finish his homework. 

The whole film is centred around Ahmed roaming the streets and pathways of the neighbouring village, asking everyone where Mohammed lives, without even knowing his friend's last name, until it gets dark. Mohammed faces the threat of expulsion, which his teacher has bestowed on him if he doesn’t bring his homework tomorrow. 

Winning the Palme d’Or

Kiarostami was awarded the Palme d’Or for his minimalist drama film ‘Taste of Cherry’ in 1997. The film continuously talks about whether life is worth living or not, and the individual struggles of one’s being through life. 

The sharp dialogue of the film strongly stresses that one can comprehend and understand the sufferings of the other individual, but can’t feel them. The film features Badii, a middle-aged man who is in search of a recruit whom he can pay heavily for just burying him after he commits suicide.

What is Palme d’Or?

The Palme d'Or is widely considered one of the film industry's most prestigious awards. It is awarded to the director of the film which is chosen as the Best Feature Film of the Official Competition at the Cannes Film Festival. The festival's highest prize was the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film until the Palme d'Or was introduced in 1955.

Check out some more interesting articles from the general knowledge section to boost your knowledge of national and international topics. Stay connected with Jagran Josh for more topics like this.