The White Balloon
aka Badkonake sefid First screened in May 2015
Director: Jafar Panahi. Cast: Aida Mohammadkhani, Mohsen Kafili, Fereshteh Sadre Orafaiy, Hamidreza Tahery, Asghar Barzegar, Hasan Neamatolahi, Bosnali Bahary, Aliasghar Smadi, Mohammed Bakhtiar, Mohammad Shahani, Anna Borkowska, Homayoon Rokani. Screenplay: Abbas Kiarostami (based on an idea by Jafar Panahi and Parviz Shahbazi). Twitter Capsule:
Simple, tender storytelling reveals careful facets; like the goldfish, it dances while seeming to stay in place.
VOR:④
Arrival of a major filmmaker, working closely but distinctively with another. Iranian art cinema minus the fussy meta-levels, without sacrificing layers and depth. A breakthrough abroad.