Man ham mitounam

Abbas Kiarostami trained as a painter, illustrated children’s books and designed film posters and credits for the Iranian New Wave before making dozens of television commercials. In 1970, he was asked to create a film department at the Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults. Using animation, montage, music and improvisation, Kiarostami would use this space to play with the short film format, creating simple, playful narratives around children, both venerated in Iranian culture and given significant responsibilities within the family and society. These were perfect subjects for him while he explored filmmaking and different aspects of Iranian life in the years leading up to the revolution of 1979 and the ideological shifts in its aftermath. The films bring up ethical, existential and societal questions through simple dilemmas that children encounter. His first directorial work, NAN VA KOUTCHEH (1970), starts with a boy simply walking home from the bakery, but transforms into a tense experience of fear and courage. Just two years after the heated revolution, BE TARTIB YA BEDOUN-E TARTIB (1981) already questioned the collective body and the ways it could shift between chaos and efficiency in a matter of seconds. Formally self-reflexive, the director’s presence is heard throughout, a technique Kiarostami later employed in his features. DOW RAHEHAL BARAYE YEK MASSALEH (1975) is a more calculated study of childhood, looking at behaviour, self-control and camaraderie as fragile elements of coexistence. The more abstract works like ZANG-E TAFRIH (1972) make little direct commentary while questioning norms around punishment, guilt and isolation. Playful in form, MAN HAM MITOUNAM (1975) and RANGHA (1976) are reminiscent of TV commercials, using ludic association to enliven educational content. Ten years since the director’s death, and 50 years since their making, these shorts give a glimpse into the early gestures of one of Iran’s most important cinematic voices. A joy for all audiences, we invite parents to bring their children to this screening. (Bani Khoshnoudi)

This film will be shown as part of the screening KINDER UND KINO. FRÜHE KURZFIILME VON ABBAS KIAROSTAMI.