To mark the tenth anniversary of the death of Abbas Kiarostami, the Viennale is dedicating two events to the filmmaker. For over twenty years, Massoumeh Lahidji has been working as an interpreter for prominent directors without ever taking notes. Words belonged to the moment; they were entrusted to her only for that instant. One voice, however, remained with her – that of Kiarostami, who once paved the way for her to take on this special role in the film world.
In the spirit of Georges Perec, without chronology or hierarchy, her lecture ABBAS KIAROSTAMI, I REMEMBER weaves together fragments, anecdotes, and images to form a portrait of his sense of humor, his wisdom, and his view of the world.
CHILDREN AND CINEMA: EARLY SHORT FILMS BY ABBAS KIAROSTAMI
KINDER UND KINO (“Children and Cinema”) presents six early short films by Kiarostami that were made between 1970 and 1981 at Kanoon, the Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults in Tehran, where Kiarostami had founded the filmmaking department.
Starting with small, childhood dilemmas – from NAN VA KOUTCHEH (BREAD AND ALLEY), in which a young boy is on the way home from a bakery, to BE TARTIB YA BEDOUN-E TARTIB (ORDERLY OR DISORDERLY) – these films raise ethical and existential questions and already reveal this great filmmaker’s unmistakable signature. A treat for every audience – and a special invitation to parents to bring along their children.
