Through the Olive Trees

press release: Iran | 1994 | DCP | 103 min. | Persian with English subtitles

Director: Abbas Kiarostami

Cast: Mohamad Ali Keshavarz, Farhad Kheradmand, Zarifeh Shiva

During the making of a film that looks suspiciously similar to Kiarostami’s And Life Goes On (screening Oct. 4), a director faces challenges from his cast. To be more precise, the leading lady won’t speak to the leading man – on camera or off! Kiarostami’s wonderful comedy about movie-making is also a gorgeously photographed story of class-conflict and thwarted romance. Preceded by Kiarostami’s short film The Chorus (1982, 17 min.).

Abbas Kiarostami: The Koker Trilogy and More: This fall, the Cinematheque presents new restorations of the three films that firmly cemented the reputation of Iran’s Abbas Kiarostami (1940-2016) as one of the world’s leading cinema artists. Eventually known as “The Koker Trilogy,” these films collectively tell the story of the mountainous Koker region in Northern Iran and its resilient, hard-working and life-affirming residents, told with universality, simplicity and cleverness that has made them favorites of audiences in all parts of the world. Using bare-boned plots that recall Italian neorealism, Kiarostami manages to touch us without using complicated or forced contrivances that are de rigeur in contemporary popular cinema. In addition, you’ll also have a chance to catch-up with Kiarostami’s moving feature-length documentary, Homework (1989) along with several of his brilliant short films. Kiarostami’s work is a testament to the notion that great art knows no national boundaries.