Centre Pompidou Hosts Kiarostami-Eric Exhibition
9/25/07
Darius KADIVAR Reports from Paris
September 23rd - January 7th 2008 ©Centre
Pompidou & imdb.com
Abbas Kiarostami and Víctor Erice were born a week apart, on June 1940,
one in Iran the other in
Spain. Kiarostami studied drawing,
and film advertisement before moving to institutional feature films relative to
education for the Kanun Institute ( Created by the Former Empress of
Iran, Shahbanou
Farah). Erice however has a more classical background in
Cinema, graduating from Cinema School, he was an avid meditative movie
buff who considers screen writing as an independent creative form in itself.
Both also went through a radical change in the way they conceived their
cinematic work and philosophy of life after major historical changes in their
respective country. This change occurred for Victor Erice, with the end of
Franco's reign and the establishment of democracy under King Juan Carlos, while
for Kiarostami it was with fall of the Shah of Iran's regime and the
establishment of the Islamic Republic that imposed this change of path. However
from a non historical and non-national point of view both are aware of belonging
to the same film generation, which in the words of Kiarostami was an era "where
Cinema put itself to the service of means, and not the contrary." Victor Erice,
speaks of "audiovisual inflation and a pollution of images." Both directors will
therefore try to restore the initial concept of filmmaking trying to capture the
reality of the World and its inhabitants. Both will also refuse to submit
themselves to financial dictates of the movie market. They try and confront
reality, natural sets and landscapes and non professional actors. They often
even leave the opportunities of their script open to improvisations imposed on
them naturally during shooting. However both will also try not to be hostage to
the natural realism that they are trying to capture.
Les Cahiers du Cinéma issue 626
coverage on Erice & Kiarostami
Beaubourg Exhibit ©Cahiers du
Cinéma
To discover and understand their
Art, the French Centre
Pompidou in Paris is holding a retrospective
of their work and influences starting on Sept
23rd 2007-January 7th 2008. Kiarostami is currently working with Juliette Binoche in
Italy on his first non Persian
Language film entitled Copie
Conforme aka Certified Copy.
Juliette Binoche and Abbas Kiarostami announce film Project at
Cannes
International Film festival
©wireimages
VIVE
LE CINEMA !
Authors
Notes:
See Full
Program of Expo on Official
Website
Recommended Reading On Iran and French
Cinema:
Iranian
Pioneers in French New Wave Cinema by Darius KADIVAR
Anicée (ALVINA) Shahmanesh:
France's Sex Icon of the 1970's by Darius KADIVAR
An Independent Eye:
Producer/Distributor Hengameh Panahi by Darius KADIVAR
Legendary Film Critic Jean-Claude
Carriere and Wife Nahal Tajadod Chants Djalal-e-Din Mohammad Molavi
Rumi by
Darius KADIVAR
Magic in the Making:
Persepolis' Cinephilic French Cast by Darius KADIVAR
Satrapi's Persepolis wins
"Prix du Jury" at Cannes by Darius KADIVAR
About
the Author: Darius
KADIVAR is a Freelance Journalist, Film Historian, and Media
Consultant.
