[Reellife] It's all about Abbas!

[dave olsen]

The Cinematheque in Downtown Vancouver is hosting a retrospective of my 
favourite director of all time: Abbas Kiarostami.

This recently deceased (2016) Iranian film-maker was leading edge and created an 
unique style that is now often imitated.  Before Reality TV, he blended fact 
with fiction to enhance both aspects. He also was at the height of his career 
when cameras became both digital and small enough to easily carry and even 
conceal, and he made the most of both of these major changes.

I remember the eager anticipation I had when his films came to Vancouver's 
International Film Fest and he never disappointed.

This retrospective isn't quite exhaustive, but it's close.  It even includes the 
shorts that started his career at the Institute for the Intellectual Development 
of Children in Tehran.

I'll post more reviews as the retrospective continues, but to get you started on 
Friday, October 18, here are reviews of his first two International features.  
Warning: these films are not Hollywood stock in any way.  Despite the seemingly 
slower pace, there isn't any filler or wasted frames in any of Kiarostami's 
films.  He just tells stories of life in a different way...

/Where is the Friend’s House? (Khaneh-ye doust kojast?) /Iran 1987 
<https://thecinematheque.ca/films/2019/where-is-the-friends-house>
This subtle tale is based on a poem and the visual lyricism is a joy to behold.  
It was disappointing to see that children are treated with the same disrespect 
in Iran as they are in North America, and the film captures all of this without 
being obvious in any way.  The film creates an amazing amount of drama over an 
eight-year-old's notebook, and the ending will leave you with a smile.  They may 
seem innocent and even simple at times, but any child will astonish with their 
ingenuity and determination.

/Where is the Friend’s House? (Khaneh-ye doust kojast?) 
<https://thecinematheque.ca/films/2019/where-is-the-friends-house> /plays
October 18 (Friday) 6:30 pm
October 20 (Sunday) 4:30 pm
October 21 (Monday) 6:30 pm
/
And Life Goes On (Zendegi va digar hich)/ Iran 1992 
<https://thecinematheque.ca/films/2019/and-life-goes-on>
This is the start of one of Kiarostami's trademarks to refer to previous films 
and even put films inside of films.  The title is a tribute to the survivors of 
the devastating 1990 earthquake in northern Iran.  The film is about the return 
of the "director" of /Where is the Friend's House?" /to the village he shot his 
film in, to see if the boys who starred in it are okay.  It's more than an 
odyssey to get there, and the blurring of documentary and fiction begins as we 
see much of the remnants of what that earthquake did to the area.  It's a story 
of determination and love, and it shows - with classic subtle humour - just how 
similar things are in Northern Iran to the way they are anywhere else in 
civilization.

/And Life Goes On (Zendegi va digar hich)/ 
<https://thecinematheque.ca/films/2019/and-life-goes-on> plays
October 18 (Friday) 8:15 pm
October 20 (Sunday) 6:30 pm
October 24 (Thursday) 6:30 pm

Through the Olive Trees (Zir-e darakhtan-e zeyton) 
<https://sable.madmimi.com/c/21936?id=3989527.37898.1.1c07585f055088124549805203e83c77>
October 19 (Saturday) 6:30 pm
October 20 (Sunday) 8:20 pm
October 24 (Thursday) 8:20 pm
October 27 (Sunday) 4:00 pm

Close-Up (Nama-ye nazdik) 
<https://sable.madmimi.com/c/21936?id=3989527.37899.1.69bc289bf9727b799cac2a51c0567326>
October 19 (Saturday) 8:30 pm
October 23 (Wednesday) 6:30 pm
October 27 (Sunday) 8:10 pm

Kiarostami for Kids! Program 1 
<https://sable.madmimi.com/c/21936?id=3989527.37900.1.d4111a85c84152044d94b2202e389084>
October 20 (Sunday) 11:00 am

Homework (Mashgh-e shab) 
<https://sable.madmimi.com/c/21936?id=3989527.37901.1.0ce9bfc2fdd7fd0d1602527a3ab60633>
October 21 (Monday) 8:10 pm
October 27 (Sunday) 6:30 pm

The Traveller (Mosafer) + The Bread and Alley (Nan va koutcheh) 
<https://sable.madmimi.com/c/21936?id=3989527.37902.1.b2cfff4b46393161d50cc1512688ef08>
October 23 (Wednesday) 8:30 pm
October 28 (Monday) 6:30 pm

A Wedding Suit (Lebasi baraye arusi) +
Case No. 1, Case No. 2 (Ghazieh-e shekl-e aval, ghazieh-e shekl-e dou wom) 
<https://sable.madmimi.com/c/21936?id=3989527.37903.1.2fe02d48eaa44d5e0b98605c5861ba51>
October 28 (Monday) 8:15 pm

Taste of Cherry (Ta’am-e gilas) 
<https://sable.madmimi.com/c/21936?id=3989527.37904.1.917452dddd67dee95d67aa8882ebefbc>
November 1 (Friday) 6:30 pm
November 2 (Saturday) 8:45 pm
November 6 (Wednesday) 8:10 pm

The Wind Will Carry Us (Bad ma ra khahad bord) 
<https://sable.madmimi.com/c/21936?id=3989527.37905.1.3906dcda3f592721418ed1dec87c8165>
November 1 (Friday) 8:30 pm
November 2 (Saturday) 6:30 pm
November 3 (Sunday) 6:30 pm

ABC Africa
November 3 (Sunday) 8:45 pm
November 4 (Monday) 6:30 pm

Five Deadicated to Ozu (Panj) 
<https://sable.madmimi.com/c/21936?id=3989527.37907.1.5e48b99846eb4871c6952650e1456ed3>
November 4 (Monday) 8:15 pm
November 6 (Wednesday) 6:30 pm

-- 

Warmly,
dave/
//
Parenting with an Open Heart: a seminar series for all Parents, Caregivers, and 
Parents-to-be: for info and session dates, please visit/ 
/http://humanpowered.wordpress.com <http://humanpowered.wordpress.com/>

Movie and Theatre lovers who know a saner world is possible may enjoying reading 
and sharing their thoughts on Reel Life, Real Ideas: Movies and more... 
<http://reellife.wordpress.com/>

Hit by a car at 60 km/h (40mph), a pedestrian has an 85 per cent chance of being 
killed; at 50 km/h (30mph) s/he has a 45 per cent chance of being killed, while 
at 30 km/h (20mph) the risk falls to 5 per cent. Source: British Parliamentary 
Advisory Council on Transport Safety (1996) //_Taking Action on Speeding_//

If you are expecting a baby soon...
...read Ina May Gaskin's insightful book, Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, packed 
full of birth stories and her experience of helping deliver over 2,000 babies!
...consider Natural Infant Hygiene (aka Elimination Communication) and reduce 
the expense of diapers (and much more)...check out http://www.diaperless.org and 
http://www.natural-wisdom.com

Did you know that in Scandinavia...
--> there are laws protecting children from all forms of spanking and bullying, 
even from parents
--> these laws do not imprison or punish parents but instead raise awareness 
(http://www.empathicparenting.org)
--> the elderly are able to remain at home thanks to programs that provide free 
meals, free transportation, and free care/

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.resist.ca/pipermail/reellife/attachments/20191016/557a56ec/attachment.html>