Shapur Qarib
Important films: American Nation
It was not only the filmmakers of the new wave of Iranian cinema who appeared influential before the revolution. Filmmakers like Shapoor Gharib, who made films in sync with the Persian film trend, but whose works had cinematic standards and became bestsellers, deserve to be included in the list of the best directors of Iranian cinema.
Garib, born in 1311, started his artistic career as a teenager by acting in the theater. Jalal Moghadam’s assistance in the movie “Se Divaneh” paved the way for him to make his first movie “Shah Pariun’s Daughter” in 1347.
In 1354, he made the movie “Memel Amerikan” starring Behrouz Vothoqi and Fayegh Atashin, which became one of the most popular movies of the 50s and was about the dream of immigrating to America at any cost. In the same year, at the request of the children’s intellectual development center, he made the film “Seven Wooden Arrows”, which was completely different from the films in his career up to that time, and told the story of children whose homes were near the railway station, and whose lives change with the arrival of television and watching western films.
After the revolution in 1365, he started making films again, but none of his films were noticed. His last film “The Last Station” (produced in 2009) was an episodic film in which he made the episode of his meeting.
He died around 1391 due to Alzheimer’s disease.
Parviz Kimiavi
Important movies: Mughals, Pelikan
Parviz Kimiavi was born in 1318. Along with Abbas Kiarostami and Sohrab Shahid-e-Talih, he was one of the figures of the new wave of Iranian cinema, who had a similar work style and their cinema was realistic and to some extent close to a documentary narrative with minimal frills. Kimiavi studied cinematography in France and started working there as an assistant director in French radio and television. He made a short film in France and then came to Iran and made the documentary “P like a pelican” about an old man who lived in the ruins of Tabas citadel. The documentary film Al-Khimawi was highly appreciated.
A year later, he took “The Mongols” in front of the camera. Fahima Rastkar was a double and Najaf Daryabandari’s wife was one of the actors of this movie.
Kimiavi himself went in front of the camera in “Mongols”. The story of a director whose wife is working on her PhD thesis titled “Mongol Attack” and the film takes place between dream and reality.
“Stone Garden” was made in 1355 and all those who went in front of the camera were non-actors. The film won the Berlin Silver Bear Award and its story was about protesting land reforms.
Kimiavi has migrated to France for many years and no longer makes films. The last feature film by Kimiavi “Iran is my house” was produced in 1377 and after that he made a forty minute short film and stopped his film career.
Abbas Kiarostami
Important films: Where is the friend’s house?, Close-up, Under the olive trees, Copy of the original, Report
What can be explained in a short essay about one of the greatest filmmakers of not only Iran but the world? In describing Abbas Kiarostami, Mike Lee says: “He is the founder and caravan leader of the low-key saga, an elite artist who has brought the quality of human cinema to a rare degree of purity. Every independent filmmaker wants to consider himself exceptional, and many undoubtedly are, more or less. But I don’t consider anyone more unique than Abbas Kiarostami.”
Kiarostami, born in July 1319, is a photographer, poet, editor, screenwriter and film director. In the late 1940s, he designed the credits of the movie “Qaiser” for Kimiaei, which was considered one of the new wave movies of Iranian cinema. At the same time when the new wave of Iranian cinema was taking shape, Abbas Kiarostami started making short films in the intellectual development center for children and teenagers. His first film was a neorealist work called “Bread and Alley”. Kiarostami’s cooperation with the Center for Children’s Intellectual Development led to the creation of artistic short films in which Kiarostami’s artistic intellectual path can be seen.
In 1356, he shot his first feature film “Report” starring Shahreh Aghdashlou, which was produced by Bahman Farmanara. The interesting thing is that in this very first movie, many scenes were filmed inside the car. The film is the story of the life of a modern middle-class family that is falling apart. After the revolution, Kiarostami continues to make short films and documentaries for the intellectual development center for children and teenagers, and in 1365, his second feature film “Where is your friend’s house?” took it in front of the camera. The first part of Cocker’s brilliant trilogy, which continued with the films “Life and Nothing” and “Under the Olive Trees”. A trilogy about life and death.
Of course, in the middle of making three movies, Coker Kiarostami made the movie “Closeup” based on a true story. As much as possible, he avoided artificial scenes in his films. His directing style was as if the whole story happened in front of the camera in the most natural and realistic way possible.
Kiarostami is the only Iranian filmmaker who was able to win the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1376. His film “Taste of Cherry” shined in Cannes and made his name more famous in international circles. After that, despite the fact that he made films like “Ten” in Iran, he became a film maker, not only in terms of fame, but also in terms of making films in different countries of the world. His films were about human concepts and philosophy, which had a common language. As a result, in the case of Kiarostami, making films in foreign countries not only did not diminish the importance of his works, but he made one of the best films of the third millennium, “Copy Equals the Original” in Italy. A film in which an actor acted in front of Kiarostami’s camera for the first time after “Report”. An actress like Juliette Binoche.
In 1391, he made his last film “Like a Lover” in Japan and his other film “24 Frames” which was produced in 1396 was completed by his son Ahmed due to illness and death.
Kiarostami died in July 2015 due to cancer and medical error.