Director

Abbas Kiarostami

1940 – 2016

Who they are

Born: 22 June 1940, Tehran, Iran
Died: 4 July 2016
Known for: Where Is The Friend's House?, Close-Up, Taste of Cherry

Abbas Kiarostami (1940–2016) was an Iranian director, screenwriter, poet and photographer, and a leading figure of the Iranian New Wave. Known for poetic, minimalist films that blur fiction and documentary, he gained worldwide acclaim in the 1990s and became one of the most influential art-house filmmakers of his era.

Where to start

Where Is The Friend's House? (1987)Full guide
Early international breakthrough and first part of the Koker trilogy, following a schoolboy's earnest quest to return a notebook.
Close-Up (1990)Full guide
Landmark blend of documentary and reenactment about an impostor; often ranked among the greatest films ever made.
Taste of Cherry (1997)Full guide
Contemplative drama about a man seeking help to end his life; won the Palme d'Or at Cannes.
The Wind Will Carry Us (1999)Log in to add it to the library
Quiet rural story that confirmed his mature style and won major prizes at the Venice Film Festival.
Certified Copy (2010)Log in to add it to the library
His first feature shot outside Iran, set in Italy, probing authenticity and identity in a relationship.

Their films in the library

Awards

1997 Palme d'Or, Cannes Film Festival (Taste of Cherry)

The full list · 85

1970The Bread and AlleyLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
1972BreaktimeLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
1973ExperienceLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
1974The TravelerLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
1975Two Solutions to One ProblemLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
1975So Can ILog in to add it to the libraryDirector
1976A Wedding SuitLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
1976ColorsLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
1977The ReportLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
1977Tribute to the TeachersLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
1977Jahan-Nama PalaceLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
1978Solution No. 1Log in to add it to the libraryDirector
1979First Case, Second CaseLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
1980ToothacheLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
1981Orderly or Disorderly?Log in to add it to the libraryDirector
1982The ChorusLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
1983Fellow CitizenLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
1984First GradersLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
1987Where Is The Friend's House?Log in to add it to the libraryDirector
1989HomeworkLog in to add it to the libraryDirector · Actor as Self (uncredited)
1990Close-UpLog in to add it to the libraryDirector · Actor as Self
1992Life, and Nothing More…Log in to add it to the libraryDirector
1994Through the Olive TreesLog in to add it to the libraryDirector · Actor as Self (uncredited)
1994Abbas Kiarostami: Truths and DreamsLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Self
1994Behind the Scenes of 'Under the Olive Trees'Log in to add it to the libraryActor as Self
1995Lumière & CompanyLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
1995Concerning NiceLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
1996Close-Up Long ShotLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Self (archive footage)
1997Taste of CherryLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
1997The Birth of LightLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
1997ProjectLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Self
1997SohanakLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Self
1999The Wind Will Carry UsLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
1999Ahmad Shamlou: Master Poet of LibertyLog in to add it to the libraryActor as self
1999A Week With KiarostamiLog in to add it to the libraryActor as himself
2000Kiarostami in Close upLog in to add it to the libraryActor as as Self
2001ABC AfricaLog in to add it to the libraryDirector · Actor as Self
2001Abbas Kiarostami commente son filmLog in to add it to the libraryActor
2002TenLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
2002Abbas Kiarostami: Leçon de cinémaLog in to add it to the libraryActor as (himself)
2003Five Dedicated to OzuLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
2003Chaplin Today: The KidLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Self
2003Abbas Kiarostami: The Art of LivingLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Self
2003A Walk with KiarostamiLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Self
200410 on TenLog in to add it to the libraryDirector · Actor as Self
2004Journey to the Land of the TravelerLog in to add it to the libraryActor
2005TicketsLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
200510 Days with KiarostamiLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Self
2005A Good Time for TragedyLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Himself
2005TropiAbbasLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Abbas Kiarostami
2005Around FiveLog in to add it to the libraryDirector · Actor as himself
2005On the Road with KiarostamiLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Himself
2006Roads of KiarostamiLog in to add it to the libraryDirector · Actor as Self
2006Is There a Place to Approach?Log in to add it to the libraryDirector
2007To Each His Own CinemaLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
2007Víctor Erice – Abbas Kiarostami: CorrespondencesLog in to add it to the libraryDirector · Actor as himself
2007Persian CarpetLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
2008Seagull EggsLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
2008Taste of ShirinLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Himself
2009ShirinLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
2010Certified CopyLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
2010NoLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
2010Let's See Copia ConformeLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Self
2010In Praise of the Seventy Years OldLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Self
2011Kurosawa's WayLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Self
2011GuestLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Self
2012Like Someone in LoveLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
2012Making of 'Like Someone in Love'Log in to add it to the libraryActor as Narrator
2013What Is Cinema?Log in to add it to the libraryActor as Self
2013Venice 70: Future ReloadedLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
2013Abbas Kiarostami: A ReportLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Self
2014The Poetry of Cinema: Abbas Kiarostami in Conversation with Richard PeñaLog in to add it to the libraryActor
2014VidaLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Himself
201676 Minutes and 15 seconds with Abbas KiarostamiLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Himself
2016Take Me HomeLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
2016PassengerLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
2017You are not aloneLog in to add it to the libraryActor
201824 FramesLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
2019How to Make Use of Leisure Time: PaintingLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
2019PrintLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Self
2020The Mirror of Possible Worlds: Kiarostami on AranLog in to add it to the libraryActor
2021LeechLog in to add it to the libraryActor as himself (voice)
2025Bukhara ChroniclesLog in to add it to the libraryActor as voice
2026Volte Sempre, Abbas!Log in to add it to the libraryActor as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
2026On the Road with Abbas KiarostamiLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Self

Filmography data from TMDB. The profile text is a draft written for Cinespective.