UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — “A Tribute to Abbas Kiarostami,” honoring the influential Iranian filmmaker, features a lecture and discussion by American film critic, film writer and director Godfrey Cheshire III followed by a screening of one of Kiarostami’s films. The lecture and discussion will begin at 6 p.m. Friday, April 14 in Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library, on Penn State’s University Park campus. The lecture and film screening are free and open to the public.
Kiarostami, who passed away in 2016, earned international acclaim for his films “Koker Trilogy” (1987), “Close-up” (1990), and “Taste of Cherry” (1997), which was awarded the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. “The Wind Will Carry Us” (1999), which won a Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival and was released in the United States the following year, will be shown following the lecture by Cheshire.
Cheshire played a critical role in introducing Kiarostami to the United States and is extremely familiar with his cinema. Cheshire served as chairman of the New York Film Critics Circle and has received several awards for best arts criticism from the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies.
The artistic impression and innovative techniques Kiarostami employed placed his films on the boundaries of fiction and documentary and offered a combination of both simplicity and complexity. A poet who often used Persian poetry in his film’s dialogue and titles, Kiarostami wove the themes of life and death and change and continuity in his stories of ordinary people.
Recognized by prestigious organizations and festivals around the world, Kiarostami was a mentor and inspiration for other Iranian filmmakers.
In addition to this event, the Iranian Student Association and the University Libraries have partnered for the monthly Docunight film screenings. Held the first Wednesday of every month at the University Park and Mont Alto campus, the series features screenings of documentaries about, around or in Iran, or made by Iranians. Docunight was founded by Ahmad Kiarostami, the son of the late Abbas Kiarostami.
For more information about this event, or for questions about accommodations or the physical access provided, contact Mark Mattson, global partnerships and outreach librarian, at 814-863-2480 or mam1196@psu.edu in advance of the event.