Abbas Kiarostami screenings at the ICA

A filmmaker, poet, theatre director, photographer, screenwriter, editor and modern artist, Abbas Kiarostami’s diversity of talent and eclectic career have secured him as one of the film world’s leading lights. Following his death earlier this month, we celebrated his life by highlighting the best work from his considerable oeuvre.

Now you can rediscover Kiarostami’s work on the big screen. Over five days, The ICA is hosting a series of films that focus of his cinematography. Screenings of his most acclaimed films will be accompanied by special introductory talks and panel discussions.

Featuring in the season is Close-Up, the film that radically blends documentary with fiction as it tracks a cinephile's attempt to becomes a filmmaker. It is now generally recognised as Kiarostami's masterpiece.



Kiarostami is at his best in the 'docufilm' genre (fiction with elements of documentary), where his critical incisiveness shines through. Ten is an illuminating presentation of the conversations between a chic Iranian woman and the passengers in the intimate, transient space of her car. Also featuring is a screening of ABC Africa, a revealing and challenging look at Uganda's AIDS crisis.

Or for something lighter, there's a screening of The Wind Will Carry Us, with an introduction by the award-winning journalist and critic Maya Jaggi. Following three journalists as they investigate mourning ritual in a Kurdish village, the film is a penetrating exploration into the boundaries between life and death, with surprising comic overtones.