Iranian Masters: Jafar Panahi and Shahram Mokri

Born in 1960, and one of only two directors to win Cannes, Berlin, Venice, and Chicago (all for different movies), Jafar Panahi trained under Iranian legend Abbas Kiarostami and joined him in bringing that country’s cinema to world awareness. Shahram Mokri, born in 1978, has carved his own flourishing career within that now-established legacy while pushing it in his own fresh directions. Before the latest films by both men play at the 61st Chicago International Film Festival, we will examine Panahi’s and Mokri’s distinct ways of blending the poetic, the political, and the metacinematic.

Recommended viewing: The White Balloon (1995, Criterion), No Bears (2022, multiple services), or Careless Crime (2020, Fandango)

Please note: The discussion does not include screenings of films.