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Insight Horizon Media

What is Abbas Kiarostami famous for?

Author

Sarah Cherry

Published Feb 22, 2026

What is Abbas Kiarostami famous for?

Abbas Kiarostami ( Persian: عباس کیارستمی ‎ [ʔæbˌbɒːs kijɒːɾostæˈmi] ( listen); 22 June 1940 – 4 July 2016) was an Iranian film director, screenwriter, poet, photographer, and film producer. An active filmmaker from 1970, Kiarostami had been involved in the production of over forty films, including shorts and documentaries.

What kind of movies does Kiarostami make?

Kiarostami attained critical acclaim for directing the Koker trilogy (1987–1994), Close-Up (1990), The Wind Will Carry Us (1999), and Taste of Cherry (1997), which was awarded the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival that year.

When did Kiarostami make the first case?

In 1979, he produced and directed First Case, Second Case. In the early 1980s, Kiarostami directed several short films including Toothache (1980), Orderly or Disorderly (1981), and The Chorus (1982). In 1983, he directed Fellow Citizen.

Is Kiarostami’s ’10’ a gimmick?

Yes, it’s a gimmick: the entire film is shot from the dashboard of a car, and only the driver and the passenger are heard and (sometimes) seen. This gimmick will not please everyone, and hardly qualifies the film as a masterpiece. But Hitchcock’s brilliant “Rear Window” was a gimmick too, and Kiarostami’s “10” is no less worthy of attention.

What kind of movies did Kiarostami make in Iran?

The department became one of Iran’s most noted film studios, producing not only Kiarostami’s films, but acclaimed Persian films such as The Runner and Bashu, the Little Stranger. In the 1970s, Kiarostami pursued an individualistic style of film making.

What College didami Kiarostami go to?

Kiarostami majored in painting and graphic design at the University of Tehran College of Fine arts. Kiarostami was born in Tehran. His first artistic experience was painting, which he continued into his late teens, winning a painting competition at the age of 18 shortly before he left home to study at the University of Tehran School of Fine Arts.

What are the characteristics of Kiarostami’s films?

Kiarostami’s films contain a notable degree of ambiguity, an unusual mixture of simplicity and complexity, and often a mix of fictional and documentary elements. The concepts of change and continuity, in addition to the themes of life and death, play a major role in Kiarostami’s works.