Tehran Taxi
Directed by Jafar Panahi
Iran
2015
82 mins

Synopsis

In this daring work of guerilla filmmaking, Panahi takes viewers on a comedic but revealing taxi ride through contemporary Tehran. Golden Bear winner, Berlinale 2015.

A yellow cab moves through the Iranian capital’s vibrant streets, picking up an array of passengers: a blackmarket DVD dealer; a human rights lawyer; two stubborn old ladies. Each party speaks candidly about social issues, as prompted by the driver – who is none other than Panahi himself, banned from his profession and yet still shooting. With a camera on the dashboard, he creates a mobile studio from which to capture the spirit of present-day Iran. Filmmaking itself becomes a topic when Panahi’s clever niece gets into the car: she’s in the process of making a movie herself, and – pointedly – has been instructed by her teacher to avoid “sordid realism.” A stand-out in the Iranian road movie tradition.  

It is engaging and disarming: a freewheeling semi-improv piece of guerrilla film-making, cleverly staged and choreographed, with the discursive, digressive qualities of an essay film.
Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
  • Year
    2015
  • Classification
    M
  • Country
    Iran
  • Language
    In Farsi with English Subtitles
  • Director
    Jafar Panahi
  • Producer
    Jafar Panahi
  • Cast
    Jafar Panahi, Hana Saidi, Nasrin Sotoudeh
  • Screenwriter
    Jafar Panahi
  • Cinematographer
    Jafar Panahi
  • Editor
    Jafar Panahi
  • Genre
    Experimental, Award Winner, Retrospective, Middle East
  • Company Credits
    Australian Distributor: Madman Entertainment
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