Close Up

Abbas Kiraostami planted Iran firmly on the map of world cinema when he won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes film festival in 1997 for his film A Taste of Cherry. In this book Hamid Dabashi examines the growing reputation of Iranian cinema from its origins in the films of Kimiyai and Mehrjui, through the work of established directors such as Kiarostami, Beyzai and Bani-Etemad, to young filmmakers like Samira Makhmalbaf and Bahman Qobadi, who triumphed at the Cannes 2000 festival. Dabashi combines exclusive interviews with directors, detailed and insightful commentary, critical cultural context, an extensive filmography, and generous illustrations to provide an indispensable guide to a globally celebrated but little-studied cinematic genre.

"Encyclopaedic in its scope, informal in tone, shrew in its interpretation, it is the indispensable work on one of the most extraordinary artistic and social adventures of our time. Dabashi is the perfect guide."—Edward W. Said

Booknews

Arguing that Iranian cinema has emerged as "the staple of cultural currency that defies the logic of nativism and challenges the problems of globalization," Dabashi (Iranian studies, Columbia U.) concentrates on the contributions on four key filmmakers, presenting critical readings of their work and interviews with a couple of his subjects. An introductory chapter seeks to place Iranian cinema in the context of modernity. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Hamid Dabashi
is the Hagop Kevorkian Professor of Iranian Studies and Comparative Literature at Columbia University. He is the founder of Dreams of a Nation: A Palestinian Film Project, committed to the preservation and dissemination of Palestinian cinema. His books include Close Up: Iranian Cinema: Past, Present and Future.