“I prefer the films that put their audience to sleep in the theater. Some films have made me doze off in the theater, but the same films have made me stay up at night, wake up thinking about them in the morning, and keep on thinking about them for weeks.” ThinkingMadeFilmNightSleepMorningAudienceWeekWake UpTheater Author:Abbas Kiarostami
“When the film [Certified Copy] was in the Cannes Festival, I realized that the fact of having it shot in a different culture, in a different language, in a different setting, that wasn't mine and that I didn't belong to, gave me a totally different relationship to the film. When I was sitting in the audience during the official screening in Cannes, I didn't feel that it was my film.” FeelsDifferentFactsFilmCultureLanguageAudienceMinesShotsSittingI RealizedSettingSettingsOfficialsCopiesFestivalsDifferent CulturesScreeningDifferent LanguagesCannesDifferent Relationships Author:Abbas Kiarostami
“The kind of sleep that I had during my own film [Certified Copy] screening in Cannes is different. It's not because of the specificity of the film. It was because of my relationship as an author to this film. Usually when I take my films to festivals, I feel incredibly anxious about them. I wonder how it will be received, how the audience will react. I feel deeply responsible for them. Whereas this time, I didn't have that responsibility on my shoulders.” FeelsKindDifferentFilmMy OwnSleepResponsibilityWonderAudienceResponsibleShouldersCopiesAnxiousFestivalsScreeningSpecificityCannes Author:Abbas Kiarostami
“I am still very surprised that I managed to make that film [Close Up]. When I actually look back on that film, I really feel that I was not the director but instead just a member of the audience.” FeelsLooksStillsFilmAudienceDirectorsMembers Author:Abbas Kiarostami
“In this type of cinema, whether working with actors or non-actors, as much as you do direct them, if you allow yourself to be directed by them, then the end result will be much more pleasing. The real and individual strengths of the actors is allowed to be expressed and is something that does affect the audience very deeply.” IfsDoeRealEndsActorsIndividualResultsAudienceTypeDirectCinemaVery DeepEnd ResultsIndividual Strength Author:Abbas Kiarostami
“It's not so much a question of whether we've shot it through 35mm or digital video; what is important is whether the audience accepts it as real.” ImportantRealAcceptingAudienceShotsVideoDigital Author:Abbas Kiarostami
“A work of art doesn't exist outside the perception of the audience.” ArtAudiencePerceptionWorks Of Art Author:Abbas Kiarostami
