“If we're not going to take full advantage of digital, then 35mm is a better medium. Especially for shooting dramas - I have no problem with 35mm.” IfsProblemDramaAdvantageMediumsShootingDigitalNo Problem Author:Abbas Kiarostami
“It seems that film-makers are being divided between those working in digital and those who are not. I think it's not something predetermined - it all depends on what project we have in mind, and on that basis we choose the medium.” ThinkingMindSeemsFilmDependsProjectsBasesMediumsDigitalMakersDividedPredetermined Author:Abbas Kiarostami
“I think I'm no different to my friends who are doctors or businessmen or architects - we all started watching films of the golden age together. But whether I'm making films or writing poetry or doing photography, it's very much rooted in my sense of unease. And that's really where everything goes back to.” ThinkingWritingDifferentAgeTogetherFilmPhotographyMy FriendsDoctorsGoldenArchitectRootedBusinessmanGolden AgeWriting Poetry Author:Abbas Kiarostami
“I never intended to write poems, nor to be a photographer, nor to be a film-maker. I just took many, many pictures and I would put them in an album, and then some years later I decided to show them and suddenly I was called a photographer. Same thing with my poetry. They're notes that I'd written in a book and it may be considered poetry.” WritingYearsMayBookShowsFilmWrittenDecidedNotesPhotographerAlbumsMakers Author:Abbas Kiarostami
“My last experience of film-making was Tickets, a three-episode film in Italy, the third of which is directed by myself. It's not for me to judge whether it's a good film or a bad film, but what I could say is that nobody had a cultural or linguistic issue with what was produced.” LastsFilmThreeIssuesJudgingThirdsEpisodesTicketsGood Films Author:Abbas Kiarostami
“If I do continue to have the opportunity to work in Iran, that's very much what I'd prefer to do.” IfsOpportunityIran Author:Abbas Kiarostami
“Having an international voice is not really about whether we speak Persian or any other language.” SpeakLanguageVoiceInternationalPersian Author:Abbas Kiarostami
“I think, just as footballers play better at home, maybe film-makers, too, create better at home, even though the rules of football are the same wherever you go.” ThinkingPlayHomeFilmFootballMakersFootballer Author:Abbas Kiarostami
“I don't have very complete scripts for my films. I have a general outline and a character in my mind, and I make no notes until I find the character who's in my mind in reality.” MindCharacterRealityFilmNotesScriptsOutlines Author:Abbas Kiarostami
“When I find the character, I try to spend time with them and get to know them very well. Therefore my notes are not from the character that I had in my mind before, but are instead based on the people I've met in real life.” PeopleKnowsTryingMindWellsRealCharacterMetsNotesReal LifeEnd TimesSpend Time Author:Abbas Kiarostami