Jafar Panahi

China's Indie Film Scene Under Siege, Has Become a 'Muddied Pond,' According to Beijing Indie Doc Fest Artistic Director

Independent film may be flourishing in many parts of the world, including much of Asia, but ambitious Chinese filmmakers remain crushed by the cultural and political constraints of the imposing Communist government. That’s the thesis of Beijing Independent Documentary Festival artistic directo...

EXCLUSIVE: Banned From Filmmaking, Jafar Panahi Has Made Another Movie, Says Abbas Kiarostami

Last year, Panahi allegedly smuggled the diary film about his experiences under house arrest, titled "This is Not a Film," into the Cannes Film Festival on a USB drive. According to fellow Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami, Panahi, who is facing a six-year jail sentence, has completed another film.

Where is Jafar Panahi's "The White Balloon"?

A classic of the Iranian New Wave, and in its day, the most successful and acclaimed Iranian film to be released in the U.S. ever, Jafar Panahi's masterpiece "The White Balloon" looks to be AWOL from American screens, big and small. Maybe someone out there knows the status of U.S. h...

Critical Consensus: Jamsheed Akrami and Godfrey Cheshire Discuss Jafar Panahi's 'This Is Not A Film'

Review: 'This Is Not A Film' Is Jafar Panahi's Highly Moving Depiction Of His Own House Arrest

The title of Jafar Panahi's "This Is Not A Film" is a nod to the fact that the 75-minute feature is shot on a DV camera and an iPhone, and consists mostly of Panahi and his collaborator and friend Mojtaba Mirtahmasb hanging out in the former's high-rise apartment over the course of a day. But it's a...

REVIEW: The Trials of (Not) Making a Movie in THIS IS NOT A FILM

In the past two years, the Iranian government has moved from merely banning films (most of which were allowed to be released internationally) to arresting actors and filmmakers. Jafar Panahi is the highest-profile director to suffer such treatment. In 2010, his request to travel to the Berlin F...

From Abel Ferrara to Lynn Shelton, Here Are 11 Great Movies From 2011 Opening In 2012

Jailed Iranian Filmmaker Jafar Panahi Was Set To Make Hollywood Debut On Steve Zaillian-Scripted 'A Thousand Splendid Suns'

One of the most depressing events in the film world in the last few years has been the imprisonment of Iranian director Jafar Panahi. The man behind acclaimed films such as "The Circle," "Crimson Gold" and "Offside" among others, was arrested by the country's regime...

Makhmalbafs, Ghobadi, Shirin Neshat Call for Iran Film Boycott; Sanction Industry Officials