Book

Lessons with Kiarostami

📖 Overview

Lessons with Kiarostami captures the filmmaking philosophy and methods of renowned Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami. The book stems from workshop notes collected by editor Paul Cronin during Kiarostami's teaching sessions across the globe. Written in first-person perspective, the text presents Kiarostami's direct insights into his creative process and approach to cinema. The 190-page work was published simultaneously in English and Persian in 2015, shortly before Kiarostami's death. The book accompanies several volumes of Kiarostami's translated poetry works, including In the Shadow of Trees. British director Mike Leigh provides the foreword, offering context for Kiarostami's significance in world cinema. Through its methodical exploration of artistic process and cinematic theory, the book serves as both an educational resource and a window into Kiarostami's distinctive vision of poetic filmmaking.

👀 Reviews

Limited reader reviews are available for this book online, making it difficult to summarize broad reception patterns. The book collects Kiarostami's film workshops and lectures. Readers appreciated: - Clear explanations of filmmaking techniques - Practical advice for aspiring directors - Insights into Kiarostami's creative process - The conversational teaching style Common criticisms: - Technical sections can be dense for beginners - Some find the translation awkward in places - Limited availability makes the book hard to find Online ratings/reviews: Goodreads: No ratings available Amazon: No customer reviews WorldCat: No user reviews The book appears to have a small but dedicated readership among film students and Kiarostami scholars, but lacks substantial online discussion or reviews from general readers. Most mentions appear in academic contexts rather than consumer reviews.

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🤔 Interesting facts

🎬 The book captures wisdom from actual workshops Kiarostami conducted across four continents, preserving his direct teaching methods for future generations 🏆 Kiarostami won the prestigious Palme d'Or at Cannes Film Festival in 1997 for "Taste of Cherry," making him the first Iranian director to receive this honor 📝 The text uniquely presents Kiarostami's philosophy in his own words, maintaining the conversational tone of his workshops rather than traditional academic writing 🌏 Kiarostami began his career making educational films for Iran's Institute for Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults, which influenced his teaching style 🎨 Beyond filmmaking, Kiarostami was an accomplished photographer and poet, often incorporating these art forms into his cinema teachings discussed in the book