Event
NO BEARS
“A piercingly self-aware portrait of an artist who is not afraid to depict himself and his craft as aloof or insular.” – Observer (UK)
“Has an urgency all of its own.” – London Evening Standard
“The more you think about it, the more layers there seem to be and the more you realize how much this film has to say about lives made small by restrictions that can, and do, result in tragedy.” – The Spectator
Listed on New York Times’ Top 10 Movies of the Year
100% on Rotten Tomatoes
Synopsis:
Jafar Panahi is an Iranian film director, screenwriter, and film editor, commonly identified with the Iranian New Wave film movement. His films are known for their humanistic perspective on life in Iran, focusing on the hardships of children, the impoverished, and women.
After several years of conflict with the Iranian government over the content of his films, Panahi was arrested in March 2010 and later charged with propaganda against the Iranian government. He served a six year jail sentence and a 20-year ban on making films. His most recent films were smuggled out of Iran and were shown internationally, including at Real Art Ways.
He was again arrested and sentenced to six years in prison in July of 2022 amid an intensifying government crackdown of the film industry. He was among three directors arrested. Panahi was recently released from prison in Iran.
This film bears witness to Panahi’s incisive filmmaking, while urging viewers to examine the complex layers of a deceptively simple story: a man oppressed and suppressed by his country.
In Persian with English subtitles.
