Directed by Abbas Kiarostami • 2001 • Iran
Starring Abbas Kiarostami, Seifollah Samadian
In 2000, Abbas Kiarostami traveled to Africa at the request of the United Nations to document a humanitarian crisis unfolding in Uganda, where 1.5 million children had been orphaned by civil war and AIDS. Working outside of Iran and shooting on digital video for the first time, he returned with this disarmingly hopeful look at a country where death hovers ever-present, yet life—embodied by the playful spirit of the kids who peer curiously into his camera’s searching, humane lens—flows on undiminished. Part idiosyncratic travelogue, part ode to childhood wonder, ABC AFRICA is quintessential Kiarostami in its movingly philosophical reflection on human resilience in the face of adversity.
Up Next in 21st Century Cinema
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A New Year
Directed by George Sikharulidze • 2018 • Georgia
Starring Eka Demetradze, Giorgi Bandzeladze, Demetre GratiashviliIn this poignantly understated portrait of everyday resilience, a mother and son face a difficult holiday season when the patriarch of the household announces he is leaving to join ...
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Poetry
Directed by Lee Chang-dong • 2010 • South Korea
Starring Yoon Jeong-hee, Lee Da-wit, Kim Hee-raLee Chang-dong’s follow-up to his acclaimed SECRET SUNSHINE is an exquisite story about the power of art to bear witness to both sublime beauty and the violent truths that lie hidden in the hearts of ...
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Celluloid Man
Directed by Shivendra Singh Dungarpur • 2012 • India
Starring P. K. Nair, Krzysztof Zanussi, Lester James PeriesAn engaging, heartfelt look at one man’s battle to preserve his nation’s cinematic heritage, CELLULOID MAN is an intimate portrait of legendary Indian archivist P. K. Nair, who founde...
