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the surf at the seashore's edge with a little piece of wood from above alr

Five

Directed by Abbas Kiarostami.
Iran/Japan/France , 2003, DCP, color, 74 min.

Filmed on the shores of the Caspian Sea, the filmmaker’s experimental meditation is as much an ode to Ozu as it is a poetic distillation of Kiarostami’s own cinema. Over the course of five discrete segments, the director allows Nature—the ultimate non-actor—to reveal the rhythms, “hidden patterns” and myriad micro-narratives that emerge for the creative and curious beings who have the patience to watch and wait. Serene, disarming, life-affirming, Five produces the sonic and visual equivalents to those precious and mundane tastes of cherry that Kiarostami’s cinema encourages all to recognize and savor.

Part of film series

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Abbas Kiarostami, A Cinema of Participation

Screenings from this program

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Abbas Kiarostami, A Cinema of Participation. ...
Where is the Friend’s House?
Directed by Abbas Kiarostami, 1987
young boy talking to a woman hanging laundry
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Abbas Kiarostami, A Cinema of Participation. ...
Ten
Directed by Abbas Kiarostami, 2002
close-up of Iranian woman with veil on driving at night

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Abbas Kiarostami, A Cinema of Participation. ...
And Life Goes On… AKA Life and Nothing More
Directed by Abbas Kiarostami, 1992
young boy in the passenger seat next to older man driving a car
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Abbas Kiarostami, A Cinema of Participation. ...
A Wedding Suit
Directed by Abbas Kiarostami, 1976
older man adjusting the back of a young boys dress shirt while older woman looks on

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Abbas Kiarostami, A Cinema of Participation. ...
The Wind Will Carry Us
Directed by Abbas Kiarostami, 1999
wide shot of a motorcycle driving on a winding road through the Iranian mountainside

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Abbas Kiarostami, A Cinema of Participation. ...
A Wedding Suit
Directed by Abbas Kiarostami, 1976
older man adjusting the back of a young boys dress shirt while older woman looks on
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Abbas Kiarostami, A Cinema of Participation. ...
Close-up
Directed by Abbas Kiarostami, 1991
Screening on Film
man sitting on ornate bench inside with food and coffee before him

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Abbas Kiarostami, A Cinema of Participation. ...
First Case, Second Case
Directed by Abbas Kiarostami, 2004
a line of young men standing against a wall, waiting
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Abbas Kiarostami, A Cinema of Participation. ...
Certified Copy
Directed by Abbas Kiarostami, 2010
close-up of a woman with her head turned and a man just behind her

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Abbas Kiarostami, A Cinema of Participation. ...
Shirin
Directed by Abbas Kiarostami, 2008
close-up of woman in movie theater watching film with tears in her eyes
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Abbas Kiarostami, A Cinema of Participation. ...
10 on Ten
Directed by Abbas Kiarostami, 2004
Abbas Kiarostami driving a car and speaking

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Abbas Kiarostami, A Cinema of Participation. ...
Kiarostami Short Films
little boy crouching down on ground as if getting ready to hop
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Abbas Kiarostami, A Cinema of Participation. ...
Five
Directed by Abbas Kiarostami, 2003
the surf at the seashore's edge with a little piece of wood from above

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Abbas Kiarostami, A Cinema of Participation. ...
Homework
Directed by Abbas Kiarostami, 1989
smiling little boy

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Abbas Kiarostami, A Cinema of Participation. ...
The Traveler
Directed by Abbas Kiarostami, 1974
two boys in school talking at their desk
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Abbas Kiarostami, A Cinema of Participation. ...
Like Someone in Love
Directed by Abbas Kiarostami and Banafsheh Violet Modaressi, 2012
older man looking at a young woman asleep in a bed at night

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Abbas Kiarostami, A Cinema of Participation. ...
Taste of Cherry
Directed by Abbas Kiarostami, 1997
Screening on Film
close-up of man at sunset above the city
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Abbas Kiarostami, A Cinema of Participation. ...
ABC Africa
Directed by Abbas Kiarostami, 2001
view from above of little Ugandan children looking up at camera

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Abbas Kiarostami, A Cinema of Participation. ...
The Traveler
Directed by Abbas Kiarostami, 1974
two boys in school talking at their desk
Read more
Abbas Kiarostami, A Cinema of Participation. ...
Ten
Directed by Abbas Kiarostami, 2002
close-up of Iranian woman with veil on driving at night

Read more
Abbas Kiarostami, A Cinema of Participation. ...
The Wind Will Carry Us
Directed by Abbas Kiarostami, 1999
Screening on Film
wide shot of a motorcycle on a winding road in the Iranian mountainside

Read more
Abbas Kiarostami, A Cinema of Participation. ...
Taste of Cherry
Directed by Abbas Kiarostami, 1997
Screening on Film
close-up of man at sunset above the city

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Abbas Kiarostami, A Cinema of Participation. ...
The White Balloon
Directed by Jafar Panahi, 1995
Screening on Film
little girl tightening her headscarf

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Abbas Kiarostami, A Cinema of Participation. ...
Where is the Friend’s House?
Directed by Abbas Kiarostami, 1987
young boy talking to a woman hanging laundry
Read more
Abbas Kiarostami, A Cinema of Participation. ...
Close-up
Directed by Abbas Kiarostami, 1991
Screening on Film
man sitting on ornate bench inside with food and coffee before him

Read more
Abbas Kiarostami, A Cinema of Participation. ...
And Life Goes On… AKA Life and Nothing More
Directed by Abbas Kiarostami, 1992
young boy in the passenger seat next to older man driving a car
Read more
Abbas Kiarostami, A Cinema of Participation. ...
First Case, Second Case
Directed by Abbas Kiarostami, 2004
a line of young men standing against a wall, waiting

Read more
Abbas Kiarostami, A Cinema of Participation. ...
24 Frames
Directed by Abbas Kiarostami, 2017
snowy landscape with trees, horses and a river's edge

Current and upcoming film series

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The Reincarnations of Delphine Seyrig

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Rosine Mbakam, 2025 McMillan-Stewart Fellow