Abbas Kiarostami, one of the most venerated names in world cinema, died on 4 July. He was in Paris, France, undergoing treatment for gastrointestinal cancer. He was 76.
His film career, which ranges from 1970’s The Bread and Alley to 2012’s Like Someone in Love, is marked by his quiet, intense investigation of matters philosophical, political and seemingly mundane. He had an eye for painterly landscapes, and a complexity that escaped some of his Iranian counterparts. Despite his penchant for long shots and extended, unhurried takes, the screen crackled with the force of his ideas.
Tributes poured in throughout the day from film professionals and critics across the globe:
The most emphatic statement came years ago, courtesy French director Jean-Luc Godard. After seeing Kiarostami’s 1992 film Life, and Nothing More..., he wrote: “Film begins with DW Griffith and ends with Abbas Kiarostami.” But Kiarostami’s worldview is too rich and sympathetic to qualify simply as a bookend. His work should inspire generations of future directors to tell their stories simply, stirringly and emphatically.
