Jafar Panhai’s Taxi

[projekktor id=’21215′]

Jafar Panahi’s Taxi is a documentary written, produced, and directed by Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi (Closed Curtain). It won the Golden Bear and the FIPRESCI Prize at the 2015 Berlin Film Festival where the film premiered.

Internationally acclaimed director Jafar Panahi (This is Not a Film) drives a yellow cab through the vibrant streets of Tehran, picking up a diverse (and yet representative) group of passengers in a single day. Each man, woman, and child candidly expresses his or her own view of the world, while being interviewed by the curious and gracious driver/director. His camera, placed on the dashboard of his mobile film studio, captures a spirited slice of Iranian society while also brilliantly redefining the borders of comedy, drama and cinema.

“I’m a filmmaker. I can’t do anything else but make films,” says Panahi. “Cinema is my expression and the meaning of my life. Nothing can prevent me from making films. Because when I’m pushed into the furthest corners I connect with my inner self. And in such private spaces, despite all limitations, the necessity to create becomes even more of an urge. Cinema as an art becomes my main preoccupation. That is the reason why I have to continue making films under any circumstances to pay my respects and feel alive.”

Jafar Panahi’s Taxi is rated PG.