This early feature by Kiarostami is steeped in neorealism and hews closely to some of his short films where children are the protagonists. Qassem is a troubled boy living in small city of Malayer in northwest Iran, and he is obsessed with soccer. When his favorite soccer player is scheduled to play in Tehran, he devises an elaborate scheme to attend the game. As mischievous and deceitful as Qassem is, we sympathize with the boy who is so devoted to the sport. The Traveler at times employs a documentary style of filmmaking, lending it an extra degree of emotional resonance.
Followed by a members-only reception!
The screening will be preceded by:
Deep Dive: Kiarostami and Iranian Cinema
6:00PM | FREE
Film critic Godfrey Cheshire, author of the new book Conversations with Kiarostami, discusses how Abbas Kiarostami emerged from making films about children in pre-Revolutionary Iran to become one of the world's most celebrated directors in the 1990s and beyond, an ascent reflected in the current restorations and touring retrospective of his work.
