9 Movies Directed by Jafar Panahi

The White Balloon

The White Balloon

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1995-11-27

Languages:

Persian

Countries:

Iran

Runtime:

85 min

Rated:

UNRATED

IMDB Ratings:

7.7 (4256 Reviews)

Director:

Jafar Panahi

Genres:

DramaFamily

Cast:

Writer:

Abbas Kiarostami

Jafar Panahi (original idea)

Parviz Shahbazi (original idea)

Fullplot:

Razieh wants a fat goldfish for the Iranian New Years celebration instead of the skinny ones in her family's pond at home, because the fat fish looks like it's dancing when it swims. After many attempts she and her brother convince their mother to give them her last bit of money. Between their home and the fish store, Razieh loses the money.. She finds it, but it is temptingly just out of her reach.

The Mirror

The Mirror

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1998-11-25

Languages:

Persian

Countries:

Iran

Runtime:

95 min

IMDB Ratings:

7.6 (1566 Reviews)

Director:

Jafar Panahi

Genres:

Drama

Fullplot:

A girl in traditional female clothing, with her arm in plaster, comes out of school one day and doesn't find her mother meeting her. She decides to travel home herself though she doesn't know her address and remembers the road only visually.

The Mirror

The Mirror

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1998-11-25

Languages:

Persian

Countries:

Iran

Runtime:

95 min

IMDB Ratings:

7.6 (1595 Reviews)

Director:

Jafar Panahi

Genres:

Drama

Fullplot:

A girl in traditional female clothing, with her arm in plaster, comes out of school one day and doesn't find her mother meeting her. She decides to travel home herself though she doesn't know her address and remembers the road only visually.

The Circle

The Circle

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2000-09-08

Languages:

Persian

Countries:

Iran, Italy, Switzerland

Runtime:

90 min

Rated:

NOT RATED

IMDB Ratings:

7.5 (4213 Reviews)

Director:

Jafar Panahi

Genres:

Drama

Fullplot:

In a hospital waiting room a woman learns her daughter, Solmaz Gholami, has just given birth. The ultrasound test had prepared the family for a boy. The baby, it turns out, is a girl. The joy the mother anticipated turns to terror for she knows her son-in-law's family will abandon her daughter. The old woman flees as the in-laws arrive. On the crowded streets of Tehran - a place where women are not permitted to stay out on their own or smoke in public - two women are also on the run. Arezou and Nargess have just been granted temporary leave from prison but they have no plans to return. They manage to scrounge together enough money for the bus trip to Nargess' hometown, but she lacks proper identification, and the police are searching everyone at the station. Meanwhile, their friend Pari has just escaped from prison in order to have an abortion. Threatened with death by her brothers, she flees from her father's house and meets with a former inmate, Elham, who is now married to a doctor and works in a hospital. Despite her connections, Elham is unable to help Pari in her hour of need. Despondent, Pari wanders the streets and chances upon Nayereh, a woman about to abandon her young daughter. Pari tries to stop her, but it is too late. Soon after, Nayareh, falsely accused of prostitution, is taken into custody by the police. As Panahi's narrative shifts dynamically from woman to woman, their stories culminate with tremendous potency, transforming a shared sense of despair and injustice into one kinship, and even hope.

Crimson Gold

Crimson Gold

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2003-09-12

Languages:

Persian

Countries:

Iran

Runtime:

95 min

Rated:

UNRATED

IMDB Ratings:

7.6 (3187 Reviews)

Director:

Jafar Panahi

Cast:

Writer:

Abbas Kiarostami (screenplay)

Fullplot:

For Hussein, a pizza delivery driver, the imbalance of the social system is thrown in his face wherever he turns. One day when his friend, Ali, shows him the contents of a lost purse, Hussein discovers a receipt of payment and cannot believe the large sum of money someone spent to purchase an expensive necklace. He knows that his pitiful salary will never be enough to afford such luxury. Hussein receives yet another blow when he and Ali are denied entry to an uptown jewelry store because of their appearance. His job allows him a full view of the contrast between rich and poor. He motorbikes every evening to neighborhoods he will never live in, for a closer look at what goes on behind closed doors. But one night, Hussein tastes the luxurious life, before his deep feelings of humiliation push him over the edge.

Offside

Offside

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2006-05-26

Languages:

Persian

Countries:

Iran

Runtime:

93 min

Rated:

PG

IMDB Ratings:

7.3 (5403 Reviews)

Director:

Jafar Panahi

Fullplot:

"Offside" is about a group of Iranian girls who attempts to enter Tehran's Azadi Stadium dressed as boys in order to watch a big football match but some get caught and arrested. After the establishment of the Islamic Republic in Iran, women are not allowed to enter the stadiums.

This Is Not a Film

This Is Not a Film

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2012-02-29

Languages:

Persian

Countries:

Iran

Runtime:

75 min

Rated:

NOT RATED

IMDB Ratings:

7.5 (3111 Reviews)

Genres:

Documentary

Cast:

Writer:

Jafar Panahi

Fullplot:

It's been months since Jafar Panahi, stuck in jail, has been awaiting a verdict by the appeals court. By depicting a day in his life, Panahi and Mojtaba Mirtahmasb try to portray the deprivations looming in contemporary Iranian cinema.

Closed Curtain

Closed Curtain

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2014-04-10

Languages:

Persian

Countries:

Iran

Runtime:

106 min

IMDB Ratings:

6.8 (565 Reviews)

Genres:

Drama

Fullplot:

In a secluded house by the sea with the curtains shut, a screenwriter hides from the world with only his dog as company. The tranquility is abruptly broken one night by the arrival of a young woman fleeing from the authorities. Refusing to leave, she takes refuge in the house. But come dawn, another unexpected presence will change everything.

Taxi

Taxi

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2015-04-15

Languages:

Persian

Countries:

Iran

Runtime:

82 min

IMDB Ratings:

7.6 (1560 Reviews)

Director:

Jafar Panahi

Genres:

Drama

Cast:

Writer:

Jafar Panahi

Fullplot:

When you are a filmmaker and you are not allowed to direct movies any more, you have to retrain. So why not become a taxi driver? Or better, why not pretend you are a taxi driver and make a film despite everything? This is what Jafar Panahi has done. Now he invites you to get into his cab for the price of a cinema ticket, to ride through the streets of Tehran and discover its people in the persons of his various passengers.

Become a Movie Insider

Join our mailing list and get access to expert analysis, trivia, and recommendations that will elevate your movie-watching experience.

View our privacy policy.