"I feel like a tree. A tree doesnt feel a duty to start doing something about the earth from which it comes. A tree just has to bear fruit, and leaves and blossoms. It doesnt feel grateful to the earth."
Abbas Kiarostami was an Iranian film director, screenwriter, poet, photographer, and film producer. An active filmmaker from 1970, Kiarostami had been involved in the production of over forty films, including shorts and documentaries. Kiarostami attained critical acclaim for directing the Koker trilogy (1987–1994), Close-Up (1990), The Wind Will Carry Us (1999), and Taste of Cherry (1997), which w
"To be international, you have to first be local. ... When you take a tree that is rooted in the ground, and transfer it from one place to another, the tree will no longer bear fruit. And if it does, the fruit will not be as good as it was in its original place. This is a rule of nature. I think if I had left my country, I would be the same as the tree."
Abbas Kiarostami"Kiarostami represents the highest level of artistry in the cinema."
Abbas Kiarostami"The calling of art is to extract us from our daily reality, to bring us to a hidden truth thats difficult to access - to a level thats not material but spiritual."
Abbas Kiarostami"My films have been progressing towards a certain kind of minimalism, even though it was never intended. Elements which can be eliminated have been eliminated. This was pointed out to me by somebody who referred to the paintings of Rembrandt and his use of light: some elements are highlighted while others are obscured or even pushed back into the dark. And its something that we do - we bring out elements that we want to emphasise. Im not claiming or denying that I have done such a thing but I do believe in [[Robert Bresson|[Robert] Bresson]]s method of creation through omission, not through addition."
Abbas Kiarostami"Kiarostami gave the Iranian cinema the international credibility that it has today. ... But his films were unfortunately not seen as much in Iran. He changed the worlds cinema; he freshened it and humanised it in contrast with Hollywoods rough version."
Abbas Kiarostami"Film begins with DW Griffith and ends with Abbas Kiarostami."
Abbas Kiarostami