The apple
This cycle revisits some of the milestone films of Mohsen and Samira Makhmalbaf's respective careers, using high-quality 35mm prints from our collections. The former, along with Abbas Kiarostami, was a leading figure in the new wave of Iranian cinema, before being forced into exile by the regime's hostility. The second, his daughter, made her first film at the age of 18 and, in the space of five features, has established herself as one of the most talented contemporary directors. As well as focusing on Iranian society, both have also addressed the situation of people in neighboring countries, like Afghanistan, in their films.
Several outraged people in a poor Tehran neighborhood unite to denounce an abusive father who has kept his two 11-year-old daughters captive since birth. A social worker is put in charge of the investigation to free them.
Samira Makhmalbaf
Samira Makhmalbaf is an Iranian filmmaker, daughter of Mohsen Makhmalbaf, who belongs to the New Wave of Iranian cinema. She left secondary school at the age of 14 to study at a private Mohhbalbaf film school, where she made two short films and her first feature, The Apple. She was a jury member at the 22nd Moscow Film Festival in 2000, the 54th Berlin Film Festival in 2004 and the 57th San Sebastian Film Festival in 2009. She has received many international awards, including the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival for Blackboards in 2000 and At Five in the Afternoon in 2003, and the Special Jury Prize at the 2008 San Sebastian Film Festival for Two-Legged Horse.
