Friday, March 20, 2015

Berlin Film Festival: Banned Iranian Director Panahi's Taxi wins Golden Bear

   
Published on Feb 14, 2015
     A yellow cab is driving through the vibrant and colourful streets of Tehran. Very diverse passengers enter the taxi, each candidly expressing their views while being interviewed by the driver who is no one else but the director Jafar Panahi himself. His camera placed on the dashboard of his mobile film studio captures the spirit of Iranian society through this comedic and dramatic drive.
     Taxi is Panahi's third film since he was banned from making films by the Iranian authorities and forbidden from travelling in 2010. It was filmed covertly as the director drove a taxi around Tehran. British stars Sir Tom Courtenay and Charlotte Rampling won best actor and actress for their roles as a married couple in Andrew Haigh's 45 Years. Taxi sees Panahi share his thoughts on contemporary Iran with passengers in the back of his cab, using a mounted dashboard camera to evade the scrutiny of the Iranian authorities. It was one of 19 films vying for the prestigious Golden Bear award, including more high-profile fare from directors such as Wim Wenders, Terence Malick and Peter Greenaway. Taxi is an 82 minutes drama.
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