From backcover of Hamid Dabashi's Close Up: Iranian Cinema, Past Present and Future (2001, Verso):
Abbas Kiarostami planted Iran firmly on the map of world cinema when he won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes film festival for his film A Taste of Cherry in 1997. In this book, Hamid Dabashi examines the growing reputation of Iranian cinema from its origins in the films of Kimuyai and Mehrjui, through the work of established directors such as Kiarostami, Beyzai and Bani-Etemad, to young filmmakers like Samira Makhmalbaf and Bahman Qobadi, who triumphed at the Cannes 2000 festival.
Introduction >>> HERE (11 pages)
Hamid Dabashi is Professor of Comparative Study of Culture and Iranian Studies at Columbia University
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