The Color Of Paradise  Unknown Source

Majidi: My Aim is to Appeal to Emotions
Interview with FilmFestivals.com

Why did you choose to compete at the Montreal World Film Festival again? Your world-class film could have gone to any major festival.

I like the Montreal festival and what it did for me. The festival discovered my work and my last two films went on to become the most widely distributed Iranian films in the world. (The Color of Paradise sold to 70 territories). I am really comfortable here and have a lot of affection for the Montreal festival and its audience. Cannes and Venice wanted to see the film, but in the end, we only sent it to Montreal. (Fest topper) Serge Losique is a really engaging and friendly fellow. But maybe three times in competition is enough! (Majidi's links to Montreal are also professional, since he met the producer of Baran, Fouad Nahas, after a screening in Montreal years ago. Nahas is Montreal-based and spent a year on the set of Baran in Iran).

Fellow Iranian filmmaker Tahmine Milani, who visited the Montreal festival in 1999, was arrested earlier this week in Iran on the grounds that her latest film The Hidden Half sympathizes too much with "counter-revolutionary" and "atheist" movements. Are you worried by this development? Do you think Iranian filmmakers have a political role to play?

Of course, I am worried. The Iranian artistic community reacted strongly to the arrest. There shouldn't be any limit to the creative freedom of artists. I had problems earlier on in my career, particularly with my first film Baduk (shown at the Montreal festival in 1992), because of its grim depiction of child abuse among refugees. Artists play a special role in Iran as the defenders of citizens, but I believe that the best way to express themselves is through their art, not direct political action. In my films, I talk about what interests me. If there is a political connotation to my films, it is not consciously done. (The Iranian emigre community in Montreal cricitized Majidi and the Iranian delegation for presenting a "propagandistic" face at the festival, but in fact Majidi did not try to justify anything. His point was about freedom of artistic expression and, implicitly, that overt politics does not necessarily mix well with art-DA).

How do you explain your appeal to popular audiences in the West? Are you influenced by some trends in contemporary cinema?

I am trying to establish a rapport with the public. My films are not very complicated. My aim is to appeal to emotions. For me, a technically accomplished film without emotion has little value. I have watched the classics, of course, but I am not really interested in following current cinema. In a sense, I don't want to be unduly influenced with what is being done around me. What inspires me is daily life, the problems that simple folks have around me, the people I meet. I do serve on juries in Iran, so I know what is being done here, but I would rather not serve on juries elsewhere.

Amir Farrokh Hashemian with director Majid Majidi Dark Horizons

Your films always deal with children, or teenagers in the case of Baran? Why? Do you find it harder to work with actors of a younger age, who almost invariably end up being non-professionals, as with the actress playing Baran?

I prefer to work with children, and non-professionals, because they have no preconceived notions of how they should be acting. They play in my films the way they act in real life. With actors, on the other hand, they have to learn being someone else. My approach is no less time-consuming-the shooting of Baran took more than six months, in the uncomfortable location of a real construction site-but I crave this authenticity. Incidentally, the Baran teenage girl is a real refugee from an Afghan refugee camp outside of Teheran. Prior to the shooting, she had not left the camp in the fifteen years of her life. Her work in the film allowed her family to buy a house.

With humanity and dignity, Baran powerfully depicts the harsh life of Afghan refugees in Iran. Is the Afghanistan question, the civil wars and the refugees, a major topic in Iran?

The horrible exactions of the Taliban regime are known to all. And the refugees are having a huge impact. Officially, there are a million and a half of them, but in fact there are at least twice as many. (Baran depicts the life of the unregistered ones). My film wanted to show that, despite the tensions, the Iranian people has been quite hospitable to Afghanis, or to refugees in general. With the millions of refugees from Iraq, Iran probably has the largest refugee population in the whole world.

What is your impression of North America?

I like Old Montreal, with its European architecture, but find the modern buildings cold and impersonal. In the US, of the dozen of cities I visited to promote my films, what I really enjoyed was visiting Chicago and San Francisco, which I had discovered in gangster and action films, as well as the cultural sophistication of the New Yorkers I met.   Dominique Arel

"I clearly believe that art is the best language for civilizations, as opposed to politics."

Majid Majidi

Cecily Dexter, New York, New York
I urge you to try to see this movie. The acting is brilliant but totally natural. I don't recall ever seeing a child who is as fine an actor as the boy who played Mohammed, and not for a moment did his "acting" ever get in the way of the story. The cinematography is breath-taking. I'm sure no one who has not been to Iran has any idea at all that it is this beautiful. There is plenty of symbolism for any particular point of view, which makes it fun to talk about after you see it, and although it is probably intended to be religious from the Islam point of view, you could probably find in this movie your own brand of spirituality, or lack of it, if you cared to try. I, a typically cynical and jaded New Yorker, and my completely enthusiastic and non-jaded adolescent daughter, both loved it and hope to see it again. So go see it and make it a success so we can get more movies like it over here!!

Miriami, Tel-Aviv, Israel
Its as if the director was writing a song with the colors of nature to describe the innocence and purity of the blind child. the child that feels rejected by his beloved family, finds his peace and identification with nature. but such a pure, innocent leaving being can not exist in this evil world, so he must die, putting his trust in his weak betraying father to the last moment...

Marko Roy, Welland, CA
Another masterpiece by Majid Majidi. I preferred Children of Heaven but this one was almost as good. The acting is superb. It's natural, these are no Hollywood-stars and it's sometimes refreshing to see that. The cinematography, just like in other films from Iran, is simply breath-taking.

Jayamakali, Bethlehem, PA
The Color of Paradise is a very beautiful and moving film. It's about a blind boy and his blind-hearted father. I have always felt that my sense of sight would be the most difficult to lose. I learned a new perspective from this film, the boy saw so much more than his father did. It was also fascinating to see how beautiful Iran is. I feel quite fortunate to have seen this film, it gave me a deeper understanding of myself.

The Color Of Paradise  Unknown Source

Emir Sadikovic, Belgrade, Yugoslavia
This movie nails you to the film linen like a magnet. It's a holyday for eyes (great photography), hart and soul (great story). I can't remember when I saw so many pleasant characters in a movie (angels smiles of a little girls, Mohammad's sisters) My respect to Mr. Majidi Majidi

Knish1, NY
A scene in the opening of this remarkable movie is for me certainly one of the most mesmerizing poignant moments in all of cinematic art. All who see it will know exactly what I mean when I refer to the bird's nest in the tree. Any lover of cinema should see this without hesitation. Sheerly beautiful

Neginss, Los Angeles
The Color Of Paradise was one of the best movies I've ever seen. It was so emotional that we couldn't stop crying. Mohammad (Mohsen Ramezani) acted unbelievable and I can't forget his innocent face with those beautiful smiles. I believe that Color Of Paradise had to win the 2000 academy award because from every aspects it was a perfect movie. The picture was one of the best pictures and so natural. I want to thank Majid Majidi and all casts for producing the most beautiful movie. also I want to thank Mohsen Ramezani for playing so beautiful in this movie. Keep continue the good job

Jason, Dallas
An Iranian widower seeks to remarry, but feels burdened by the presence of his blind son. We are shown through the course of the story, however, that it is the father's lack of vision that causes problems for the rest of the family, and leads to the eventual tragic climax.

While this film comes from a land known for its dark fables dealing with morality, gorgeous scenery and natural acting overwhelm the script to make this one of the best and most memorable foreign films to make it to our shores this year. Visions of the countryside in which the story unfolds leave no doubt as to how beautiful this ancient land can really be. And not a single person who sees this movie could fail to be touched by witnessing the plight of the earnest, innocent young Mohammad, played arrestingly by Mohsen Ramezani. I will be dismayed if director Majid Majidi does not receive at least as many accolades for this film as for his previous work, "Children of Heaven," which garnered a nomination for an Academy Award.

Barbavanti, Boston
Touching to the point of tears, breathtaking cinematography, moving and even humorous. This is probably the best film I have seen in a very long time. It was a work of art...from the acting and camera work to the script and plot. I saw it the first time with a friend. The second time we brought 7 others along. SEE IT!