Abstract/Summary

This thesis analyses the way in which the films of Abbas Kiarostami and Jafar Panahi present and represent the real physical world and those who live in it. For the first time, it will bring to light their shared realist approach, exploring the wider political, social and philosophical implications of their work. I argue that underpinning their entire filmmaking ethos is the inclusion of the real physical world in their films’ mode of production, making this thesis both an examination of politics and realism and a politics of realism. This thesis follows the work of Lúcia Nagib (2016; 2020) in favouring a definition of realism that focuses on filmmakers who approach the Real not just to obtain a mimesis or an impression of reality, but as a means to interact with and transform reality at the point of the film’s production. I break down this relentless cinematic approach into the following key areas: the much debated influence of Italian Neorealism; self-reflexivity as a realist device; realism between humanism and non-anthropocentrism; realism and social critique; cinema versus non-cinema. To my knowledge, this is the first extended comparative analysis of films by Kiarostami and Panahi. This is surprising given the international critical acclaim both directors have received, as well as the clear impact that Kiarostami has had on the career of Panahi. Though embracing a thematic and non-chronological structure, this thesis outlines their careers, from Panahi’s role as an assistant director on Kiarostami’s 1994 film Through the Olive Trees to his 2010 house arrest and ban from filmmaking. Likewise, Kiarostami’s career is tracked from his earliest child-centred films in pre-Revolution Iran, to the posthumously released 24 Frames (2017). Throughout, we find two filmmakers who make the negotiation and interaction between fiction and reality a fundamental part of their contribution to film history.