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No Bears is the outstanding new film from acclaimed Iranian auteur Jafar Panahi. In the film Panahi plays himself, a filmmaker trying to direct a cast and crew in Turkey, who is forced to remain in an Iranian village close to the border. As his actors perform their own story of attempted escape to Europe, Panahi finds himself coming up against suspicion and local traditions in the village where he is staying. Panahi’s latest film is a testimony to how artistry and protest can find inspiration in the very restrictions that he and other creative voices face.
The Garden Cinema view: Given the extreme restrictions imposed upon Jafar Panahi by Iranian authorities, each film he makes is in itself a minor miracle. That No Bears contains so much humour and pathos despite this censorship is yet more impressive. This is a deeply personal film about the director's struggle which nonetheless speaks to far reaching political issues.
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Cast:
Naser Hashemi, Bakhtiyar Panjeei, Mina Khosravani, Vahid Mobaser, Jafar Panahi