Taxi (2015 film)

Taxi

Official poster for Taxi
Directed by Jafar Panahi
Produced by Jafar Panahi
Written by Jafar Panahi
Starring Jafar Panahi
Hana Saeidi
Production
company
Jafar Panahi
Film Productions
Release dates
  • 6 February 2015 (2015-02-06) (Berlin)
Running time
 82 minutes
Country Iran
Language Persian
Box office $3,353,426[1]

Taxi (full title Jafar Panahi's Taxi; Persian: تاکسی‎‎), also known as Taxi Tehran, is a 2015 Iranian docufiction starring and directed by Jafar Panahi. The film premiered in competition at the 65th Berlin International Film Festival[2] where it won the Golden Bear[3] and the FIPRESCI Prize.[4] In 2010, Panahi was banned from making films and travelling, so his niece Hana Saeidi, who also appears in the film, collected the award on his behalf.[5]

Production

Similar to Abbas Kiarostami's A Taste of Cherry (1997) and Ten (2002),[6] Taxi has been described as "a portrait of the Iranian capital Tehran"[7] and as a "documentary-like film [...] set in a Tehran taxi that is driven by Panahi"[8] with passengers who "candidly confide[d]" to Panahi.[9] According to Jean-Michel Frodon, the passengers include "Men and women, young and old, rich and poor, traditionalists and modernists, pirated video vendors, and advocates of human rights, [who sit] in the passenger seat of the inexperienced driver [who they refer to as] Harayé Panahi (Aghaye Panahi, آقای پناهی), 'Mr. Panahi'." The passengers are played by non-professional actors, whose identities remain anonymous.[6][10] Human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh appears in the film.[11] The 2014 detention of Ghoncheh Ghavami is discussed in the penultimate scene of the film.[12]

Like his previous two films This Is Not a Film and Closed Curtain, the film was made despite Panahi's 20-year ban from making films.[13] His previous two films had been shot in extreme secrecy in Panahi's apartment and in a private house. In this film Panahi filmed out in the open on the streets of Tehran.[6]

Shortly after the film's premiere at Berlin was announced, Panahi released an official statement in which he promised to continue making films despite the ban and said "Nothing can prevent me from making films since when being pushed to the ultimate corners I connect with my inner-self and, in such private spaces, despite all limitations, the necessity to create becomes even more of an urge."[9]

Reception

The film currently holds a score of 91/100 on Metacritic, based on 25 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim."[14]

Taxi won the Golden Bear prize at the 2015 Berlin International Film Festival.[15] Because Panahi was legally unable to leave Iran to attend the festival, his niece Hana Saeidi (who appears in the film) was there to accept the award on his behalf.[15] Berlin Jury president Darren Aronofsky described the film as "a love letter to cinema...filled with love for his art, his community, his country and his audience."[15]

In an interview following the win at Berlin, Panahi pleaded with authorities to allow his film to be screened publicly in Iran.[16] The Iranian government’s film branch, the Cinema Organisation, offered a statement that was at once celebratory and critical, congratulating Panahi for the win while accusing the Berlin Film Festival of spreading misunderstanding by awarding the prize to Panahi.[16]

Box office

The film opened in Italy on August 27, 2015 where it earned the ninth place spot, grossing $124,280 from 41 screens. It stayed in the ninth position the following week, but saw a 54% increase to end the weekend with $191,688 (thus bringing its cute to $396,526). The movie dropped to 12th place in its third week with $122,970, while increasing the screen count to 82. It's three-week cumulative total is $597,093.

It also has opened in Austria where it has made $110,446 since opening on July 24, 2015.

As of December 30, the film has a worldwide total of $3,353,426.

Cast

Related

References

  1. ↑ "Taxi (2015)". The Numbers. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Jafar Panahi's New Film in Competition. Sebastian Schipper, Werner Herzog, Benoit Jacquot and Further Titles Added to the Selection". Berlinale. January 14, 2015. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Prizes of the International Jury". Berlinale. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
  4. ↑ "BERLIN 2015: Jafar Panahi ganó el FIPRESCI con Taxi". fancinema. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
  5. ↑ "Berlin Film Festival: Panahi's Taxi wins Golden Bear". BBC News. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  6. 1 2 3 Frodon, Jean-Michel (February 5, 2015). "'Taxi' de Jafar Panahi, premier événement de la Berlinale" (in French). Slate France. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Banned Iranian filmmaker part of the Berlin Film Festival lineup". Haaretz.com. January 14, 2015. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Berlinale to screen "Atom-Heart Mother"". Tehran Times. January 16, 2015. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
  9. 1 2 Vivarelli, Nick (January 26, 2015). "Iranian Auteur Jafar Panahi Issues Statement on Irrepressible Need to Direct Despite Moviemaking Ban". Los Angeles, CA: Variety. Retrieved January 28, 2015.
  10. ↑ http://www.theguardian.com/film/jafar-panahi
  11. ↑ EsfandiarI, Golnaz (June 16, 2015). "One Woman Stands Against the Iranian Government". Foreign Policy. Retrieved July 2, 2016.
  12. ↑ Jafar Panahi. "Taxi" (the film).
  13. ↑ "'Taxi' Panahi was the competition in Berlin". BBC Persian. January 15, 2015. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
  14. ↑ Jafar Panahi's Taxi, Metacritic
  15. 1 2 3 Moulson, Geir (14 February 2015). "Iran director Panahi's 'Taxi' wins top honor at Berlin fest". Associated Press. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
  16. 1 2 Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (5 February 2015). "Jafar Panahi asks for Golden Bear winner Taxi to be shown in Iran". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
  17. ↑ Romney, Jonathan (2015-11-01). "Taxi Tehran review – Jafar Panahi's joy ride". the Guardian. Retrieved 2016-05-14.

See also

External links

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