This is not a film

Synopsis

This clandestine documentary, shot partially on an iPhone and smuggled into France in a cake for a last-minute submission to Cannes, depicts the day-to-day life of acclaimed director JafarPanahi (OFFSIDE, THE CIRCLE) during his house arrest in his Tehran apartment. While appealing his sentence – six years in prison and a 20 year ban from filmmaking – Panahi is seen talking to his family and lawyer on the phone, discussing his plight with Mirtahmasb and reflecting on the meaning of the art of filmmaking.

Director Biography

Born in 1960, Mianeh, Iran. Renowned director, author and producer Jafar Panahi made a number of short films and documentaries before he filmed his directorial debut, Badkonakesefid (THE WHITE BALLOON), which earned him the Camera d’Or in Cannes in 1995. In 1997 he won the Golden Leopard in Locarno for Ayneh (THE MIRROR) and in 2000 the Golden Lion in Venice for Dayereh (THE CIRCLE). OFFSIDE won the Silver Bear (Grand Prix of the Jury) at the Berlinale in 2006.