Berlinale 2015: Golden Bear for Jafar Panahi's film "Taxi"
Jafar Panahi's "Taxi"
truly deserves the Golden Bear it won at the Berlinale. For Jochen Kurten, the
film's victory is more than just a political statement because "Taxi"
takes the viewer on a journey through the Iranian capital and is full of warmth
and humanity. The whole experience moved him deeply
by Jochen Kürten, Qantara
Iranian cinema already has an
established tradition of scenes filmed from a moving car. Abbas Kiarostami, who
made Iranian cinema famous around the world, has often set his protagonists in
cars. Just like the driver, the filmgoer could see the world passing by.
Viewers saw what the actor in the film was seeing; they saw cities and
landscapes, noticed little episodes in passing, saw people and their lives
passing by. The car and the eyes of the viewers became one, a large moving
camera. The film director shared his observations and his thoughts with the
viewers.
Jafar Panahi applied a similar
technique in his new film "Taxi", although the decision to do so was
not entirely voluntary. Anyone who has followed Panahi's story in recent years
knows why this is so: Panahi is not allowed to make films and certainly not
allowed to travel abroad. Although sentenced to a term in prison, his prison
sentence was stayed as a result of pressure from abroad. However, he has chosen
to disregard the work ban imposed on him. Two years ago, Panahi's film
"Closed Curtain" was shown at the Berlinale and won a Silver Bear for
its screenplay.
This time, however, Panahi took
the Golden Bear. His film is a tremendously courageous act of resistance
against the work ban imposed on him by the Iranian authorities. The director
plays the taxi driver in his own film, making conversation with his numerous
passengers as he drives them around Tehran. Some of these passengers, for
instance a critical female lawyer, address Iran's democratic abuses very
directly. This is courageous. In this respect, "Taxi" is a
politically committed film.
On the other hand,
"Taxi" is quite simply a great film. Just like Kiarostami, Panahi
uses the principle of movement, which is one of the fundamental pillars of the
film medium. Whether it is the camera that moves, the actor, or both, Panahi
offers a filmic journey through the heart of Tehran.
Beyond the form, the content
also addresses artistic reflections as well, as the taxi driver and his
passengers often talk about cinema. The resulting conversations are very
insightful. In this way, "Taxi" is also a clever take on current
events.
Art and life meet at the
Berlinale
In addition to the political
and artistic reasons for giving the Golden Bear to the film, there is yet
another reason: the film's humanity. A few days after "Taxi" was
shown at the Berlinale, I took a taxi in Berlin. The driver, an Iranian, asked
me what I was doing in Berlin. When I told him I was a journalist covering the
film festival, we quickly started talking about Panahi. As it turned out, the
taxi driver also writes about films and had recently published an article about
the film director.
We talked about the director's
latest movie. I asked him if he thought the passengers in the film were
professional or inexperienced actors, if the scenes were staged or improvised.
It turned into a lively discussion. We both agreed that this is a wonderful
film that provides a great insight into both the people of Iran and art. Above
all, we concluded that it was deeply human.
This was one of the most
delightful moments of my Berlinale experience this year. Art and life were
suddenly so closely intertwined. The conversation in the taxi was so intense
that we both had tears in our eyes at the end of it.
Beyond the political statement
and the artistic expression, both the film and the director exude an incredible
feeling of warmth and humanity. Jafar Panahi truly deserves this Golden Bear.
Via Qantara
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