The president by mohsen makhmalbaf trailer youtube. Its story of a despot mikheil gomiashvili caught in the midst of a revolution, who escapes his countrys futuristically designed capital city to traverse. Even though the president lacks some of the subtlety that made makhmalbafs previous work transcendent, this film is still a worthy testament to a fiery storyteller determined to use the medium as. The president is really a brilliant movie and it indicates makhmalbafs top level of directorship experience. Irans mohsen makhmalbaf underlines a bloody dictatorship. Mohsen makhmalbaf talks the president features screen. The president displays mohsen makhmalbafs filmmaking skills in abundance but lacks the kind of cultural and political specificity that would assure its allegorys resonance. In the president, iranian expatriate filmmaker mohsen makhmalbaf struggles to create a vital fable out of a contemporary political nightmare. Even with a new president, it seems unlikely that mr.
Director mohsen makhmalbaf is at his finest and weaves a story of regret over the abuse of power in masterful yet subtle strokes. Iranian director mohsen makhmalbafs film puts its protagonist through trials few other tyrants ever face. The gardener, mohsen makhmalbafs inquiry into religion. Many of his films like salam cinema, a moment of innocence, gabbeh, kandahar and the president have been widely well received across the globe and have brought him over 50 international awards from the prestigious. In many ways, the president is gripping though the movie, one must dare say, is not in the same league as, for instance, makhmalbafs kandahar a haunting story set in talibans. Perhaps even mohsen makhmalbafs most devoted admirers werent expecting his latest film opening the festivals orrizonti sidebar section to be quite so absorbing and. The beginning of mohsen makhmalbafs the president teases that kind of mockery, opening with the title ruler showing his young grandson the extreme power he wields over his nation. An allegorical lesson about dictatorships and the cycle of violence they breed, mohsen makhmalbafs the president unfortunately offers a simplified and simplistic reduction, akin to an ancient morality tale without the ancients brevity rather than sophistication cloaked in innocence, the pic feels like didacticism submerged in naivete. Venice film festival, busan international film festival, warsaw international film festival more info about director mohsen makhmalbaf.
As the president, his new satire about a toppled dictator living in. The president mohsen makhmalbaf offers a didactic morality tale about a fallen autocrat and his innocent grandson fleeing murderous revolutionaries bent on vengeance. The president tells the story of a dictator who comes face to. The president is a striking movie and a bold and challenging change of directorial pace from mohsen makhmalbaf. Even something like the particular shade of sky blue that recurs in womens clothing and textiles throughout 1996s gabbeh takes on greater significance if one knows that women at the time. Upgrade to a letterboxd pro account to add your favorite services to this listincluding any service and country pair listed on justwatchand to enable oneclick. The president, a sweeping tale inspired by the arab spring.
Time selected makhmalbafs 2001 film kandahar as one of the top 100 films of all time. The president and his family rule their land with an iron fist, enjoying lives of luxury and leisure at the expense of their populations misery. The president directed by acclaimed international filmmaker mohsen. In 2006, he was a member of the jury at the venice film festival. The best movies directed by mohsen makhmalbaf flickchart. Makhmalbaf film house september 1october 20, 2018 in the late 1990s, at the height of his international popularity for films like a moment of innocence and gabbeh, the iranian director mohsen makhmalbaf announced that he would cut back on creating films, and instead help create filmmakers. A dictator and his grandson, on the run during a political revolution, hide incognito among the citizenry in this film from mohsen makhmalbaf.
The president, a film by awarded iranian director mohsen. If i ever return to power, ill pay you a thousandfold, he pleads. Makhmalbaf will return soon, especially judging from the response in iran to the gardener, apparently the. The president tells the story of a dictator who comes face to face with the people he previously subjugated. The man who came with the snow mohsen makhmalbaf, marzieh makhmalbaf, 2009.
Here are a few examples of ways you can filter the charts. The president 2014 stream and watch online moviefone. Even though the president lacks some of the subtlety that made makhmalbaf s previous work transcendent, this film is still a worthy testament to a fiery storyteller determined to use the medium as. This weeks new york opening of mohsen makhmalbafs the president corinth films premieres one of best iranian movies yet seen. Want to watch the president on your tv, phone, or tablet. Mohsen makhmalbaf is known as one of the most influential filmmakers and founders of the new wave of iranian cinema in the world today. The president and his family run their country with an iron fist, enjoying a luxurious lifestyle while their subjects live in misery.
As irans most accessible great filmmaker possessing a more popular touch than abbas kiarsostami, makhmalbaf could have titled his movie the dictator but instead chose the president. When a coup detat overthrows his brutal rule and the rest of his family flees the country by plane, the president is suddenly left to care for his young grandson and forced to escape. Mohsen makhmalbaf celebrity profile check out the latest mohsen makhmalbaf photo gallery, biography, pics, pictures, interviews, news, forums and blogs at rotten tomatoes. Makhmalbaf left iran in 2005 shortly after the election of mahmoud ahmadinejad, sixth president of iran, and has lived in paris since the events of the 2009 iranian presidential election. A brutal dictator comes face to face with the injustices committed by his regime when his country is taken over by revolutionists. The president had its world premier at venice film festival in 2014, opening the festival together with birdman. Sometimes, great films go unnoticed and unsung in a movie festival. Watch the president 2014, mohsen makhmalbaf online. The president 2014 imdbmohsen makhmalbaf, the president 2014 7. In mohsen makhmalbafs political drama the president, the brutal dictator of an unnamed country the movie was shot mainly in the republic of georgia is deposed in a popular rebellion and goes on. But filmmaker mohsen makhmalbaf wont stop asking tough questions. Makhmalbaf, perhaps best known for films such as palme dor nominated kandahar 2001 and the president 2014, made the feature in iran in 1990 and it was shown just once at the fajr film festival. At the tuesday press conference for the biff gala presentation the president, iranian director mohsen makhmalbaf explained how he first conceived the idea for a film about a.
With mikheil gomiashvili, dachi orvelashvili, ia sukhitashvili, guja burduli. Tracking down a streaming service to buy, rent, download, or view the mohsen makhmalbafdirected movie via subscription can be confusing. Mohsen makhmalbaf is an iranian film director, writer, film editor, and producer. Iranian filmmaker mohsen makhmalbaf on his relationship. The president is a modern fable about power, reconciliation, and the hope for breaking a neverending circle of violence, exploring the possibility of stopping violence after a revolution in search of freedom and democracy. He has made more than 20 feature films, won some 50 awards and been a juror in more than 15 major film festivals. Set in an unnamed fictional nation state and filmed in the country of georgia, the movie chronicles the attempted flight of a deposed tyrant misha gomiashvili and his 5yearold heir and grandson dachi orvelashvili from longtime foes and former. Iranian directorinexile mohsen makhmalbaf has the president screening in the gala presentation section of this years biff, while hassan solhjous documentary daddys school, about him and. Huang jianxin, mohsen makhmalbaf, ho yim, tsai mingliang, 2015. T he pain that lingers beneath the surface of mohsen makhmalbafs poetic trilogy emanates from a careful melding of the cinematic image and the sociopolitical realities of daily life in iran. In an imaginary village in the caucasus, a president is on the run with his fiveyearold grandson following a. The president 2014, directed by mohsen makhmalbaf film. The recent venice international film festival was no exception.
Iranian director makhmalbaf assesses his president. The president directed by acclaimed international filmmaker mohsen makhmalbaf tells a timeless story of a dictator forced to come face to face with the countless people brutalized by his regime after his government is overthrown. Mohsen makhmalbaf, 2014, georgia, franceukgermany, 105 minutes, cast. Banned mohsen makhmalbaf film to open venice classics. T his weeks new york opening of mohsen makhmalbaf s the president corinth films premieres one of best iranian movies yet seen. Twice the president is forced to beg for money, first from a poor barber, then a prostitute he once knew.
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