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Abbas Kiarostami’s films have taken their place alongside the masterworks of world cinema. He remains the most influential filmmaker of post-revolutionary Iran and has produced a body of work that is as rooted in his native land as it is universal in appeal.
Respected cinema historian Alberto Elena uses Iranian sources wherever possible to frame Kiarostami’s *oeuvre* within the context of the rich artistic and intellectual Persian tradition that has nurtured the director. He examines his blending of fiction and reality, and his recurring themes of death, meaning in life, isolation, solidarity and the lives of women. The result is a retrospective that reveals exactly how this most Iranian of directors has come to assume a place in the pantheon of international cinema, from his early days as an illustrator and graphic designer, and his collaborative work and influences to his current master-status.
**Alberto Elena** teaches film history at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. The editor of *Secuencias, Revista de Historia del Cine* , he has organised various film retrospectives and participated as a member of the jury at different international film festivals. In addition to his contributions to numerous periodicals, his publications include *Cine e Islam, Satyajit Ray, Ciencia, cine e historia: de Méliès a 2001* and *The Cinema of Latin America*.

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