Tehran Taxi

Following a period of house-arrest, director Jafar Panahi takes to the streets in his Golden Bear-winning film.

Starring as himself moonlighting as a flat-capped taxi driver, director Jafar Panahi takes us on a tour of the bustling Iranian capital city, capturing the spirit and contradictions of Iranian society along the way.

Filmed entirely by cameras covertly mounted on the dashboard, Tehran Taxi pays a doting homage to the 2002 masterpiece Ten by mentor and collaborator Abbas Kiarostami, who himself rallied to Panahi’s defense following his arrest. Filmed in public, Tehran Taxi marks a significant and audacious step forward for Jafar Panahi delivered with inherent dangers.

The taxi offers both a break-out of the buildings that confined him in This is Not a Film and Closed Curtain, while still conveying the unmistakable claustrophobia of being restrained.

Following its premiere at the Berlin Film Festival, Jafar Panahi publicly declared his intention to continue making films despite his ban.