JAFAR PANAHI’S TAXI

Drama | Persian with English subtitles | 82 minutes

Info

Director Jafar Panahi drives through the streets of Tehran pretending to be a taxi driver. Because the Iranian government has banned Panahi from making movies, he finds a way to film by placing the camera on his dashboard. He picks up passengers and encourages them to talk. Each passenger seems to have a political opinion: one supports capital punishment; a video vendor defies the censors by distributing pirated videos; a disabled man anxious to record his last will and testament. When finalizing his film, Panahi, aware the Iranian officials were keeping an eye on him, decided to omit end credits and listing the names of the participants.

Major Participants:

Jafar Panahi and local folks (perhaps some actors) he picks up in his cab.

Why Stream This Film?

Another magnificent Iranian film. Jafar Panahi was barred from making films in Iran, accused of denigrating the Iranian ruling party. So, he had to make his film surreptitiously. Panahi and his passengers, as they banter and complain, capture another spirited slice of the lives of ordinary, middle-class people living in present-day Iran.

Rotten Tomatoes Score (Critics Consensus): 96%
Metacritic Score: 91

Accolades

Berlin International Film Festival: Winner, Golden Bear for Best Film; Best Director (Jafar Panahi)
San Diego Film Critics Society Awards: Winner, Best Foreign Language Film
César Awards: Nominated, Best Foreign Film

WATCH THE TRAILER