I am still very surprised that I managed to make that film [Close Up]. When I actually look back on that film, I really feel that I was not the director but instead just a member of the audience.
I think violence can never be justified. At the same time, nobody’s culture or beliefs should be insulted, that’s not something I can accept either. But I cannot justify or accept any violence at all.
There were years when Hitchcock was like a master to me, but now I think he’s so artificial. I can watch films and say how technically beautiful they are, but I’m not impressed by any technicality.
As film-makers, it is very important for us to find common ground between cultures, and maybe that’s less the case for politicians who benefit more from finding the conflicts and differences between us.
The film [Close Up] made itself, to a large extent. The characters involved were very real, I wasn’t directing the actors so much as being directed by them. So it was a very particular film.
I think that in life, being is nothing but an illusion. If we acknowledge that and accept the fact that we are in between states, that we are moving, and this movement is the nature of our lives
![Abbas Kiarostami Quote - I am still very surprised that I managed to make that film [Close Up]. When I actually look back on that film, I really feel that I was not the director but instead just a member of the audience.](https://minimalistquotes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/i-am-still-very-surprised-that-i-managed-to-make-t-683x1024.jpg)
![Abbas Kiarostami Quote - This [the earthquake] was a very big influence on me, and the issue of life and death from then on does recur in my films.](https://minimalistquotes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/this-the-earthquake-was-a-very-big-influence-on-me-683x1024.jpg)
![Abbas Kiarostami Quote - The film [Close Up] made itself, to a large extent. The characters involved were very real, I wasn’t directing the actors so much as being directed by them. So it was a very particular film.](https://minimalistquotes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/the-film-close-up-made-itself-to-a-large-extent-th-683x1024.jpg)
