Abbas Kiarostami and Jafar Panahi Mini-Festival in New York Starting January 2026
According to CinemaDrame News Agency, IFC Center New York will screen a selection of films by Abbas Kiarostami and Jafar Panahi from January 2 to 8, 2026. IndieWire reports that the mini-festival will take place following the release of Panahi’s It Was Just an Accident, which was included on the Academy Awards’ preliminary shortlist.
Titled “Panahi & Kiarostami: Two Masters,” the event is being organized at the suggestion of American critic and writer Godfrey Cheshire and aims to further acquaint New York audiences with the bodies of work of the two Iranian filmmakers.
Cheshire said: “Despite all the attention It Was Just an Accident has received, many viewers are unaware of how long and distinguished Panahi’s career truly is. The Panahi & Kiarostami: Two Masters festival, by screening nine of his earlier feature films — including masterpieces such as The White Balloon, This Is Not a Film, and No Bears — alongside nine feature films by his great mentor, Abbas Kiarostami, is meant to make up for that oversight.”
The White Balloon, written by Kiarostami, was Panahi’s first feature film and was released in 1995. Panahi recently won three Gotham Awards for It Was Just an Accident and received four Golden Globe nominations, including Best International Feature Film. From Kiarostami’s filmography, Through the Olive Trees and Taste of Cherry — which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes — are also set to be screened.
