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Where is the Friend's House?
Khaneh-je doost kojast?

Abbas Kiarostami  •   Iran • ​  1987
87 mins  •  HD  •   G
In Farsi with English subtitles


A young boy must return a notebook to a classmate, but does not know where his friend lives.
​
Kiarostami’s breakthrough film turns this simple premise into “a miraculous child’s-eye adventure of the everyday.” – IFC Center
DIRECTOR/WRITER: Abbas Kiarostami
PRODUCER: Ali Reza Zarrin
PHOTOGRAPHY: Farhad Saba
EDITOR: Abbas Kiarostami
SET DESIGNER: Reza Nami
COSTUME DESIGNER: Hassan Zahidi
MUSIC: Amine Allah Hessine
WITH: Babek Ahmed Poor (Ahmed), Ahmed Ahmed Poor (Mohamed Reda Nematzadeh), Khodabakhsh Defaei (Teacher), Iran Outari (Mother), Ait Ansari (Father), Sadika Taohidi (Perzian Neighbour), Biman Mouafi (Ali, a neighbour), Ali Djamali (Grandfather's Friend)

REVIEWS

“Abbas Kiarostami had been making films, principally about children, since 1970. This sublime 1987 feature brought him to international attention. Inspired by a Sohrab Sepehri poem, and set in the northern village of Koker, the film has an eight-year-old named Ahmad discovering, to his dismay, that he has accidently taken home a school chum’s notebook. The pal faces expulsion for not doing his homework; Ahmad sets off to a nearby village in search of his friend’s house, only to encounter a labyrinthine maze of narrow alleys, winding streets, and identical-looking dwellings – and unhelpful adults who obstruct his progress at every turn. Ahmad’s odyssey, both comic mini-epic and parable of personal responsibility, achieves near-mythic proportions; the lyrical, neorealist style, convincing performances from non-professional actors, and sensitive portrayal of children’s lives showcase Kiarostami’s gifts at their finest.”

— The Cinematheque


“While the film is often funny, its also very moving. The repetitive structure of the boy’s quest, and the poetic evocation of the landscape he moves through, highlight his vulnerability, frustration and finally his sterling determination.”

— Geoff Andrew, Time Out


FILM SOCIETY SCREENINGS

Wellington     
Monday, 3 May, 6:15pm

Auckland     
Monday, 10 May, 6:15pm 
Open to the public – members free,
public tickets $10  (AFS only)


Dunedin     
Wednesday, 19 May, 7:30pm

Hamilton     
Monday, 31 May, 7:30pm

Whanganui     
Monday, 14 June, 7:00pm

Palmerston North     
Wednesday, 23 June, 6:00pm

ABBAS KIAROSTAMI: LIFE AND NOTHING MORE >>

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New Zealand Federation of Film Societies  |  PO Box 9544, Te Aro, Wellington, NZ  
Phone: +64 4 385 0162  |  Fax: +64 4 801 7304  |  Email: 
michael@nziff.co.nz
  • HOME
  • ABOUT
  • SOCIETIES
    • AUCKLAND
    • HAMILTON
    • TAURANGA
    • NEW PLYMOUTH
    • WHANGANUI
    • PALMERSTON NORTH
    • CARTERTON
    • WELLINGTON
    • NELSON
    • CANTERBURY
    • TIMARU
    • QUEENSTOWN
    • DUNEDIN
    • WESTPORT
  • 2021 SEASON
    • SPIKE LEE
    • SOUTH AMERICAN CINEMA
    • RUSSIAN CINEMA
    • CONTEMPORARY WORLD
    • CLASSIC & CULT
    • NZ FILM
    • FRENCH CONNECTIONS
    • GERMAN CINEMA
    • TILDA
    • KIAROSTAMI
    • MIDDLE EASTERN CINEMA
    • SPACES & PLACES