“Close-Up is often seen not only as a turning-point in [Abbas Kiarostami’s] career – it cemented his confidence in blurring the distinction between ‘documentary’ and ‘fiction’ – but as the film most representative of his aims and achievements.” - Sight and Sound

Internationally revered Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami has created some of the most inventive and transcendent cinema of the past thirty years, and Close-up is his most radical, brilliant work. This fiction-documentary hybrid uses a sensational real-life event—the arrest of a young man on charges that he fraudulently impersonated the well-known filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf—as the basis for a stunning, multilayered investigation into movies, identity, artistic creation, and existence, in which the real people from the case play themselves. With its universal themes and fascinating narrative knots, Close-up has resonated with viewers around the world.

Close-Up
Dir: Abbas Kiarostami
98 mins
1992
Rated G
Film starts at 8:45 pm
Persian with english subtitles

About Deckchair Cinema
You are invited to enjoy classic films under the stars on Cates Deck in front of the Gallery. Now in its third year, Deckchair Cinema treats audiences to a summer of al fresco film screenings. Hosted for 10 Thursdays beginning June 27, the screenings commence at sunset, and will be complemented by music and entertainment leading up to curtain time. Attendees are encouraged to arrive early and make themselves comfortable by bringing their own blankets or low chairs. A concession stand will feature drinks from local breweries, which can be enjoyed on Cates Deck, a public zone for alcohol consumption. Admission to Deckchair Cinema is by donation, courtesy of BMO Financial Group, and includes access to the Gallery’s summer exhibitions.

View the full Deckchair Cinema lineup