CriterionCast

Abbas Kiarostami To Lead Asian Film Academy This Fall

Criterion staple, and all around cinematic genius, Abbas Kiarostami (Taste of Cherry, Close-Up) has apparently gotten a new gig, and it’s one hell of a gig to boot.

According to THR, the auteur will lead the Asian Film Academy, a collection of workshops, master classes and seminars which will be offered by Pusan International Film Festival, which kicks off on October 7. He will be joined by Japanese filmmaker Ogiganami Naoko and Korean cinematographer, Kim Hyung-gu.

While I have loved ever film out of Kiarostami’s filmography that I’ve seen (both Taste of Cherry and Close Up are genuinely brilliant films), the idea of taking a masters class from the Iranian master filmmaker, is something that cinephile dreams are made of. The 24 students that will be in these classes have a spot that we all are craving; a spot in a class taught by one of today’s most gifted and revered filmmakers.

The academy will be held from September 30 to October 16.

Source: THR / PIFF /   AFA



Joshua Brunsting

Josh is a critic, a member of the Online Film Critics Society, a wrestling nerd, a hip-hop head, a father, a cinephile and a man looking to make his stamp on the world, one word at a time.