In 1997 Panahi made the documentary short film "Ardekoul". In 2007 he contributed the short film "Untying the Knot" to the omnibus film "Persian Carpet". The film contains one single long take and is inspired by his childhood. In 2010 he made the short film "The Accordion", which was commissioned for the "THEN AND NOW Beyond Borders and Differences" series of short film by Art for The World. It premiered at the 2010 Venice Film Festival. Panahi has referred to the situation in Iran as "the dark ages for filmmaking in Iran" and that he was "presenting the future with something to see, a document of what life was like at that time."