Close Up: Iranian Cinema, Past, Present, and Future
“Hamid Dabashi’s learned book on Iranian cinema in the era of globalization sparkles with verve and a sometimes punishing wit. Encyclopedic in scope, informal in tone, shrewd in its interpretation, it is the indispensable work on one of the most extraordinary artistic and social adventures of our time. Dabashi is the perfect guide.”—Edward W. Said“With Hamid Dabashi’s new book, we finally have a reading of the post-Revolutionary Iranian cinema from within Iranian culture and society. Dabashi traces the deep roots of the work of filmmakers such as Abbas Kiarostami, Mohsen Makhmalbaf and Rakshan Bani-Etemad, and shows how their work opens up a fascinating and far-reaching interrogation of contemporary cultural production.”—Richard Peña“A better understanding of Iranian cinema needed someone as much aware of its global significance as knowledgeable of its immediate social roots—Hamid Dabashi is one of those rare cultural critics who has been able to add such a perspective.”—Mohsen Makhmalbaf