Category: Middle Eastern

• This Is Not a Film (2011) dir. Jafar Panahi

  3–5 minutes

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  February 1, 2026

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  2010s, Documentary, International, Middle Eastern

  This barebones documentary, filmed while Jafar Panahi was banned from making films by the Iranian government, is a testament to what one can do with limited resources and strict censorship.

  

• The Mirror (1997) dir. Jafar Panahi

  2–3 minutes

  ·

  January 1, 2026

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  1990s, Drama, International, Middle Eastern

  In this sneakily subversive slice-of-life drama, Jafar Panahi chronicles one girl’s journey to get home–in more ways than one. Once I heard that It Was Just An Accident (2025) won the Palme D’Or at Cannes, I knew I had to see it. It’s not just that the film won the biggest prize at the prestigious…