PRESS RELEASES

The 34th MWFF will present a retrospective of Jafar Panahi


Montr�al, May 10, 2010 - This year's Montreal World Film Festival will present a retrospective of films by Jafar Panahi, the Iranian director who was president of the jury of the MWFF in 2009. His presence as jury president was greeted by the international media as an honour reflective of his stature as one of great authors of the contemporary cinema. "We are happy to be able to devote a retrospective in tribute to his immense talent," declared Serge Losique, president of the Montreal festival.

One of the most influential filmmakers in the Iranian New Wave, Panahi's films have won critical plaudits around the world and have earned numerous prizes, including the Cam�ra d'or at Cannes for his debut feature The White Balloon (1995); the Golden Leopard at Locarno for The Mirror (1997; the Golden Lion at Venice for The Circle (2000), a film that remains banned in his home country even though it has been shown in 40 countries and collected a slew of awards; the Jury Prize at Cannes' Un certain regard and the Golden Hugo in Chicago for Crimson Gold (2003), which is also banned in Iran; and the Silver Bear at Berlin for Offside (2006). Panahi contributed a short film, Untying Knots, to the omnibus work, Persian Carpet, shown at the MWFF in 2007.


The 2010 Montreal World Film Festival will take place from August 26th to September 6th.

-30-

Information : IXION Communications (514) 495-8176