Abbas Kiarostami to hold workshops at U.S. college

TEHRAN,Dec.16(MNA) – The world-renowned Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami will hold a series of workshops at the College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) of Syracuse University in New York from January 27 to February 7, 2014. He will also present a series of screenings and lectures at various venues on and off campus, the organizers announced last week. Kiarostami has made more than 20 films, including fiction features, educational shorts, feature-length documentaries and a series of films for television. He was awarded the prestigious Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1997 for his film “Taste of Cherry”. He has directed “Certified Copy” (2010) and “Like Someone in Love” (2012) outside of Iran. Juliette Binoche received the Palme d’Or for Best Actress at Cannes for her role in the film “Certified Copy”. His Japanese-language film “Like Someone in Love” (2012) was shot in Tokyo. Kiarostami is also a poet, photographer, painter, illustrator and graphic designer. The VPA has named independent filmmaker and celebrated director Abbas Kiarostami as its 2014 Sandra Kahn Alpert Visiting Artist. The Sandra Kahn Alpert Visiting Artist Endowed Fund was established by Alpert, a 1945 alumna of VPA, and her husband, Clement Alpert, to bring leading artists and designers to campus for the purpose of engaging in direct interaction with art and design students and faculty. Owen Shapiro, Shaffer Professor of Film in VPA’s Department of Transmedia, is coordinating Kiarostami’s residency and workshops.