Close Up

“We can never get close to the truth except through lying.” – Abbas Kiarostami

Blurring the line between documentary and fiction, Close-Up dramatizes the real case of Hossein Sabzian, a passionate film buff who impersonates renowned director Mohsen Makhmalbaf and tricks a Tehran family into believing they will star in his next film. Sabzian’s ruse is eventually exposed, leading to his arrest and trial. Filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami turns this true story into a groundbreaking film: he films Sabzian’s actual trial and even persuades the real participants—including Sabzian and the duped family—to reenact their own experiences on camera. Beyond its clever docufiction façade, Close-Up is a profound reflection on truth and illusion. Despite the film’s formal playfulness, it remains deeply human, showing compassion for Sabzian’s yearning to escape his ordinary life through art. Kiarostami ultimately transforms a con artist’s misadventure into a gently revelatory tribute to the power of dreams and the transformative magic of cinema.

The first screening will be introduced by festival guest Kirsten Johnson