ABC Africa Kiarostami 101--Act 2: A Day in the Country

"One of the five best films of 2001."--Jonathan Rosenbaum on ABC Africa

ABC Africa documents Kiarostami's response to the plight of Ugandan children left orphaned in the wake of their continent's ongoing AIDS crises and their nation's civil war.

Commissioned by the United Nations to draw attention to the efforts of women's groups to help orphans, Kiarostami shot the film on digital video following compassionate rather than journalistic instincts. The optimistic and playful attitudes of the children filmed provide an almost lyrical tone to the director's inquiry. (2001; 83 mins.)

Tonight's program begins with an introduction by Iranian film scholar and director Jamsheed Akrami and a screening of his recent film Kiarostami 101--Act 2: A Day in the Country. The documentary provides an intimate look at Kiarostami as he goes about shooting photographs of the Irish landscape outside Galway. (2002; 30 mins.)