Aug. 24/26

11. The excerpt from Kiarostami's Homework was a very different, but interesting clip. It became evident during the interviews with the children that Kiarostami was trying to exploit the children's youthful ignorance to send a message about the school system and their family life. What was most shocking to me was the young boy describing how he wanted to be a fighter pilot so he could kill Sadam. Responses like that emphasize the differences between our two country's cultures. Each child's reaction to Kiarostami's questions told a story to the viewer about that child's life inside and outside of school.

1. Reflexivity, social realism, emphasis on aesthetics of the film, international audiences, film festivals screenings

2. Tay suggests that Kiarostami is a very respected art cinema director. Kiarostami's underlying social and political messages may be misunderstood to the international audiences due to cultural differences and the lack of knowledge of Iran's current events. To combat this Kiarostami often comments before each screening about the happenings and situations going on in Iran.