I film normal-life subjects in natural settings that some people would consider uncinematic. But what I want to show is nature itself, as the truth of life.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of depicting the truth of life through natural and ordinary subjects.
Abbas Kiarostami expresses his artistic vision of capturing the essence of life through the lens of normalcy and nature. He suggests that true beauty and truth lie not in the grandiose or overly stylized subjects, but in the authenticity of everyday life and the natural world, which together reflect the genuine experience of being alive.
In practice
During an art exhibition, I might reference Kiarostami's quote to emphasize the beauty of ordinary life.
Digital photography is, by definition, unfinished. You don't feel that after every 24 or 36 shots you have to change your film - you know you can go on for ever if you want. You can see the result immediately, and find out if your original idea is worth going on with or not, whether it can be corrected, whether it can be improved.
When I talk to some of the younger filmmakers, they are so worried about their films that, eventually, this state of being worried reflects itself in and helps the final work. Whereas, with projects that are meticulously planned, you look at the end result and it is full of emptiness.
From my very first movie, what was my concentration, my inspiration, was I didn't want to narrate something, I didn't want to tell a story. I wanted to show something, I wanted for them to make their own story from what they were seeing.
Good cinema is what we can believe, and bad cinema is what we can't believe.
As film-makers, it is very important for us to find common ground between cultures, and maybe that's less the case for politicians who benefit more from finding the conflicts and differences between us.
Cinema gives you the opportunity to be both a grandparent and a grandchild whereas in life you cannot be both at the same time.
The more I think about it, the more I realize there is nothing more artistic than to love others.
Better that you should take the chance of trying something that is close to your heart, you think is what you want to write, and if they do not publish it, put it in your drawer. But maybe another day will come and you will find a place to put that.
I'm involved in all things musical. It's all consuming, even if it doesn't necessarily manifest as a record or a concert.
Personally I always feel like I could use a little more of poetry apothegmatic power in my own work but we're always lacking something.
It's so fine and yet so terrible to stand in front of a blank canvas.
I had rescued the moment by using my camera and in that way had found how to stop time and hold it. No one could take that image away from me because I owned it.
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