This Is Not a Film

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This Is Not a Film

2012

1h 15m

Documentary

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Popcornmeter

97%

Tomatometer

102 Reviews

69%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi makes a video diary with his phone in response to his government's threats against him.

Critics Consensus

Through simple means and filming, This is Not a Film presents a vital political statement and a snapshot of life in Iran as enemy of the state.

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Amy Taubin

Film Comment Magazine

08/27/2019

The result is a great modernist (i.e. reflexive) movie and a portrait of an artist, creatively and without any self-pity, looking for a way to preserve his freedom simply to represent the world as he sees it.

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Steve Erickson

IndieWire

02/22/2018

Melancholy as it is, This Is Not A Film is no pity party. It evokes ennui and anxiety without ever being boring itself.

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Alison Willmore

The Playlist

05/05/2015

A

"This Is Not A Film" portrays the fear of being forgotten when you can't speak for yourself, when you've been removed from the public eye.

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Tamma Moksha

The Hindu

06/10/2024

This Is Not a Film is not a film; it is something bigger — a searing critique of the Iranian regime through a camera lens stuck in the house of a prisoner.

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Diego Batlle

Otroscines.com

09/07/2022

10/10

A small masterpiece... [Full review in Spanish]

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Dustin Chang

ScreenAnarchy

02/28/2021

This is Not a Film shows that despite the precarious situation- facing censorship and imprisonment, nothing can contain an artist from creating. The result is an intimate and self-reflexive film that transcends it being a mere political statement.

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02/06/2016

this is not a GOOD film.

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11/04/2015

Mostly dull, but has a fascinating undercurrent of artistic rebellion. This guy just can't seem to help himself, his compulsion to film "something" even to a point of possible self incrimination against ridiculous censorship is in a way a silent scream of protest. It sort of reminds me of Mozart's plea in Amadeus to Joseph to let him just write his play, and for the emperor to take out the notes he doesn't like, he just needs to work.

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08/17/2015

A sad and enraging, but intriguing and interesting documentary that takes the audience through a day in the life of Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, who was put under house arrest by the Iranian government.

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05/15/2015

very sad state of affairs for this fillmmaker

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03/23/2015

As engrossing, suspenseful, and poignant as 75 minutes in a guy's apartment can possibly be.

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10/17/2014

This might not be a film, but it is an indictment against oppression, a powerful argument for freedom of speech, and a testament to human ingenuity.

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Jafar Panahi

Director

Mojtaba Mirtahmasb

Director

Jafar Panahi

Actor

Mojtaba Mirtahmasb

Actor

Jafar Panahi

Writer

Jafar Panahi

Producer

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Synopsis

Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi makes a video diary with his phone in response to his government's threats against him.

Director: Jafar Panahi, Mojtaba Mirtahmasb
Producer: Jafar Panahi
Screenwriter: Jafar Panahi
Distributor: Palisades Tartan
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: Persian
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 2, 2012, Limited
Release Date (DVD): Feb 26, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $75.5K
Runtime: 1h 15m