No Bears

Dir. Jafar Panahi. 2022, 107 mins. DCP. In Persian, Azerbaijani, and Turkish with English subtitles. In this thrillingly mercurial work, a city filmmaker—played by the director himself—has moved to a rural village to work remotely. His latest film concerns two lovers desperate to escape Iran and trying to secure fake passports. While overseeing the production, a pair of lovers in the small town find themselves under the intolerant, watchful eye of neighbors, and he becomes embroiled in a controversy with strange parallels to his own fictional plot. A film that keeps reinventing itself, No Bears is the latest superb shapeshifter from the genius director Jafar Panahi, whose work has never been diminished despite being constantly persecuted by the Iranian authorities over the past decade. Earlier in 2022, Panahi was arrested yet again, this time for speaking out against a fellow artist’s government censorship, but not before he finished this gripping and brilliant film, a testament to the humanity and endless curiosity of a great artist. 

Tickets: $15 / $11 senior and students / $9 youth (ages 3–17) / free or discounted for MoMI members. Order tickets. Please pick up tickets at the Museum’s admissions desk upon arrival. All seating is general admission. Review safety protocols before your visit.