The White balloon

Iran, Islamic Republic of, 1995

Film
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This wonderful motion picture is the story of a young Iranian girl’s search for the perfect goldfish to release in her pond to encourage good luck in the New Year. However, when she loses the money her mother has given her, young Razieh and her brother seek their fortunes in modern day Tehran. This visually ravishing contemporary retelling of “The Red Balloon”, reveals much about the culture of the Muslim world. By filming through a child’s eyes, director Jafar Panahi reveals a world of incidental cruelty, a world which often rushes by too fast to listen to the desires of children. There is a darkness in “The White Balloon”, not explicit, but a sadness about the opportunities adults lose in understanding the world of their child. As in all the best fairy-tales, this is a profoundly humane story. The screenplay is by acclaimed director Abbas Kiarostami. Winner of the Camera D’Or at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival.

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Collection

In ACMI's collection

Credits

director

Jafar Panahi

producer

Ferdos Films

production company

CMI

Dendy Films

Ferdos Films

Duration

01:22:00:00

Production places
Iran, Islamic Republic of
Production dates
1995

Collection metadata

ACMI Identifier

306885

Language

Arabic

Audience classification

G

Sound/audio

Sound

Colour

Colour

Holdings

VHS; Access Print (Section 1)

MOV file ProRes4444; Digital Preservation Master - overscan

MPEG-4 Digital File; ACMI Digital Access Copy - overscan

Wikidata

Q2355570

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If you would like to cite this item, please use the following template: {{cite web |url=https://acmi.net.au/works/85485--the-white-balloon/ |title=The White balloon |author=Australian Centre for the Moving Image |access-date=28 March 2024 |publisher=Australian Centre for the Moving Image}}