This Is Not a Film
An imprisoned Iranian filmmaker transforms a confined day and an unfinished movie into an ingenious act of cinematic defiance.
Overview
A poignant exploration of creativity and confinement in contemporary Iran.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- intimate
- witty
- anxious
- political cinema night
- documentary deep dive
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a formally inventive, courageous, and politically vital act of self-reflexive protest made under severe restrictions.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Panahi and Mirtahmasb document the making of a film while Panahi is legally barred from filmmaking and awaiting an appeals verdict.
The improvised video diary functions as a nonviolent protest against Panahi's state-imposed restrictions.
Panahi reconstructs and discusses scenes from an unmade project while the film records his real domestic confinement.
The film relies on an apartment, an iPhone, basic digital video, and Panahi's daily interactions to express physical and political boundaries.
Films like This Is Not a Film, and why
The Look of Silence
shares intimate political filmmaking, state repression, and the use of documentary form as resistance
For Sama
combines personal testimony, human rights concerns, and formally inventive documentary observation
The Act of Killing
examines artistic freedom under authoritarian pressure through self-reflexive documentary filmmaking
Movie Details
- Directors
- Jafar Panahi, Mojtaba Mirtahmasb
- Release Date
- 2011-09-27
- Runtime
- 78 min
- Rating
- 6.9 / 10 (113)
Cast
- Jafar Panahi
- Igi
- Mrs. Gheirat
- Mojtaba Mirtahmasb
- Rakhsan
- Sima
- Micky
- Hasan
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Kanopy
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is This Is Not a Film about?
- An imprisoned Iranian filmmaker transforms a confined day and an unfinished movie into an ingenious act of cinematic defiance.
- What is This Is Not a Film like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of This Is Not a Film as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is This Is Not a Film violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in This Is Not a Film.
- What did critics think of This Is Not a Film?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a formally inventive, courageous, and politically vital act of self-reflexive protest made under severe restrictions.
- Which films are like This Is Not a Film?
- Films with a similar feel include The Look of Silence, For Sama, and The Act of Killing.
- How long is This Is Not a Film?
- This Is Not a Film runs 78 minutes.
- Where can I watch This Is Not a Film?
- In United States, This Is Not a Film streams on Kanopy.
