THE WHITE BALLOON in 35mm

[بادکنک سفيد] [BADKONAKE SEFID]
On the eve of the Iranian New Year, seven-year-old Razieh (Aida Mohammadkhani) spots a goldfish in a market and begs her mother to buy it, claiming that the ones in their home pond lack the proper girth for the celebrations. Though she refuses at first, Razieh’s mother relents and gives the family’s last 500-toman note to the girl, who sets off across Tehran to buy the coveted fish — until she loses the money. Working from a script written by his mentor — the celebrated Iranian auteur Abbas Kiarostami — award-winning filmmaker Jafar Panahi’s charming slice-of-life debut is emblematic of a filmmaking career replete with simple premises that belie deeper observations on the human condition. Anchored by an endearing performance from Mohammadkhani that provides much of the film’s humor, intelligence and emotional depth, THE WHITE BALLOON was hailed upon release, winning the Caméra d'Or at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival. With this win, it became the first Iranian film to win an award at the prestigious festival, just two years before Kiarostami would win the Palme d’Or for TASTE OF CHERRY. DIR Jafar Panahi; SCR Abbas Kiarostami; PROD Kurosh Mazkouri. Iran, 1995, color, 85 min. In Persian with English subtitles. NOT RATED

35mm print courtesy of the TIFF Film Reference Library.

Run Time: 85 Minutes

Opening Date: Sunday, February 08, 2026

Genre: Family, drama

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