This film is part of Rentals
The President
Mohsen Makhmalbaf, the great Iranian filmmaker, directs this provocative and disquieting parable about a deposed president.
Director: Mohsen Makhmalbaf
Overview
One of the great figures of Iranian cinema, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, presents his (indirect) take on the Arab Spring and the continuing turmoil of Middle East politics. An international production shot in Georgia, it follows the president (Misha Gomiashvili) of an unnamed country whose repressive rule contrasts with the tenderness he shows to his grandson (Dachi Orvelashvili).
As a rebellion overtakes the territory the pair are forced to flee, disguising themselves as gypsies as they make their way through the country. But they soon gain first-hand experience of the poverty and hunger that are the direct consequences of the President’s disastrous regime. Although Makhmalbaf began writing the story before the Arab Spring, he regularly revised his screenplay to accommodate aspects of the momentous story as it unfolded during 2011, while also ensuring that no specific country was referenced in a story that echoes the history of numerous Middle Eastern and Central Asian countries. Like his fellow Iranian director Jafar Panahi (Taxi Tehran), Makhmalbaf has long been targeted by Iranian authorities for his association with the opposition Green Movement, but unlike Panahi he’s chosen to live and work outside the country. Even from a distance Makhmalbaf has mounted an essential films about the changing politics of the Middle East and his most vital work since the prize-winning Kandahar in 2001.
strong language, threat, violence, references to sexual violenceRelated
Hotel Splendide Hotel Splendide
Comedy 1932 53 mins Director: Michael Powell
Music hall veteran Jerry Verno stars as a lowly clerk who gets more than he bargained for when he inherits a hotel, in Michael Powell's charming comedy.
Ballywalter Ballywalter
Comedy 2020 90 mins Director: Prasanna Puwanarajah
Seána Kerslake is superb as caustic cab driver, Eileen, who makes an unlikely connection with regular passenger and local comedian, Shane (Patrick Kielty), in Prasanna Puwanarajah’s charming debut.
Little English Little English
Comedy 2022 99 mins Director: Pravesh Kumar
A raucous and audacious comedy following the lives of a dysfunctional British Punjabi family.
Something Always Happens Something Always Happens
Comedy 1934 70 mins Director: Michael Powell
Michael Powell’s sprightly comedy about a freeloading charmer who romances the daughter of a wealthy petrol station owner.
Joy Ride Joy Ride
Comedy 2023 95 mins
Four unlikely friends embark on a once-in-a-lifetime international adventure in this riotous and unapologetically explicit story of identity and self-discovery.
The Innocent The Innocent
Comedy 2022 98 mins Director: Louis Garrel
Louis Garrel’s unique French comedy-heist-romantic-thriller comes loaded with charm and humour.
Four Daughters Four Daughters
Drama-documentary 2023 103 mins Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
The mother-daughter relationship is explored to cathartic effect in this complex and poignant hybrid documentary about a woman and her missing daughters.
Her Last Affaire Her Last Affaire
Drama 1936 68 mins Director: Michael Powell
Michael Powell's 'society drama’ involving suspicion, clandestine romance and presumed murder, and glorious comic double-act from Googie Withers and John Lurie.
She Will She Will
Thriller 2021 96 mins Director: Charlotte Colbert
In Charlotte Colbert’s strikingly gothic film, an ageing actor recovering from a mastectomy taps into a mysterious power at a remote Scottish retreat.
Rynox Rynox
Crime 1932 46 mins Director: Michael Powell
Michael Powell’s earliest existing film is a twisty thriller crafted with a bold visual style that is unmistakeably influenced by Fritz Lang.
Hotel Splendide Hotel Splendide
Comedy 1932 53 mins Director: Michael Powell
Music hall veteran Jerry Verno stars as a lowly clerk who gets more than he bargained for when he inherits a hotel, in Michael Powell's charming comedy.
The Night of the Party The Night of the Party
Crime 1934 61 mins Director: Michael Powell
Michael Powell’s fun stage adaptation about a murder at a society party, with characterful performances from its fine ensemble cast.