From July to September 2015, the Freer|Sackler presents Contemporary Iran through Film, a series of programs highlighting prominent figures in contemporary Iranian art. Presented as a single-screen projection, Five Dedicated to Ozu (2003, 74 minutes) by celebrated director Abbas Kiarostami pays tribute to Yasujirō Ozu, the renowned Japanese filmmaker whose work has deeply influenced Kiarostami's films. Through a characteristic attention to the power of simple mise-en-scene and sound, the inherent drama and subtle humor of nature unfurls before the viewer in five long shots taken near the sea.

Additional programs in Contemporary Iran through Film include screenings of films by legendary poet Forough Farrokhzad (July 18) and Bahman Kiarostami (September 13). This series is presented in conjunction with Shirin Neshat: Facing History at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.