This Is Not a Film (2012)
84%RT Audience Score: 69%
Awards & Nominations: 10 wins & 14 nominations
This Is Not A Film is a cinematic masterpiece that transcends the boundaries of traditional filmmaking. With its self-reflexive approach, it offers a unique and intimate portrait of an artist fighting for his freedom of expression. The film evokes a sense of melancholy and anxiety, yet it never becomes boring. Instead, it showcases the courage and resilience of an artist who refuses to be silenced. This is not just a political statement, but a testament to the power of art and the human spirit. If this is not a film, then it is one of the most original and important works of art to come out in recent years.
This Is Not A Film” is not your typical movie, but it’s definitely worth watching. Critics have called it a portrait of an artist, a political statement, and an act of courage. But let’s be real, it’s just a guy stuck in his apartment trying to make a movie. And somehow, that’s what makes it so fascinating. Jafar Panahi’s frustration and creativity are on full display, and it’s impossible not to root for him. So if you’re in the mood for something different, give “This Is Not A Film” a chance. Who knows, you might just love it.
Production Company(ies)
Tequila Gang Estudios Picasso Esperanto Filmoj
Distributor
Palisades Tartan
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Tehran, Iran
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
Year of Release
2012
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:NA
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Runtime:1h 15m
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Language(s):Persian
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Mar 2, 2012 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 26, 2013
Genre(s)
Documentary
Keyword(s)
This is Not a Film, Jafar Panahi, Mojtaba Mirtahmasb, documentary, Persian, political statement, Iran, censorship, freedom of speech, video diary, phone, USB key, screenplay, behind the scenes, pet iguana, international pressure, critic reviews, Amy Taubin, Steve Erickson, Phillip Lopate, Stanley Kauffmann, Dustin Chang, MPAA rating, box office performance, budget, produced by Jafar Panahi, directed by Jafar Panahi and Mojtaba Mirtahmasb, written by Jafar Panahi, reviewed by Alison Willmore, Pat Padua, C.J Prince, Stephen Saito, Ruhaan Shah, genre, Palisades Tartan, limited release, streaming, audience score, Tomatometer, Raiders!, Seymour: An Introduction, Goreyan Nu Daffa Karo, Backyard Wilderness, To Joey, With Love, starring Jafar Panahi, Mojtaba Mirtahmasb
Worldwide gross: $88,758
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $114,429
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 3,014
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 12,479
US/Canada gross: $77,016
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $99,291
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,665
US/Canada opening weekend: $12,608
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $16,255
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,581
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Mojtaba Mirtahmasb – self
Jafar Panahi – director, writer, producer
Mojtaba Mirtahmasb – director
Director(s)
Jafar Panahi, Mojtaba Mirtahmasb
Writer(s)
Jafar Panahi
Producer(s)
Jafar Panahi
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
10 wins & 14 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (102) | Top Critics (47) | Fresh (99) | Rotten (3)
The result is a great modernist (i.e. reflexive) movie and a portrait of an artist, creatively and without any self-pity, looking for a way to preserve his freedom simply to represent the world as he sees it.
August 27, 2019
Amy Taubin
Film Comment Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Gave the Cannes festival – and moviemaking itself – an incontestable reason for being.
July 10, 2018
Amy Taubin
Sight & Sound
TOP CRITIC
Melancholy as it is, This Is Not A Film is no pity party. It evokes ennui and anxiety without ever being boring itself.
February 22, 2018
Steve Erickson
indieWire
TOP CRITIC
“This Is Not A Film” portrays the fear of being forgotten when you can’t speak for yourself, when you’ve been removed from the public eye.
May 5, 2015 | Rating: A
Alison Willmore
The Playlist
TOP CRITIC
If this is not a film, by all means let us have many more such not-a-films.
May 5, 2015
Phillip Lopate
Film Comment Magazine
TOP CRITIC
This film is unique in a dreadful way: what happens on screen would not be particularly interesting without the facts surrounding its making.
June 18, 2013
Stanley Kauffmann
The New Republic
TOP CRITIC
This is Not a Film shows that despite the precarious situation- facing censorship and imprisonment, nothing can contain an artist from creating. The result is an intimate and self-reflexive film that transcends it being a mere political statement.
February 28, 2021
Dustin Chang
ScreenAnarchy
… His anger is quiet and frustration restrained.
May 16, 2020
Ruhaan Shah
Film Companion
If we go by the title and don’t define this as a film then it’s one of the most original and important things to come out this year.
July 3, 2019 | Rating: 8.4/10
C.J. Prince
Way Too Indie
In a medium where we tend to lionize filmmakers for daring to make movies we enjoy, “This is Not a Film” is a true act of courage since it will not be enjoyed by all.
December 21, 2018
Stephen Saito
Moveable Fest
The resulting movie doesn’t quite live up to its backstory.
August 30, 2018
Pat Padua
DCist
Out of his terrible predicament and the confines of his apartment, Panahi has produced a remarkable film.
August 27, 2018 | Rating: 5/5
Isabel Stevens
ViewLondon…
Plot
This Is Not a Film follows Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi as he makes a video diary with his phone in response to his government’s threats against him, presenting a vital political statement and a snapshot of life in Iran as an enemy of the state.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no specific tidbit about someone in the cast mentioned in the Fresh Kernels database.
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