French company to restore Kiarostami works

French company MK2 Films is to restore in high quality a collection of films by late-great Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami.

In an agreement with Iran’s Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults, MK2 will restore the 20 films of Kiarostami in 4K quality.  

The films to be restored include ‘Where is My Friend’s Home’, ‘And Life Goes On’ and ‘The Traveler’.

Some of the titles acquired by the company include films that are mostly unknown, as well as 14 short- and medium-length films, notably his very first film, ‘The Bread and Alley’, which came out in 1970.

The French company already acquired rights to Kiarostami’s more recent films such as ‘Like Someone in Love’, ‘Certified Copy’, ‘Taste of Cherry’ (which won the Palme d’Or) and ‘Shirin’.

“MK2 had a very close relationship with Abbas Kiarostami. We produced and distributed his films since 1999,” said Marin Karmitz, MK2’s president.

“This collaboration will allow us to give every generation of audiences the opportunity to discover these world cinema masterpieces that have inspired and continue to inspire filmmakers”, added Karmitz, stating that Kiarostami gave birth to the tradition of Iranian documentary.

Cannes Film Festival’s 70th edition paid tribute to Abbas Kiarostami with the screening of his last feature ‘24 Frames’.

ES/AG