The Runner

12A

Our closing film for the ‘Between Innocence and Reality: Iranian Cinema and Childhood’ season is, perhaps counter-intuitively, one of the first films that started an incredible wave of great Iranian post-revolutionary cinema in the 80s and 90s.

The Runner (1984) is an autobiographical force by director Amir Naderi, and edited by legend of New Wave Iranian cinema Bahram Beyzair who sadly passed away last year.

This is the story of Amiro, an orphaned teenager trying to make his way in his desolate world, working any jobs available to him, with big ambitions and never-ending drive. He is always running a race of life, to survive, and to thrive.

During the long filmmaking process, guided by the support and affection from Naderi and establishing a lifelong friendship, child actor Majid Niroumand delivers a performance which is so extraordinary. This film set the tone for the next few decades of realist, child-centred and groundbreaking cinema.

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This film will be introduced by Dr. Vahideh Golzard. 

Vahideh Golzard holds a BA in Media and Communication from the University of Tehran and an MA in International Studies from the University of Leeds, where she later pursued doctoral research on gender and new media. She is currently a lecturer in Persian and Cultural Studies at the University of Leeds.

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This screening is part of our new season, Between Innocence and Reality: Iranian Cinema and Childhood.

Working in partnership with Dr Maryam Ghorbankarimi, we have curated a selection of really special and hard-to-see Iranian films, that showcase the legacy of the Kanoon Parvaresh Fekri childrens institution. This children's organisation was (and still is) responsible for a plethora of outstanding and award winning Iranian films from the 80s onwards, all centring the lives of children, by seminal filmmakers such as Abbas Kiarostami, Jafar Panahi, Majid Majidi, Pouran Derakhshandeh and Amir Nadeeri.

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Enjoy more Iranian films for less!

The more individual films you see in this season the more money you save.

• See two different films, save 15% 

• See three different films, save 20% 

• See four or more different films, save 25% 

Tickets must be purchased together in a single transaction for discounts to apply.

This offer works in conjunction with 16mm/35mm/70mm members and concession discounts, helping you save even more money.  It does not include Children of Heaven, which is Pay What You Can, or work in conjunction with 15-25 members' discounts.