Iran/1984—directed by Amir Naderi | 91 minutes

An illiterate but resourceful 11-year-old orphan (Madjid Niroumand), living alone in an abandoned tanker in an Iranian port city, survives by shining shoes, selling water, and diving for deposit bottles thrown overboard by foreigners. Madjid does his best to stay focused on his daily tasks – despite the routine bullying he’s subjected to from adults and older kids – by dreaming about the destinations of the departing cargo ships and airplanes that surround him, and by the exhilarating escape provided by running – but to where?

Frequently compared to such great international works of neo-realism as Vittorio De Sica’s The Bicycle Thief, Héctor Babenco’s Pixote and François Truffaut’s The 400 Blows, Amir Naderi’s 1984 The Runner was inspired, like Truffaut’s film, by the director’s own childhood, and was instrumental in drawing attention to the New Iranian Cinema thanks to screenings at the Venice and London Film Festivals. Seen only briefly in the U.S. since the 1990s, this excellent new restoration will change all that. In Farsi with English subtitles.  

“A landmark film of astonishing power and simplicity. Madjid Niroumand’s performance ranks among the finest ever given by a child.”  –Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times