The Pear Tree

Ticket includes admission to 4pm pre-film Persian tea reception in gallery and post-film talk with scholars and artists Kaveh Bassiri and Pouya Jahanshahi.

This program is sponsored by OSU Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies Program. Arab Film Fest Tulsa is presented by Mizna, Tulsa Artist Fellowship, and Circle Cinema.

See the full schedule here. The Pear Tree

Dariush Mehrjui | 1998 | Iran | Farsi w/English subtitles | 1hr 35m

Directed by Dariush Mehrjui, most well known for his influential Iranian New Wave film The Cow (1969), The Pear Tree examines nostalgia, love, and memory through the autumnal scenes of cinematographer Mahmoud Kalari. When author Mahmoud (Homayoun Ershadi) struggles with writer’s block, he retreats to the country house of his childhood. There, he finds a prized pear tree that refuses to bear fruit, which serves as a visual metaphor for his inability to produce work and a reminder of a lost love from his youth. Starring Golshifteh Farahani in her feature film debut, Mehrjui’s masterpiece saturates middle-aged doubt and regret in golden hues and idyllic landscapes. 

Filmmaker bio: Dariush Mehrjui (1939–2023) was considered a pioneer in Iranian cinema. From an early age, Mehrjui spent a lot of time at cinemas and was influenced by Italian neorealism and classical filmmakers like Eisenstein and Griffith. After moving to California in 1959 to study film and philosophy at UCLA, Mehrjui decided to come back to Tehran in 1965 and make his first feature, Diamond 33 (1966). His second film, The Cow (1969), brought him national and international acclaim, winning several awards at major festivals including the FIPRESCI prize at Venice in 1971. This film is regarded as a starting point of the Iranian New Wave, one of the remarkable cinematic movements of the 20th century. During his career, Mehrjui continued to make a diverse array of films that have been screened worldwide and have gathered multiple awards.

Visit us online to purchase an All Access Pass.