‘Cinema Is Dying’ Because of Streaming, Says Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Iranian Auteur
variety.comNaman Ramachandran Mohsen Makhmalbaf, the Iranian auteur who is a leading voice in art house film, says independent cinema is dying in the era of streaming video.
Makhmalbaf, director of Cannes prize winner “Kandahar,” Sitges and Tokyo winner “Gabbeh” and Venice winner “The Silence,” says that while streaming presents an opportunity to show a film to many people, it also “destroys other kinds of medium.” “You can eat your food in your room, but why do you go to a restaurant to eat with others?,” asks Makhmalbaf. “If you are religious, you can go and pray in your room, but you go to a church or temple or mosque, because you want to do it with others.
You can see the film in your mobile phone alone, but you go to the cinema to see film with others.” “Cinema is dying in this in this way.
Because except festivals, in many countries, we don’t have cinema,” adds Makhmalbaf. “And, like COVID pushed us into isolation, these kinds of media [have] pushed us into isolation, we sit in our home and watch the film on TV.” Makhmalbaf says that cinema is best experienced on the big screen to appreciate the nuances.
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