Get curated editors’ picks, peeks behind the scenes, film recommendations and more.
In Iran, films must conform to the government’s strict interpretation of Islam to be screened in theatres. This means that the skin of male and female characters can never touch, among many other restrictions. Irani Bag, created by the Iranian artist Maryam Tafakory, explores how prop bags are used as ‘mediators of touch’ in Iranian cinema. The video essay features a collection of scenes from 1990 to 2018 in which bags stand in for hands, be they affectionately held, momentarily connecting or violently attacking. Through this framework, Tafakory provides a shrewd and stylish analysis of the how the language of Iranian film mediates between human nature and the country’s censorship. For some cinephiles, the piece may bring to mind the Hays Code that governed filmmaking in Hollywood in the early to mid-20th century, providing a reminder that every popular art form is subject to rules that artists work within and around.
Director: Maryam Tafakory
video
Architecture
A 3D rendering of the Colosseum captures its architectural genius and symbolic power
17 minutes
video
Human rights and justice
Surreal, dazzling visuals form an Iranian expat’s tribute to defiance back home
10 minutes
video
Language and linguistics
Do button-pushing dogs have something new to say about language?
9 minutes
video
Art
When East met West in the images of an overlooked, original photographer
9 minutes
video
Values and beliefs
Why a single tree, uprooted in a typhoon, means so much to one man in Hanoi
7 minutes
video
Consciousness and altered states
‘I want me back’ – after a head injury, Nick struggles with his altered reality
7 minutes
video
Making
On the Norwegian coast, a tree is transformed into a boat the old-fashioned way
6 minutes
video
Animals and humans
One man’s quest to save an orphaned squirrel, as narrated by David Attenborough
14 minutes
video
Computing and artificial intelligence
A future in which ‘artificial scientists’ make discoveries may not be far away
9 minutes