As a 17-year-old activist in Tehran, Mohsen Makhmalbaf attacked and injured a policeman in a politically motivated bank robbery. Twenty years later, Makhmalbaf — now a celebrated film director — receives an unexpected visit from the very same policeman, leading to a collaboration in which the two decide to film a reenactment of the incident that first brought them together. However, the young actors cast to play the roles of the erstwhile enemies have their own ideas of what that incident means and how the story should be told.
Equal parts autobiographical comedy, Brechtian behind-the-scenes documentary, and metaphysical poem, A Moment of Innocence shines with humanity, humour, and surprising optimism. When I first saw this movie, I spontaneously burst into tears when it ended. One of the greatest achievements in Makhmalbaf’s radically modulating body of work, it’s a film I have often returned to for encouragement whenever I become too sad about the world. I believe this movie will comfort you, also.
Mirhadi Tayyebi, Ali Bakhshi, Ammar Tafti, Maryam Mohamadamini, Moharram Zeinalzadeh, Moshen Makhmalbaf
Iran
1996
In Farsi with English subtitles
Book Tickets
Credits & Director
Producer
Mohsen Makmalbaf
Screenwriter
Mohsen Makhmalbaf
Cinematography
Mahmoud Kalari
Editor
Mohsen Makhmalbaf
Production Design
Reza Alqeband
Original Music
Majid Entezami
Mohsen Makhmalbaf
Mohsen Makhmalbaf is an Iranian director, writer, and producer. He is one of the most influential Iranian filmmakers in the world, and a founder of the new wave of Iranian cinema. The director of numerous critically acclaimed films, Makhmalbaf has received more than 60 international awards from some of the world’s most prestigious film festivals. His film Kandahar (2001) was chosen as one of the top 100 best movies of history of cinema by Time magazine. As a writer, Makhmalbaf has also published more than 30 books, many of which have been translated and published internationally.
Filmography: The Cyclist (1989); Once Upon a Time, Cinema (1992); Gabbeh (1996); The Silence (1998); Kandahar (2001); Marghe and Her Mother (2019)
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
A Poet
When embittered poet Oscar Restrepo takes a job at a local high school, he meets Yurlady, a talented student from a poor background. Seeking to help her cultivate her art, he draws her into the poetry world — to disastrous and comedic results.
The Painted Life of E.J. Hughes
A beautiful portrait of E.J. Hughes, who quietly helped reshape the artistic landscape of British Columbia in the 20th century. This extraordinary documentary explores Hughes’s legacy not only as an artist, but as a devoted, humble human being.
Spring After Spring
Three daughters strive to live up to the standards set by their mother Marie Mimi Ho, and keep Vancouver Chinatown's Spring Parade going through thick and thin, in this enormously affectionate local documentary by Jon Chiang.
Seeds
Shot over nine years, Brittany Shyne’s Sundance-winning documentary is a tender portrait of Black farming families in the American South. A moving meditation on land, legacy, and the strength it takes to hold on.
Sound of Falling
A remote German farmhouse is the stage for the mundane and magical experiences of four girls who call the foreboding place home at various intervals over the course of a century. In turns delicate and devastating, this is cinema at its most experiential.
Image: © Fabian Gamper
Mr. Nobody Against Putin
Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary, and Special Jury Prize Winner, Sundance, 2025, this exposé shot by a Russian primary teacher shows how the Putin propaganda machine works to militarize children.