MUMBAI: UTV World Movies will be screening award-winning films directed by Jafar Panahi, one of the foremost filmmakers of new-wave Iranian cinema.

Panahi’s work defines the aesthetic of Iranian cinema with his ‘neo realist’ approach. It is his unique and masterful balance of combining an insightful sympathy for his characters filmed in an unsentimental, realistic fashion with refinement.

Panahi’s film career began when he served as assistant director on Abbas Kiarostami’s Through the Olive Trees.

"Jafar Panahi is a celebrated and controversial filmmaker whose films have been banned in his homeland Iran. With his trademark focus on untold stories of Iranian women and stunning cinematography – is a master of emotions and subtlety. Indians audiences have always been fond of Iranian cinema – due to shared culture, focus on familial relationship and dramatic emotions and Panahi’s cinema already has a solid steady audience here", said UTV World Movies programming head Manasi Sapre.

UTV World Movies will telecast Panahi’s films like The Mirror, The Circle, The White Balloon and Offside on Saturdays at 10.30 pm.