Salaam Cinema (1995)

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This Iranian docudrama from filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf is a loving tribute to the centennial of international cinema. The film, which frequently criss-crosses the fine wavering line between reality and fiction, is set outside a house where the director is holding auditions for his newest film. Much… More This Iranian docudrama from filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf is a loving tribute to the centennial of international cinema. The film, which frequently criss-crosses the fine wavering line between reality and fiction, is set outside a house where the director is holding auditions for his newest film. Much to his shock, over 5,000 people are queued up outside. Eventually a riot ensues, but when things finally calm down, the auditions begin. Few of the applicants are professionals, and it is difficult to tell whether the interviews were staged by Makhmalbaf or whether they are taken from actual auditions. Still they are as entertaining, funny, and heartbreaking as cinema itself can be. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi