October 21 - 27, 2022 - 12:20pm, 2:35pm, 4:40pm, 7pm, 9pm
Born in the southern port city of Abadan (the setting of THE RUNNER), Amir Naderi is one of Iranian cinema’s most influential directors and screenwriters. For a Museum of Modern Art tribute in 2018, curator Dave Kehr wrote, ‘”Naderi has pursued his passion for filmmaking around the globe, with no regard for physical borders or language barriers.” Born in Tehran, Madjid Niroumand, who plays the central role of the resourceful young street kid Amiro in THE RUNNER, was accidentally discovered by director Amir Naderi when he spotted the boy on the front cover of a sports magazine in a group photo of a winning track and field team. But it was 11-year-old Madjid who jumped off the cover. In a Eureka moment, Naderi exclaimed, “That’s my Amiro!” Madjid’s performance in THE RUNNER and was named #12 in a list of “The 25 Greatest Child Performances in Cinema History” on the film site Taste of Cinema. The Los Angeles Times called it “the greatest performance ever given by a child.”
