No Bears

Iranian director Jafar Panahi, who has been barred from leaving the country, arrives at a village on the Iran-Turkey border to supervise a film based on a real-life couple seeking passports to Europe being shot in Turkey, but both his stay and the production run into trouble.

No Bears is an independent film, despite the political and logistical difficulties Jafar Panahi faced during its production. The film was created without major studio backing and reflects Panahi’s auteur-driven style. It was made under restricted conditions in Iran, which further strengthens its status as independent cinema.