Now streaming: Jafar Panahi’s acclaimed, censorship-defying NO BEARS, exclusively on the Criterion Channel!

Subscribe now to watch one of the best new films of the year. THE CRITERION CHANNEL APRIL 18, 2023 NOW PLAYING ON THE CHANNEL [One of the Year’s Best Films]( In his new virtuosic sleight of hand—completed shortly before his imprisonment in 2022—Jafar Panahi plays a fictionalized version of himself, an Iranian director banned from filmmaking who relocates to a rural border town to make a film remotely in nearby Turkey and finds himself embroiled in a local scandal. Vulture’s Alison Willmore writes: “Over a decade ago, in 2010, Jafar Panahi was sentenced to 6 years in prison and a 20-year ban on directing films. He has, in the time since, directed 5 features; the unfathomable difficulty of this feat is as astonishing as how vital and how good his work continues to be. No Bears may be the best of them all.” Sign up for your free trial to watch No Bears and get a monthly curated selection of art-house hits fresh from theaters, exclusively on the Criterion Channel. “Don’t miss No Bears . . . An act of profound resistance.” —Manohla Dargis, The New York Times “A masterwork . . . Panahi once again uses his situation to produce something that’s somehow life-affirming and deeply devastating.” —David Fear, Rolling Stone “Brilliant . . . Instantly gripping, formally ingenious.” —Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times “Jafar Panahi may be the most vital and courageous filmmaker in the world right now.” —Jake Coyle, Associated Press  WINNER – VENICE FILM FESTIVAL 2022 Special Jury Prize NOMINEE – NATIONAL SOCIETY OF FILM CRITICS AWARDS 2023 Best Film Best Director Best Film Not in the English Language WINNER – CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2022 Award for Cinematic Bravery If you have questions, comments, or feedback about the Criterion Channel, please reach out to channelhelp@criterion.com! We’d love to hear from you. For further information on Criterion and our products, please visit our website at [criterion.com.]( To start streaming the Criterion Channel, please visit [criterionchannel.com.]( If you are not already on our mailing list and would like to be added, please [click here]( to register at [criterion.com.]( To unsubscribe, [click here.]( © 2023 The Criterion Collection :: 215 Park Ave S. New York, NY 10003