Iranian cinema great Abbas Kiarostami takes meta-narrative gamesmanship to masterful new heights in the final installment of his celebrated Koker trilogy.

Unfolding “behind the scenes” of the shooting of the previous film in the series, And Life Goes On… (screening Tuesday 10th June), Through the Olive Trees traces the complications that arise when the romantic misfortune of one of the actors -- a lovelorn young man who pines for the woman cast as his wife even though, in real life, she will have nothing to do with him -- creates turmoil on set and leaves the hapless director caught in the middle.

An ineffably lovely, gentle human comedy steeped in the folkways of Iranian village life, Kiarostami's film peels away layer after layer of artifice as it investigates the elusive, alchemical relationship between cinema and reality.

By the way, if you can't make it along to our screening of And Life Goes On..., please don't fret: Through the Olive Trees is utterly delightful whether or not you have seen any of the other films in the Koker trilogy.

"The third film in Abbas Kiarostami’s ambitious Koker trilogy is a delightful viewing experience filled with pleasant surprises and cameos at every corner. The entries in this multi-layered trilogy are short and sweet, but when consumed together, you get an explosion of flavors that only a master chef could put together."
Wael Khairy, RogerEbert.com

"It’s as if Kiarostami was filming with an electron microscope... no other type of cinema in recent decades has worshipped reality in this intense manner."
Mark Cousins

Doors open 30 minutes before advertised start time. All film screenings are ad-free and 18+ unless otherwise stated, and start with no more than a 10 min selection of trailers. 

The Cube is a membership venue, please remember to bring your card. You can join on the door for £1.