TEHRAN-The 1984 Iranian drama “The Runner” directed by Amir Naderi will be added to the Criterion Collection soon.

The 90-minute film is widely regarded as an Iranian new-wave masterpiece. The film tells the story of a young boy from southern Iran who struggles to assert his rights while navigating the challenging terrain of the region's oil refineries. It is often praised for having one of the best child performances of all time with Madjid Niroumand.

The film follows an illiterate, but resourceful, 11-year-old orphan (Niroumand), who lives alone in an abandoned tanker in the Iranian port city of Abadan. He survives by shining shoes, selling water, and diving for deposit bottles thrown overboard by foreigners while being bullied by adults and older kids. But he finds solace by dreaming about departing cargo ships and airplanes and by running, seemingly to nowhere.

The film is often compared to De Sica’s “Shoeshine” and “The Bicycle Thief” and other great works of Italian Neo-Realism, Bunuel’s “Los Olvidados”, Héctor Babenco’s “Pixote” and Truffaut’s “The 400 Blows”.

Through the use of striking imagery, particularly the fire and water imagery which symbolizes the Iranian people's struggles, the film provides a poignant commentary on the political situation at the time.

Childhood takes on mythic dimensions in one of the defining works of Iranian cinema. Inspired by the director’s own boyhood, “The Runner” is lit from within by Niroumand’s electrifying performance as a young orphan fending for himself on the streets of a port city, determined to rise above his circumstances—working odd jobs, passing time with friends, learning to read—and running, always running, toward the future. Water, fire, the human body in motion: in hypnotic images of lyrical power, Naderi finds unexpected glory in the world of a boy suspended between modernity and elemental natural forces as he chases his own path forward.

Furthermore, “The Runner” was also a milestone for Iranian cinema in the global arena, as it was the first film to be presented at foreign festivals after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. It was shown in Venice and London, though not released in the U.S. until 1991 when it opened at Film Forum.

The film's lasting impact and recognition in the international film community speaks to the immense talent and impact of Iranian filmmakers and their commitment to offering a nuanced, complex portrayal of Iranian society and culture.

The Criterion Collection is an American home video distribution company that focuses on licensing, restoring, and distributing important classic and contemporary films.

Criterion serves film and media scholars, cinephiles, and public and academic libraries. It has helped to standardize certain aspects of home video releases such as film restoration, the letterboxing format for widescreen films, and the inclusion of bonus features such as scholarly essays and documentary content about the films and filmmakers. 

Criterion most notably pioneered the use of commentary tracks. Criterion has produced and distributed more than 1,000 special editions of its films in VHS, Betamax, LaserDisc, DVD, Blu-ray, and Ultra HD Blu-ray formats and box sets. These films and their special features are also available via The Criterion Channel, an online streaming service that the company operates.

SS/SAB