"The Circle" (2000), which will open at GSC International Screens on August 23, is the most shocking Iranian film I have ever seen. Abortion, prostitution and patriarchal oppression are just some of the themes it presents in a manner quite removed from the fable-like simplicity that had been utilised by other Iranian filmmakers to escape official censure. It's stark and confrontational. The poster for the American release says it all: A woman in a black chador being swallowed up by shadows, with a sensational red banner "BANNED IN IRAN" stamped above her.

The camera follows a group of women who happen to be former convicts. Their crimes are never specified; in a deeper sense, it's suggested that their ultimate offence was being born female. The bars of the prison are replaced by the bars of prejudice and discrimination in the outside world, and this bleak view did not go down well with Iranian censors. "The distributor last week told me that he has been to the censor 50 times to appeal the ban," says the director. "I told him to try for the 51st time."

It's not easy for an Asian film to secure distribution in America, but "The Circle" is lucky on three counts. It won the top prize at last year's Venice Film Festival; it could capitalise on the notoriety of its ban; and the director is Jafar Panahi. His debut, "The White Balloon" (1995) had one of those lyrically simple stories (little girl loses money she needs to buy goldfish) that became the hallmark of the new wave of Iranian filmmaking. It was probably the first film from that country to connect with audiences worldwide. With a script by the masterful Abbas Kiarostami, it could be read simply as an affectionate tribute to the tiny protagonist's plucky charm and quiet resilience. But, seeing it again after many years, there's something deeper going on under the surface. Why does the closing shot focus on an Afghan immigrant rather than the victorious girl, who'd run off to get her prize? The immigrant is a symbol perhaps of the marginalised people who do not factor into the little girl's single-minded and, in the end, selfish quest.

I meant to ask him this but as I was only given 30 minutes with him I did not get a chance. 30 minutes with him and his interpreter, to be exact, which meant that I would most likely get only 15 minutes' worth of translated answers. Here's how it went.

A: People who are outside Iran get the impression that Iran produces only the festival-friendly type of films. Are there other kinds of films?

J: Every year they produce about 60-70 films and out of these there are only a few that the international judges would choose when they come over. There are many subjects and issues on everyday life, war and family.

[I decide that this is a nice answer, informative and generous.]

A: What was it like working with Abbas Kiarostami?

J: Before I worked as an assistant with Kiarostami in "Through the Olive Trees" (1988) I was already in the industry, and I have worked with other directors as well. I've learned things with every one of them. Working with new people was more enjoyable. But I like his work, obviously.

[Oh dear, his tone is brusque. Is he being defensive? Did I strike a nerve? Is he sick of people assuming that Kiarostami was a great mentor of his? Or did his interpreter make my question sound ruder than it was? Never mind; on to the next.]

A: For your three films are there any that involve improvisation?

[I take a while to explain what I mean by "improvisation"]

J: Definitely. I write the script and then cast the people. For example the boy in "The White Balloon", I went through 7,000 boys to find him. Sometimes there and then I will find something and make use of it.

[I am not sure if my question got across fully, but I make sure to give a few grunts of understanding anyway. The next:]

A: Is your audition process like in the Makhmalbaf film "Salaam Cinema"?

J: No, in my films I will never ask somebody to, you know, "Now you have to cry." It's more like a chat between friends. I interview them to find out how close they are to the character. All my actors were found by me in different places - schools, parks.

[Is he demonstrating his superior humanity as compared to Makhmalbaf? Is there a touch of bitchiness in his reply? How exciting!]

A: In "The Circle" how many of the women were actresses before they got involved with the film?

J: Two of them. The others were amateur.

[I am bowled away by this. The performances he elicits from his cast are uniformly sensational. "The Circle" is one of the most brilliantly acted ensemble pieces you will ever see.]

A: People outside Iran sometimes get the idea that filmmakers in Iran are not influenced by outside cinema. But is this true?

[It takes a while to convince the translator that by "not influenced" I do not mean "have never seen"]

J: Iranians know cinema from the outside. When I was studying I had a love for Hitchcock. After seeing them I used to analyse them. There is one film of his.

[ He says "Junu", which the interpreter gives as "Madness", which I suggest means "Psycho", but Panahi insists it's something else. I never find out what film he's referring to.]

J: I was in love with Bunuel, Truffaut, Kurosawa, Satyajit Ray, John Ford. I saw them, admired them, and then thought to myself: "Now what do WE have?" In university when I was watching Hitchcock I used to story-board every shot in my short films. Technically there was nothing wrong with them but there was no soul in the result, so I don't work like that anymore. Now I think things out first, and when I come to the set I put everything aside and mix everything together.

A: In terms of structure, your three films become progressively more experimental. "The White Balloon" is a linear story, "The Mirror" (1997) has an intertextual rupture which uses the device of film-within-a-film and "The Circle" has no central protagonist.

J: It all depends on what you have to make. I never want to repeat myself. Sometimes I even find the form first and decide on the subject later.

[This is inspiring. He does not want to get stuck in the rut that his former hero Hitchcock found himself in.]

Panahi then goes into great detail about how the camera is used differently for each character in "The Circle." This also leads to a discussion on the art direction, which is remarkable for its recurring visual and thematically resonant motifs of circles and bars, and the telling use of light, shade and colours, and the daring way the film dispenses with non-diagetic music, but I won't spoil it for you. The structure is so tight and unsparing that it can begin and end with virtually the same shot.

See it. It's one of the best things to come to Malaysia this year.

THE END.

Jafar Panahai’s film “Dayareh” (The Circle) opens on August 23 at the Venue: GSC International Screens MidValley Megamall, Jalan Syed Putra, Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-9368 3366
Synopsis: Several women are in troubled situations, some on the run. Their crimes are vague, their guilt or innocence unimportant. Their paths cross, and the suspense rises in their intrigue-filled lives. Their world is one of constant surveillance, bureaucracy and age-old inequalities. But this stifling world cannot extinguish the spirit, strength and courage of the circle of women. Starring Maryam Parvin Almani, Nargess Mamizadeh & Fereshteh Sadr Orafai. Part of the Iranian Directors’ Showcase.

Awards: Venice (Official Competition) Winner Golden Lion, Fipresci Prize, Unicef Prize, Pasinetti Prize, Sergio Trasatti Prize.

Director Jafar Panahi, born in 1960 in Mianeh, Iran, studied directing at Teheran's College of Cinema and TV. Before turning to feature films, he made several short and medium-length films for Iranian television and served as assistant director on Abbas Kiarostami's "Through the Olive Trees". With only three feature films to his credit, Panahi has earned a reputation as one of the world's most promising new filmmakers.