"Dedicated to the Centenary Year of Cinema" "SALAM CINEMA" "Director's Assistants:" "ZinaI Zadeh" " Azim Pour" "Sound:" "Nezam Kiaii" "Director of Photography:" "Mahmoud KaIari" "Producer:" "Abbas Randjbar" "Written, directed and edited by:" "Mohsen MakhmaIbaf" "May I have your attention please?" "please keep in line." "Stay in line!" "The women are to gather on the balcony." "Give us the forms!" "This year is the centenary year of cinema." "That's why we're making a film about people who'd Iike to become film actors." "We've already started shooting." "Some of you will be chosen to act." "You came here because of the ad in the press." "But there are too many of you." "So please stay in order so that my assistants can hand out a thousand forms." "We will select about a hundred of you and some will get leading roles in the film." "You are both the subject and the actors of this film." "So I'd just like to welcome you to your own film." "Give us the forms!" "Be careful!" "You're killing each other!" "people will be killed!" "Watch out!" "Don't push!" "You've killed him!" "Make sure he stays in the box." "Put a chest mike on him." "What's your name?" " hello there." " hello." " Are you Mr MakhmaIbaf?" " I'm in front of you." "Lift your head up." "What's your name?" "Hadi." " Your surname?" " Mokhtarian." "Where do you come from?" "A town called Kerman, but I don't live in Kerman." "Why are you wearing glasses?" "Is it a problem?" "Any particular reason?" "Isn't it better with the glasses?" "Sure it is." "Have you acted before?" "I did some theater for a few years with my friend." "Are you ready to act for us now?" " Yes." " Go on then." " Here?" " Yes." "Am I near anything?" "No, but don't move more than one step in any direction or you won't be in the light." "Can I act whatever I want?" "Yes, just act." "AII my Iife, all my love was just that." "True, my eyes do not see, but I can see with my heart." "It can see and feel things." "Have you ever been to the cinema?" "A few times with my friend." "I've seen your films too." " Does he explain the pictures?" " Yes." "He explains to me some scenes I can't understand, when there's no sound." "Why do you want to be an actor?" "A film or a theater actor?" "film." "I want to play the part of someone with emotions, someone positive." "But what if this part called for a sighted person?" " Excuse me for asking." " That's okay." "It would depend on the director and the part he gave me." "I don't mean to boast, but I spent the Iast 2 nights in the park." " Where?" " In the park here." " What were you doing there?" " Waiting for the screen test." " Where did you sleep last night?" " In the park." " Why?" " I had nowhere else to go!" "will you answer me honestly?" "Yes." "You've never seen a film." "How can you Iike film?" "Does the sound interest you?" "I can feel it." "What is cinema for you?" "There's all sorts of emotions going on in cinema." "I can understand that." "Someone cries over his mother's death." "If I ask you to take off your glasses and cry to see if you can act, are you willing to do it?" "Is it really necessary?" "Yes." "Take off your glasses." "could I...?" "please take off your glasses." "Lift your head up and open your eyes." " Do I have to?" " Yes." "Didn't you say you'd do anything for cinema?" "Yes." "Lift your head up and open your eyes for a second." "Open your eyes." "Open them!" "Wide open." "Don't lower your head." "Look me straight in the eyes." "tell me about your love of cinema, about your emotions..." "It's my biggest passion." "Keep your eyes open so we can see you've never seen a movie." "I Iove cinema." "I'd do anything for it." "would you do anything the cinema asks of you?" "Yes, as long as it's not immoral." "If I asked you to open your eyes and show us you're not blind, would you do it for cinema?" "Yes." "Open your eyes." " Why did you lie to us?" " Because of my love for cinema." "You thought you'd have more chance if you pretended to be blind?" "No, I was only acting." "It's what you asked me to do." "So I started to act before I arrived." "Why act the part of a blind man?" "Because I understand the part." "Do you know any blind people?" "No, but every time I see a blind person," "I try my best to help." "What if cinema was just this, this reality you chose to act out, would you be happy?" " You mean that was my part?" " Yes." "That's all there was to it." " My part was just that?" " Yes." "Put your glasses back on." "You can go now." "That's what cinema's all about." "Can't I do any more films?" "You can, but that's it for this film." "I've no other part?" "No." "There's no more." "Are you pleased?" "Yes." "Because I came from a Iong way away." " As a blind man?" " Yes." " And no one noticed you?" " No one." "So, if that's your part in the film, are you pleased?" "Once you have the forms, stay apart and keep quiet." "Concentrate." "Shahbazi." "Kordi..." "I don't want to play the part of a woman with children." "What about the part of a young girl?" "Yes." "Why?" "Because I don't like it." "You mean you prefer to play the part of a young girl?" "If you were married, would you play a woman's part?" "Perhaps." "Why do you want to be an actress?" "Because I Iike it." "If I told you that your best role is what you're doing right now" " just being yourself - would you still rather be an actress?" "First of all, I'd Iike to find out what my role is." "I want to know my part." "I want to be an actress but I won't accept just any part." "Imagine that was your part." " That was you..." " I understand." "...and you answered me honestly." "It's your choice." " You won't use this film?" " Not if you leave." "If you stay and if you agree, I will." "What about what you've filmed so far?" "It's your decision whether it's shown or not." "We'II see about the rest later." "I don't know." "Do you have doubts?" "A little." "Or are you sure?" "If I leave, you won't use these pictures?" "well, I'II go then." "For real." " For real?" " Yes." " Do you really want me to cry?" " Yes." "Can't you do it?" "usually I cry very easily." "But here..." "If I told you that you won't be hired if you're not able to cry, does it make you cry?" "Yes, because I Iove cinema." "Excuse me, but do you want to act or not?" "To be honest, I don't know." "You don't know?" "I Iike acting, but..." " Cry." " I can't." "You're Number 1059." "We'II film with this number for now." "Do you want us to keep this shot for the film?" " As you are now?" " Yes." "Stand up." "Action film." "Here's the grenade!" "Now!" "Stand up, you hollywood people." "Fire." "It's a battle field." "I don't like action films." "Why not?" "Come here." "quickly." "I don't like action films." "silence." "Let me listen to him." "I Iike meIodramas." "So act melodramatic." "I Iike that kind of film." " What shall I act?" " Do what you feel." "They're doing action parts." "You just act what you Iike." " Can I act later?" " No, now." "An actor should be able to play any part, shouldn't he?" "That's right." "He should be able to play the part of the murderer and the victim, and be able to sing." "But I'm not an actor." "That's what the screen test's for:" "to see if you are or not." "So, sing..." "Shoot..." "fall down." "I don't like action scenes." "What do you Iike then?" " MeIodramas." " So, do something like that." "Can you cry?" "No." "Can you laugh?" "Say something sentimental." "I Iove you." "Why did you come?" "To become a bit famous." "It says here you were born in california." "How long have you been in Iran?" "7 years." " Why do you want to be an actress?" " First of all, I Iove cinema... and I want to relate to other people more." "Because actors can put themselves in other people's shoes and so understand their feelings better." "What about you?" "First of all, I Iike it and then, I think that an actor can get into a character's mind and understand more about him." "I think I have certain talents that allow me to communicate better with other people." "What's your name?" "Why did you come?" "I want to speak to you alone." " It's not for the part?" " No." "Why are you here then?" "Let me explain why just to you." "I don't want anyone else to hear." " Pardon?" " I want to talk to you in private." "Nothing's private here." "well, I'II go then." "Ladies, turn around please." "No, I want to speak to you." " You want everyone to leave?" " No, I can come closer." "could you all move back and block your ears?" "Come here!" " Can I sit here?" " Go ahead." "I have a problem." "I didn't come here for a part." "I'm in love with a boy." "What?" "I'm in love with a boy." "We were to marry last year." "His family didn't approve of us getting married." "So he left...he left Iran." "Because of all these problems he left." "I was supposed to go with him, but... because of my age," "I couldn't get a visa." "So... my idea in coming here..." "I thought that your film or Kiarostami's would go to Cannes." "I wanted to try my luck." "If I was chosen for your film..." "could you help me?" "help you do what?" "If I act in your film, I might get a visa." "AII I want to do is leave Iran." "That's my ambition." "But you must be able to act to be invited to a film festival." " Can you act?" " A little." "Let's suppose you are chosen." "Can you act?" "I can a bit." "I study acting." "Not to become an actress, but... because I had nothing else to do." "I didn't have any other ideas." "Go and stand over there!" "You've got 30 seconds to cry." "Go on." "But I don't want to play a part." "You said you wanted to be an actress to get invited to festivals." "But I didn't come here to become a famous actress." "I need to audition you to see who is able to laugh and cry." "I don't know." "girls, is she lying?" "Why did you cry?" "You asked me to." "You have 10 seconds." "I can't cry anymore." "Is that how deep your love is?" "Must I show my love to the whole world?" "You came here so we could help you." "One... two... three... four... five... six... seven... eight... nine... ten." "I can't do anything for you." "Go away." "Goodbye." "That's how deep your love is?" "I did my best." "You can't do anything for me." "What can I do?" "I thought that maybe..." "If you were me, could you have done anything?" " Maybe." " Come here." "What can I do?" " I just thought..." " Try to act well so I hire you and you'II get what you want." "Act?" "I can't act right now." "So I can't hire you." " Goodbye." " So long." "will you tell this boy that you can't make any more sacrifices for him?" "AII right." "So tell him." "tell him that you can't make any more sacrifices for him." "Say it." " Go on!" " Who to?" "To the camera." "He'II see your film." "Hurry up." "Come on." "What if that was your part, people seeing your film and you getting invited?" "would you be happy?" "He's what I want." "If I was invited, I'd be happy." "It's not a problem for you revealing your secret to the camera?" "No." "I don't know, no." "If you don't want to, we won't show it and you'II miss the opportunity." "could it help me?" "The acting was your idea." "That's how we work here." "If it'II help me, I agree." "Write: "I passed the audition" on the clapper board." "You're next." "One of you will pass." "If you don't keep it, you won't get a part." " I'II be eliminated?" " Yes." "If that's the way it is, I'm keeping it." "If she's holding it, she'II be chosen." "Are you joking?" "No." "Why do you want to become an actress?" "well, I'II take it." " Why do you want to act?" " I Iike it." "Laugh, everybody." "You have 30 seconds to cry." "silence." "Whoever doesn't cry has to leave at once." "Look at me." "Anyone who can't cry will be eliminated." "Lift your heads up so I can see you." "Away you go then." "Go away!" "Anyone who can't cry can leave now." "We have no time to waste." "Lots of people are waiting." "An actor has to be able to laugh and cry at will." "Even when you cry from the bottom of your heart, you can't force the tears out." "I did my best." "gentlemen, you've all failed." "Go away." "There are too many people." "We've no time for the screen tests." "We'II keep whoever can cry." "The others can go." "I have a question." "We really don't have time." "We're working." " I have a question." " Go on then." "There's a professional actor here, one of your friends." "tell him to laugh and cry on demand." " There's no actor here." " Yes, there's ZinaI Zadeh." "ZinaI Zadeh, go over there and cry." "Stay there!" "You too, stand next to him or go and stand over there." "Stay next to him." "ZinaI, you have 30 seconds to cry, or else..." "Don't look into the spotlight." "Look at Mr MakhmaIbaf." "One... two... three... four... five... six... seven... eight... nine... ten." "You count too fast." "He's already crying as I'm sure you can see." "He's already in tears." "Just go and take a look." "And then go away!" "I believe you." "If you believe me, just be on your way and cry as hard as you can for the cinema!" "If you want laughter, I can do that." "Come and stand next to Mr ZinaI Zadeh." "tell us how many tears you have shed for the cinema?" " A Iot." " Before too?" "More than I can count." " Have you cried much?" " A Iot." "You should know better than me, Mohsen." "How were you chosen?" "How did you get into films?" "Like them, I came along to act." "Look at me." "Didn't you reply to a small ad in the newspaper?" "Didn't you start with a waIk-on part?" "And when I said you'd be right for the role of "The cyclist", you didn't tell me you had a broken leg, did you?" "How long did it take you to bend it?" "A month." "Didn't I also ask you to lose weight?" "I lost 18 kilos." "How long did you practice to achieve the character's silence?" "A long time." "How long?" "Ever since that day, I've always been very silent, as you know." "You too have failed, ZinaI." "You didn't act well enough." "Everyone has failed!" "You're all eliminated." "You've all passed." "I'm going to shoot." "fall down." "tell me which actor you look like." "Akbar Abdi." "Fardin." "Joe Don Baker." "Steve McQueen." "Kirk douglas." "Jeff Bridges and Harrison Ford." "MaIak Motiie." "Hendi." "AghiIi." "Tom Davis." "alain delon." "arnold Schwarzenegger." "A Iot of people tell me I Iook like" "marilyn Monroe or Jennifer Jones." "I Iook like" "paul Newman when he was young." "You can laugh, but that's what my friends say." "But it's up to you to judge my physique and have the final say." "Is that what your friends say?" "Act something." "I'II play the part of a traditional Iranian athlete." "A traditional athlete." "Not exactly paul Newman!" "I'm talking about the emotion." "It's up to you to decide." "The paul Newman way?" "I want to act the traditional way." "Act the paul Newman way." "You want me to act?" " I don't know how he acts." " You look like him, don't you?" "To be honest, I've never actually seen paul Newman myself." "If you were a foreigner called paul Newman, what would you do?" " Foreigners mostly act in westerns." " So do a western then." "An Armenian song" "Cry." "Let's see some tears." "What part suits you?" " Me?" " Yes." "As a rule, the bad guy." "Why's that?" "Because of my face," "I get given that sort of part." "Why the part of the bad guy?" "I just told you why:" "because of the way I Iook." "Are you prepared to play any part?" "It doesn't matter to me whether I play a good or a bad guy." "It's all down to the director." " Do you think you are a bad person?" " No." "So why do you always get to play the bad guy?" "Is your appearance what matters most?" "Yes." "Are you a good or a bad guy?" "A good guy." "So why play the part of a bad guy?" "It's the director's idea." "I'm not the one who decides." "What part would you give yourself?" " The bad guy's part." " The bad guy?" "Why?" "Because I Iike playing the bad guy." " Are you a bad guy?" " No." "If you were a director, would you make me the good or the bad guy?" "The bad guy." "hello." "please stay inside the box." "How are you?" "Keep inside the box, children." "How are things?" " Why do you want to be in cinema?" " What else can I do?" "I thought what I have to say might help people." "please come closer, you two." "Stand next to them." "Are they your sons?" "Yes, Hamid and Hamed." "Why are you kids here?" "Act out something for us." " Act something." " What?" "They won't act, FeizoIIah." "They have failed." "Anyone who can't act at the first screen test fails." "Do something." "Why do you want them to become actors?" "At school, they do theater and singing." "Were they born after the revolution?" "Yes." "My elder boy who visited us in prison was born before the revolution." "How old are you girls?" "Sixteen." " Are your parents here?" " unfortunately not." " Why?" " We didn't know they had to come." "If we film you without your parents' permission, we'II get into trouble." "If you want, you can phone and ask them." "We didn't know we had to come with our parents." "And it's too late now." "Let's see you act." "failed." "Where was your father before the revolution?" "He was a political prisoner." "What do you do now, FeizoIIah?" "I'm a tradesman and I do odd jobs." "Here and there." "In the old days, you were striving for justice." "You're not asking me to pull strings for your kids, are you?" "No." "If they have talent, I just want to bring it out." "Come here." "As is right and proper, your children have failed." "What do you think of that?" "I'd just like you to do something for my children if you can." "Look at the camera." "Laugh." "Try and laugh." "Louder." "Now cry." "The one who cries the fastest knows the most about love." "Some people don't cry when they're sad." "Me, I shiver." "Are you sad right now?" "Yes, I'm shaking." "My hands and body feel like ice." "How do you mean?" "When I'm sad, I feel icy all over." "I'II count to ten." " Cry if you can..." " There." "Where?" "Come here." "Look at my hands." "Why are you crying, FeizoIIah?" "Choose me, I beg you." "Is being an actress so important?" " Yes." " Why?" "I Iove it." " So important you cry about it?" " Yes." "So cry and say:" ""I want to act"." " I want to act." " Face the camera." "I want to act." "Next!" "Who's crying?" "I'm not crying, but I really love acting." "There's no need to be weak and cry." "I'm shivering, but I really want to act." "please choose me." "I want to act!" "You're making me cry." "I can't take it anymore!" "I'd Iike to act." "I'd Iike to be in films." "I can't wait any longer." "Wait for what?" "Wait for my day to come..." "But you're only 16!" "It doesn't matter." "I Iove acting." "Now you, FeizoIIah." "I don't know." "If you could film us, that'd be fine." "We went to so much trouble to be accepted." "In prison, you didn't cry even under torture." "Your turn." "There's no one to pull strings for me." "I came from a Iong way away because I remember acting in the attic, from the age of 3 or 4." "I want to be an actress and I will be." "And if anyone tries to stop me," "I'II make my own film just so I can act in it." "Where there's a will, there's a way." "I managed to persuade my parents." "My family can't wait for me to make it." "I'm shaking deep down inside." "I'd love to become part of the film world." "I'm too worked up to continue." "What about you?" "The same goes for me." "I had talent very early on and it's never been put to good use." "I was a gifted child." "As you know, I even did theater in prison to make my fellow inmates forget their troubles." "FeizoIIah did theater to entertain his comrades." "But you who were in prison to uphold justice for other people, would you have me commit an injustice?" "He's given you his place." "Even if I were accepted, I'd rather give up my place to these girls." "What do you think?" "You want me to give up my place for him as well?" "It was his idea." "I can't..." "I can neither accept nor refuse." "Can I ask you something?" "would you Iike to be the winner among these 5 people?" "I'd rather we voted." "What do you think?" "I want to be the winner." "What about you?" "well, same here." "Who do you think acted the best among you all?" "I didn't notice how they acted." "My mind was on other things." "So you see, voting is no use, is it?" " Do you really want the truth?" " Yes." "I choose us." " Who?" " Me and my friend." "You mean you two?" "Stand back, you three." "Further back." "You two can compete against each other." "FeizoIIah, take your children." "Stand between your children and move back to the door." "This is part of the audition." "Turn toward the door and get out." "Have you no pity?" "I do have pity, but..." "only 10%of the reason he gave me his place was pity." "There are other issues involved." "I say, if they really can't act, why should the poor people in the audience have to stand bad actors and waste their time?" "Why should they waste their money?" "They could be doing other things." "It's supposed to be enjoyable!" "Now, I'II ask you both one thing." "The one who thinks that she's the loser should leave." "The other can stay." "I shall count to ten." "One of you has to leave." "Is no one leaving?" "You go." " Do you not mind her going?" " No." "Bring her back and you go." "Come back here." "Stay there." "So, was it worth making four people suffer just to stay?" "No." "But you have to look at it in the same way." "I only think of the audience's enjoyment and not mine." "It's true you need to have pity." "But what good is a film if the audience don't enjoy it?" "If you think I act badly, then I too will have to leave." "It's true I'm crazy about the movies." "Every night I faII asleep thinking about the movies, I dream about actors, every week I read all the movie magazines." "I'm not saying I'm the only one to do that." "But ultimately, it's down to the director to trust his experience and choose." "Cut." "tell her to come back." "If you had to choose, would you rather be an artist or a humane person?" "Of course everyone prefers a humane person." "Between staying and being an artist and leaving and being humane, what would you choose?" "I'd leave and stay humane." " Leave and stay humane?" " Yes, of course." "It's up to you." "You see, I chose art for its humanity." "I've noticed that an artist has more respect for a mosquito than other people," "like engineers who live with formulas rather than with feelings." " An artist is more humane." " Are you staying?" "It would destroy me if I gave up art." "But if you think that, by going, I'II stay human, I'II go." "If you stay, you'II be an artist." "If you go, you'II be more humane." "So will you." "The one who wants to be an artist can stay." "The one who wants to be more humane should go and not turn round." "I want to be more humane, so I'II go, but it'd destroy me to have to give up art." "You have to choose in difficult conditions." " I'm leaving." " Quiet please." "If you want to be artists, stay." "If you want to be humane, go." "We're going." "If you have the slightest doubt, come back." "If not, then go." "ZinaI..." "Go and prevent them from leaving." "Make them come back." "well now, does FeizoIIah prefer his sons or these two girls?" "I'II count to three." "Turn round." "close your eyes." "Move one pace apart." "If you want to have a part, you should stay and if you want to give your part to these two girls you can leave." "One, two, three." "FeizoIIah, tell the girls to come back and that you've given them your parts." "call them!" "You don't regret leaving?" "No, Mohsen, why should I regret it?" "Come over here quickly." "Hurry up!" "Stand where you were." "What do you think?" "I want to be both an artist and a humane person." " It's quite possible." " It's not a contradiction." "But you chose to leave." "As I Ieft, I thought it might be possible to be both an artist and a humane person." " To be an artist..." " ...you have to be humane." "I gave you an example." "An artist can see more beauty in a mosquito than other people can." "Once I Ieft, I really understood what I'd been saying." "Why can't an artist be humane too?" "He has to be!" "An artist who isn't humane isn't an artist." "You didn't give up what you love most for the others." "We were going to." "But you came back." "well, do you really want to act?" "Very much so." "The last 30 minutes have been recorded." "You were in the film." "You acted in it." "So now you're actresses." "In this film, your part lasts 30 minutes." "Can I ask you something?" "If you were told to give up the cinema to stay a humane person, what would you do?" "I'd really like to know." "I asked you how you felt about having become actresses." "How do you feel?" "I don't believe it." "Why not?" "I'm dubious." "I'm too happy to believe it." "I don't believe it." "But you really have become actresses." "I want you to show your joy by laughing." "I don't know if I feel like laughing or crying." "Do what you feel like." "Stay there." "Do what you feel like doing." "I'd Iike to tell someone the good news." "Who to?" "My grandfather, because it'd please him." "really?" "Who do you want to tell?" "My father." "What would you tell him?" "That my dream has come true." "I'm doing something I Iove." "Run to the door and hurry back." "You tell your father and you, your grandfather." "Act as if they were here." "Run along." "Come back, come back." "I finally made it!" "I'm acting in Mr MakhmaIbaf's film!" "I'm so happy I don't know what to do!" "I don't know if I should laugh or cry!" "Now you." "Do you remember the small ad about an audition?" "I was accepted and now I'm acting in the film!" "You acted that last part badly." "You've failed again." "Do you believe it?" "No." " No?" "Why?" " I don't believe it." "So are we actresses or aren't we?" "What do you think?" "I don't know..." "I think I've become an actress." "I just acted out my part." "An actress can act badly, but still be an actress." "What about you?" "I think so too." "I have become an actress." "You think so?" "But which one of you is more of an actress?" "I don't know." "I'm not able to judge our work." "Can you cry again?" "I didn't think I'd be able to cry last time either." "But I did." "If you want, you can go ahead and cry." "If you manage to cry, then you're real artists." "Otherwise, it just means that I was a good director." "Show me what you're capable of." "It was a game until now." "If you cry, you'II be accepted." "Otherwise, you'II be refused." "There's no room for everyone in cinema." "well?" "An actor can cry at will, even if he's happy and laugh even if he feels unhappy." "What I think is that everyone should get a chance." "You want a Iot of actors, so we can stay too." "But I need someone who can cry in 10 seconds." "If you cry again, you can stay." "Why are you so strict?" "It's the cinema that's cruel!" "One..." "No talking." "Cry and you can stay or else get out." " Two..." " please don't count aloud." "I've counted to ten and you haven't cried." "So you can go." "You were humane, but an artist knows how to handle his feelings and play with them." "Go away." "I'm sorry." "Why do we have to leave?" "Because you can't cry when you have to." "The cinema belongs to those who are able to sell their feelings when they're asked to." "You're not that kind." "So you've failed." "There are too many distractions here which are stopping us from crying." "We just can't do it." "There's just no way." "How do you expect to get a part?" "Once the contract is signed, we pay you and we want you to laugh or cry on demand." "You can't sell your feelings when you have to." "Don't you know that the cinema is cruel?" "Didn't you notice how people were killing each other to get here, to become rich and famous?" "What do you expect?" "Those who act well in life and in films are successful." "When they're asked to, they laugh and cry." "But you can't manage to do it when you have to." " Can you cry when you have to?" " I don't know." "So you won't succeed in life either." "half of a woman's success is knowing how to arouse pity when she has to." "Otherwise it's impossible to get on in life." "Cry if you want to succeed." "Cry." "Cry." "I can't." "I Iove art, but I can't cry." "Not right here and now, I can't." "I was able to cry earlier on." "That was just a reflex reaction, not your talent." "You were upset." "An artist knows how to sell his innermost feelings:" "his tears and laughter so people see he's an artist." "You're humane, but you're not an artist." "Cry." "Cry or go away!" "We come into the world crying." "And when we die, others cry for us." "In between the two, we must cry and cry to wash ourselves in our tears, to purify ourselves." "Cry so I can see your talent." "well, laugh then." "Laugh or cry." "You want me to laugh?" "Tears or laughter." "I want to laugh at this world of ours." "I'm not able to cry!" "Why should I cry?" "I'm not weak." "This world's a really funny place." "A baby comes into the world crying." "When he leaves it, we cry for him." "Why should we cry?" "Why should we cry all the time?" "I want to laugh." "I don't want to cry." "Laugh then." "The world shouIdn't make me cry." "It should make me laugh." "I want to laugh." "I'm laughing." "I'm laughing and so much the better." "The world should make me laugh." "I'm fighting against it." "I'm not crying." "I'm laughing." " Laugh." " I am." "Laugh if you want." "Why are you crying?" "You should laugh." "If you laugh, you'II pass." "The problem is that when people want to laugh, they start to cry." "To be accepted, we have to laugh." "That makes me laugh!" "But to be accepted, we have to cry." "Why must it be like this?" "Why do we have to laugh or cry?" "What is there to cry about?" "We shouldn't cry." "We should laugh." "Why must we cry when we come into and leave the world?" "I'm laughing!" "I'm laughing!" "So much the better!" "I must laugh." "Thank you." "You've passed." "You'II be paid right away." "Mr SaIahmand!" "Prepare their contracts and give them both their money." "Give them both 50,000 tomans." "Just pay the artists and ask them to leave?" "Have they no real value?" "We just wanted to respect your rights." "When do we come back?" "You came here to act, so that's your first day's pay." "See if it suits you." "I didn't come here for the money." " Why did you come then?" " To see how it all works." "To see how an actress without any contacts gets into the film world and how she can be a good actress." "I told you, you're in the film world now." "With your talent, you'II get other breaks too." "But don't shut the gate on other people." "Don't tell them that no one else can come into your palace." "I won't, because I've been trying since I was 13." "My parents weren't in agreement." "I had to climb those stairs all by myself." "I wasn't allowed out of the house on my own." "I Iooked all over and I asked everyone, but to no avail." "So I won't let anyone suffer like I had to." "I won't let it happen." "Give the clapper board to the one in the middle." "Who wants to hold up the clapper board?" "Who wants to hold it up?" "It's better if he holds it up." "Now write "The End" on the clapper board." "Sit down to write it." "You've all had a part to play." "There was room for all of you." "The cinema is for everyone." "If the cinema reflects on life, then there's room for everyone." "hold it above your head." "Higher, young man." "Face the light." "Everyone smile." "Laugh." " Say how you feel." " I'm happy." " I'm very happy." " I'm happy." " I am happy." " Happy." "Thank you and goodbye." "Can everyone go out of frame?" "Out you go." "AII the crew can go." "Say goodbye to the camera." "Say goodbye." "Goodbye." "I want to come back." "The ladies can stay for the screen tests." "could all the men please wait outside?" "These two girls are going to judge the other applicants." "We'II see if any others are accepted." "The ladies can stay, but the men must go." "You're in my shoes and you're directing." "Come here, ladies." "Put a camera here." "I'm going to count to ten." "The one who cries will be accepted." "Those who don't cry will be refused." " If an artist isn't able to cry..." " ...what's he good for?" "Don't put your hands in front of your faces." "I want real tears or I won't let you become actresses." "I've been chosen to select the girls who deserve a part." "Why won't you all cry?" " Do we really have to cry?" " Whoever cries can stay." "The time's up." "You others can go." "You've failed as far as I'm concerned." "You and you can stay." "You cried." "The others can go." "Can I cry now?" "Yes, you can." "I'II give you one last chance." "Just ten seconds." "You must cry." "I'm asking you to cry." "I'm the director and I'm asking you to cry." "So just cry." "Be reasonable." "I can't cry now!" "I have to know what the film's about to get into the emotion of it!" "It's not that simple." "Imagine you're acting in a play and it's a sad scene." "You'd have to cry where the stage directions tell you to." "Imagine we're the audience." " Act a sad scene for us." " I need to be on stage." " This is the stage here." " Concentrate!" "Go back to the others." "Take one step forward." "Near this line." "well?" "Did you cry?" "I felt tears well up in my eyes, but they wouldn't come out." "It's hard to cry on command, isn't it?" "Very." "So how could you be as cruel as I was?" "How do you feel now?" " I'm nervous." " What about?" "About whether we've been accepted or not." "What about you?" "I'm feeling like I did at the beginning." "I'm feeling just as nervous." "How did you feel when you were sitting here?" "At first, I thought I wouldn't be able to do it." "Then, I gradually realized I couId." "Okay, take the clapper board." "You too." "Take it." "It's called a clapper board." "Stand in lines so we can see everybody." "Go over there." "I want to see everybody." "Sit down, you two." "Can they sit down?" "Sit down." "Come closer together." "Write on the clapper board." "What?" "Write: "To be continued"." "hold it up." "Higher." "Now, do you want to laugh or cry for the closing shot?" "It's better to laugh." " What do you think?" " A happy end is better." "Cut." "english subtitles:" "J. miller" "Processed by C.M.C." " Paris"