The Circle

2000 1h 31m FA

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 106

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Various women struggle to function in the oppressively sexist society of contemporary Iran.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Nargess Mamizadeh
Nargess
Maryiam Palvin Almani
Arezou
Mojgan Faramarzi
Mojgan - Prostitute
Elham Saboktakin
Elham - Nurse
Monir Arab
Monir - Ticket Seller
Maede Tahmasbi
Maedeh
Maryam Shayegan
Parveneh
Fereshteh Sadr Orafaee
Pari

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jafar Panahi
Writers: Kambuzia Partovi
Languages: Persian
Countries: Iran, Italy

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Grossed $1M — a 75.6× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

26 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Iran, Italy.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Jafar Panahi, shot by Bahram Badakshani. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jafar Panahi shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Nargess Mamizadeh and Maryiam Palvin Almani and Mojgan Faramarzi carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0255094 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jafar Panahi directs. Bahram Badakshani behind the camera. Jafar Panahi cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in Iran, Italy. Dialogue in Persian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $0.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Grossed $1M — a 75.6× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.
326 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4International production across 2 countries: Iran, Italy.
5Directed by Jafar Panahi, shot by Bahram Badakshani. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Editor Jafar Panahi shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Nargess Mamizadeh and Maryiam Palvin Almani and Mojgan Faramarzi carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt0255094 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Bahram Badakshani
Editing: Jafar Panahi
Production design: Vajid Allah Fariborzi
Makeup / hair: Hemasseh Malaki
Sound: Mehdi Dejbodi
Runtime: 91 min · 1h 31m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $10,000
Box office: $756,035
Return: 7560% of budget
Original language: FA
IMDB: The Circle (2000)

Awards

Golden Lion

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Jafar Panahi

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2026-06-02
★ 6/10
Filmed in Iran a quarter of a century ago, and unsurprisingly banned by the Government there, this is quite a savage indictment of the roles and rights of women in a society where their freedoms and choices are largely non-existant. Using some pretty clandestine looking filming techniques we follow, sequentially, three women from different backgrounds and of different ages who find themselves at odds with the societal expectations and demands of the their nation. Indeed, the reaction at the start of this to the birth of a baby girl speaks volumes as to the "value" placed on a girl child as opposed to a boy. What's also astonishing here is that the prosecution of their duties is carried out with an unsympathetic enthusiasm by men of all ages, with an unnerving degree of firmness and who are entirely impervious to the pleadings of the women who come under their purview. It's quite possible that the younger ones are even more zealous than their elders and discretion is distinctly lacking for even the most minor of infractions of the rules. Barring one brief example towards the end, there is a prevailing and quite shocking absence of humanity shown by those in uniform towards their fellow female citizens who are treated as little better than chattels. This isn't my favourite Panahi film as he seems to have left much of the ladies' characterisations on the drawing board, the plot is a little too dry, and I felt he relied more on our own inate distaste for laws that so obviously discriminate against an half the population who are to be denied opportunity, education and even the right to chose what they wear or whom they travel with, to do his heavy lifting for him. It has more of a docu-drama look to it, and though that doesn't detract from the potency of the message it doesn't really allow us to get to know any of the women who live in this oppressive environment of fear and apprehension.

Production companies