On the Road with Abbas Kiarostami (2026): Cast, Story and Release

Prepared by Movies Dock Editorial

On the Road with Abbas Kiarostami is a 2026 Iranian documentary assembled from 25 years of footage recorded by Seifollah Samadian. Framed around cars, roads and ten journeys, the film reflects on Samadian’s time traveling with the renowned filmmaker and on the mysteries within Kiarostami’s cinema.

On the Road with Abbas Kiarostami brings together footage gathered by Seifollah Samadian over 25 years of traveling with Abbas Kiarostami. Rather than presenting a conventional biographical account, the documentary shapes those journeys into a film inspired by the spirit of Kiarostami’s own work.

Its structure centers on ten stories and ten journeys, with the car and the road serving as recurring motifs. The result is a reflective documentary about time spent alongside one of cinema’s best-known Iranian filmmakers, while also considering what it means to travel with Kiarostami.

On the Road with Abbas Kiarostami movie details

Story without spoilers

Seifollah Samadian transforms his archive of journeys with Abbas Kiarostami into a 1-hour, 28-minute documentary. The film arranges the recorded material around ten stories and ten travels, using movement through roads and time inside cars as its organizing ideas.

According to its premise, the documentary also searches for the concealed elements that contribute to the beauty and mystery of Kiarostami’s films. It is therefore both a record of shared journeys and an attempt to understand the filmmaker’s artistic world through experiences captured over many years.

What to expect

This is a documentary built from long-term personal footage rather than a scripted fictional narrative. Viewers can expect a road-centered structure, real-life appearances and a focus on Abbas Kiarostami’s presence, working spirit and relationship to travel. The ten-story format suggests an episodic arrangement, while the car and road motifs provide continuity between the different journeys.

The film’s approach is explicitly shaped by the spirit of Kiarostami’s cinema, though the supplied information does not specify its individual scenes, editing style or conclusions. Its emphasis is on observation, recollection and the question of how proximity to Kiarostami might illuminate his films.

Cast and creative team

Seifollah Samadian directs the documentary and appears as himself. Abbas Kiarostami is also featured as himself, alongside Jafar Panahi, Tahereh Ladanian, Abdollah Ahmadpour, Hosna Ashourpour, Hossein Khadem, Adel Yaraghi, Fatemeh Ghorbani and Morteza Farshbaf, all credited as themselves. No writers are listed in the supplied credits.

• Abbas Kiarostami as Self
• Seifollah Samadian as Self
• Jafar Panahi as Self
• Tahereh Ladanian as Self
• Abdollah Ahmadpour as Self
• Hosna Ashourpour as Self
• Hossein Khadem as Self
• Adel Yaraghi as Self
• Fatemeh Ghorbani as Self
• Morteza Farshbaf as Self

Release and production context

On the Road with Abbas Kiarostami is an Iranian documentary in Persian, with a listed release date of October 10, 2026. It has a runtime of 1 hour and 28 minutes and is produced by TASSVIR FILM CENTER. The film is listed as released.

Production companies: TASSVIR FILM CENTER

Movies Dock view

By combining 25 years of recorded travel with a ten-part journey structure, On the Road with Abbas Kiarostami presents a personal documentary portrait shaped by roads, cars and memory. Its central interest lies in Samadian’s sustained access to Kiarostami and in the effort to connect those journeys with the filmmaker’s distinctive cinematic world.

Film data:
TMDB