Nature as a Builder of Meaning in Majid Majidi’s Films

This study focuses on, one of the leading film director of the New Iranian Cinema, Majid Majidi’s intensive usage of the various meanings he attributes to nature and, in turn, the types of effect these meanings have on his cinematographic representations. The study suggests that the director treats nature as if it is a conscious being that contributes to the production of the meaning, thus reveals a new form of relationship between cinema and nature. The study examines the films Baduk (1992), Father (Pedar, 1996), Children of Heaven (Bacheha-ye Aseman, 1999), Color of Heaven (Rang-e Khoda, 1999), Baran (2001), Willow Tree (Beed-e Majnoon , 2005), Song of Sparrows (Avaze Gonjeshk-ha, 2008) and Beyond the Clouds (2017) of Majidi and conducts a semiotic analysis based on the views of authors such as Roland Barthes, Christian Metz, and Peter Wollen. In this context, it aims to determine the contributions of the elements of nature to the atmosphere of the scenes, progress of the story and the inner journeys of the characters in these films. Additionally, the study questions the obvious and metaphorical meanings implied by the elements in the director’s narratives which is based on allegories. The findings are discussed in relation to the contexts of the director's film making technique and the sources that give the meaning to the framework