Artist Peter Sellars introduces the film Taxi. In a year that Iran dominated headlines, the country's best-known cinematic dissenter offers his third film since the Islamic Republic banned him from movie-making in 2010. Equipped with a dash-cam and posing as a taxi driver, Panahi took to the streets of Tehran, his conversations with a series of passengers creating a microcosm of Iranian society. Within the confines of the car, Panahi dives into a self-referential exposition on the government's censorship, surveillance, and imprisonment of its citizens. His niece, a schoolgirl tasked with directing a film for class is a consummate satirist in her struggles to understand what constitutes the "sordid realism" banned from films by the regime. Taxi is both an act of civil disobedience and a tragicomedy, with references to other films offering a certain levity (an incident with goldfish recall the director's own The White Balloon, the dramatic premise recalling Abbas Kiarostami's Ten). Ultimately, the cinematic image affirms its determination to exist against all odds.

The conversation is part of MoMA Contenders, The Museum of Modern Art’s renowned series of influential, innovative films from the past 12 months. Whether bound for awards glory or cult classic status, each of these films is a contender for lasting historical significance.