Movies from the heart

He says he shoots what he really needs during rehearsals, as children are more relaxed and natural than when they perform officially.

Majidi, who's also a father of two children, says traveling with the young cast is his other way to get into their world.

Before shooting The Color of Paradise, which was listed by Time Magazine as one of the 10 best movies of 2000, the director toured with Mohsen Ramezani, who stars the protagonist-a boy who's blind-to northern Iran's water bodies and forests.

"He is more sensitive to hearing and touch than people (without sight disabilities). I wanted to know how he feels and experiences the world," recalls Majidi.

It turned out to be quite a journey. Young Ramezani listened to the breeze and birds in the woods and grabbed sand on a beach-experiences he described as listening to the "languages of nature" to the director.

"I felt like I was blind, too, but that Ramezani's vision was stronger. The travel was very inspirational and had opened my heart to the authentic beauty of nature," says Majidi.

Born in a middle-class family in Tehran, his fascination with acting and the stage started at 11 years old. His interest in cinema grew after the Iranian Revolution of 1979.

His latest film is Beyond the Clouds, a 2017 Hindi-language feature that marks his first production outside Iran. Set in Mumbai, the film is about adult siblings and has child characters, too.