Banned Iranian Directors Are In Competition For Top Berlin Film Festival Prize
By Ahmad Rafat
A movie by two Iranian directors currently facing a travel ban is in competition for the top prize at the Berlin Film Festival, or Berlinale, which is due to be held from Feb....
Rave Parties in the Iranian Desert Are Subject of New Documentary
By Julie Ershadi
In the Iranian poetic tradition, the desert is the symbol of a soul-searching spiritual journey, or a refuge from the eyes of the world. In Raving Iran, filmmaker Susanne Regina Meures’ 2016 documentary, the desert is the hiding place for a pair of modern revelers keen to express themselves away from the government’s reach.
In the Iranian poetic tradition, the desert is the symbol of a soul-searching spiritual journey, or a refuge from the eyes of the world. In Raving Iran, filmmaker Susanne Regina Meures’ 2016 documentary, the desert is the hiding place for a pair of modern revelers keen to express themselves away from the government’s reach.
At Sundance Festival, Women Directors Noora Niasari, Maryam Keshavarz And Sierra Urich Are In Competition
By Firouzeh Nabavi
Three female directors of Iranian descent are vying for top awards at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival in Utah, which started on Jan. 19 and ends Sunday. They include Noora Niasari, whose...
At Venice Film Festival, Filmmaker Rasoulof Is On Main Competition Jury
By Ahmad Rafat
The 82nd International Venice Film Festival is currently under way on Lido island in Venice. The event concludes on Sept. 6 with the announcement of the Golden Lion, the Silver Lion, and...
‘Tips for Survival’: Interview with Filmmaker, Actress Reem Kadem
By Fred Parvaneh
Reem Kadem is an American-born Iraqi actress, filmmaker and activist living in Los Angeles.She is best known for playing the lead role in "Nawal the Jewel," inspired by the story of Reyhaneh...
Marjane Satrapi Releases ‘Radioactive,’ Biopic of Marie Curie
By Nazanine Nouri
The Iranian-born, Oscar-nominated director Marjane Satrapi has a new movie out. “Radioactive” is the story of the scientist Marie Curie, the first woman to win the Nobel Prize, and the only woman...
Iranian Filmmakers, Actresses Defy Regime In Aftermath of Protests
By Ahmad Rafat and Firouzeh Nordstrom
Since the start of the ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ movement in 2022, Iranian cinema has entered a new phase unparalleled in the past four and a half decades. Independent filmmakers...
Letter from 200 Iranian Filmmakers Demands Greater Creative Freedom
A group of 200 filmmakers has sent an open letter to President Hassan Rouhani and the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Abbas Salehi, demanding “an end to the current guidelines that require filmmakers...
Iranian Filmmakers Reluctant to Participate in 37th Fajr Film Festival
The 37th Fajr Film Festival, scheduled to run from January 31 to February 11 in Tehran, coincides with the 40th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. Many prominent filmmakers have reportedly decided not to take...
Growing Up With Gender Identity Disorder in Iran: Interview with Pooya Mohseni
By Fred Parvaneh
Mohseni is an Iranian-American actor, writer, and activist. A graduate of New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology and the Maggie Flanigan Studio, Pooya has had a string of lead, supporting and recurring...














