Saturday, June 6, 2026

Iranian Cinema’s New Hope: Panah Panahi, London Film Festival Award Winner 

By Ahmad Rafat Iranian director Panah Panahi’s first feature film “Hit the Road” won the Best Film Award at the 65th BFI London Film Festival last month. Panahi was up against stiff competition for the...

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...

The Story of Iran’s Actresses Is Told in New Film; Aghdashloo Attends L.A. Screening

By Fred Parvaneh
Who were the first actresses in the history of Iranian cinema, and who are the female performers of today? A new documentary screened in L.A. last weekend brought answers to those questions - with Hollywood actress Shohreh Aghdashloo present both on screen and off.

Actress Mary Apick Discusses Her Animation Film On Iran’s Underage Street Peddlers 

By Ahmad Rafat Iranian-American stage and television actress Mary Apick has produced a 13-minute animation film titled “The Cat” drawing attention to the plight of Iran’s child peddlers. The focus of the story: a flower...

Who is Mohammad Rasoulof, Winner of the Berlin Film Festival’s Golden Bear Award?

By Nazanine Nouri The 70th Berlin International Film Festival this year gave its top award -- the Golden Bear -- to the awardwinning Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof for his new movie “There Is No Evil.” Rasoulof...

Tehran Short Film Festival Selection Disputed by 200 Iranian Filmmakers

Two hundred Iranian filmmakers have written a letter to Abbas Salehi, the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, objecting to the censorship of works selected for the 35th Tehran International Short Film Festival scheduled...

Empty Chair for Jailed Iranian Director at Venice Film Fest

By Crispian Balmer VENICE, Sept 9 (Reuters) - An empty chair stood in for Iranian director Jafar Panahi at Venice on Friday as the festival hosted the world premiere of his latest movie "No Bears" while...

Iranian-Born Actress Marjan Neshat Wins Top Award for New York Stage Performances

By Nazanine Nouri The Iranian-born, American actress Marjan Neshat has won the Sam Norkin Off-Broadway Award for her performances in Sylvia Khoury’s “Selling Kabul” and Sanaz Toossi’s “English.” “Selling Kabul” —performed at Playwrights Horizons in New...

Award winning Filmmaker Ramin Bahrani Has A Netflix Hit With ‘White Tiger’

By Nazanine Nouri The awardwinning Iranian-American director Ramin Bahrani’s “The White Tiger” is streaming on Netflix and topping the charts -- as well as garnering critical acclaim. The film is set in India, and based...

Jafar Panahi Is Nominated for Two Oscars; Documentary By Eyni and Khaki Also Shortlisted

By Nazanine Nouri Jafar Panahi, the award-winning Iranian director who has twice been imprisoned in his homeland, has been nominated for two Academy Awards for his movie “It Was Just An Accident” -- which won...