Jailed Iranian Filmmaker Panahi Wins Jury Prize at Venice Film Festival
By Ahmad Rafat
Jafar Panahi’s “No Bears” (Khers Nist) won the Special Jury Prize last weekend at the Venice Film Festival, in a demonstration of solidarity with detained Iranian filmmakers such as himself.
In the festival’s...
Israeli TV Thriller ‘Tehran’ Angers Iranian Newspaper
By Azadeh Karimi
The Tehran-based hardline Kayhan newspaper has attacked an Israeli television spy thriller tilted “Tehran,” describing it as an “anti-Iranian production.”
“Israel continues to make anti-Iranian movies and TV series,” Kayhan said in an...
Jailed Iranian Filmmaker Jafar Panahi In Competition at Venice Film Festival
By Ahmad Rafat
The Venice International Film Festival turns 90 this year. Originally launched in 1932, it is the oldest international film festival in the world.
The 79th edition of the festival, organized by La Biennale...
The Shah’s Dying Days: Interview with Filmmaker Bobak Kalhor
By Fred Parvaneh
"A Dying King” is a documentary by first-time filmmaker Bobak Kalhor that examines the untold medical story of the late Shah of Iran and the truth behind his death in July 1980.
The...
Play About Prostitutes Is Banned From Iran’s Fajr Festival
Iran’s Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance has refused to reissue a permit for the play “A Barren Day” which was set to open on January 22 at the 36th Fajr International Theater Festival...
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...
Iranian-American Filmmaker Wins Oscar for Menstruation Movie
By Tara Biglari
Filmmaker Rayka Zehtabchi made history this week as the first Iranian-American ever to win an Oscar. Her film ‘Period. End of Sentence’ — about the stigma around menstruation in parts of the...
Iranian-Born Actor Arsi Nami Stars in Award-Winning Short Film
By Julie Ershadi
Abbas Kiarostami isn’t the only Iranian who received praise in Cannes this year. Arsalan (Arsi) Nami, an Iranian-born artist, music therapist, and actor, is the star of "Love is Blind," a short...
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.
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.
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.
