Wednesday, June 3, 2026

‘The Night,’ First U.S.-Made Film To Be Released in Iran, Impresses U.S. Film Critics 

By Tim Cornwell Sometime this year, an Iranian-American movie will make history. “The Night” -- a hallucinatory horror film by the young director Kourosh Ahari -- will be the first U.S.-produced movie to show in...

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.
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From Shakespeare to Stalin: Actor Paul Chahidi Stars on Film and Stage

It’s a late summer afternoon somewhere in west London. Paul Chahidi has just come off the set of “The Death of Stalin” – an upcoming movie focusing on the power struggles that preceded the...

Cannes Documentary ‘Rehearsals for a Revolution’ Uses Personal Lens to Chart Iran’s History

By Miranda Murray CANNES, France, May 20 (Reuters) - For Iranian filmmaker Pegah Ahangarani, making her documentary "Rehearsals for a Revolution," which blends her personal history with that of her homeland since Iran's 1979 revolution, felt more like therapy...

Iran’s First Feminist Qorrat al-Ayn Is Brought Back to Life in New Movie

By Katayoon Halajan
Shabnam Tolouei is an Iranian-born actress, stage director and playwright who moviegoers will remember as the lead actress in Shirin Neshat’s movie "Women Without Men" (winner of the Venice Film Festival's top Golden Lion award in 2009). Tolouei is now back

PROFILE: Venice Festival Awardwinner Shahram Mokri Makes Film About Cinema Fire

By Nazanine Nouri This year’s Venice Film Festival gave a prestigious award to the Iranian director Shahram Mokri: He won the best original screenplay award in the festival’s parallel ‘Orizzonti’ section for his latest film,...

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...

At Cannes Film Festival, Directors Panahi, Roustayi Are Contenders for Palme d’Or

By Nazanine Nouri The acclaimed Iranian filmmakers Jafar Panahi and Saeed Roustayi are contenders for the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival, the world’s most important cinematic competition. The prize, known as the Palme...

Iranian Films Are Among Award Contenders at Venice Film Festival

By Ahmad Rafat The Venice Film Festival -- which gave Shirin Neshat its best director award in 2009 -- opened on August 29 on the island of Lido. While this year's main competition has no...

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....