Friday, March 13, 2026

‘Homeland’ Actor Navid Negahban to Play the Sultan in ‘Aladdin’

By Shahrnaz Nancy Southwick The Iranian-American actor Navid Negahban is best known for his role as the Al-Qaeda leader Abu Nazir in the Emmy-winning series "Homeland." He is sometimes described as "the man of a...

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.

Pulitzer Winner Sanaz Toossi’s New Play, Set in Karaj Living Room, Gets UK Premiere 

By Firouzeh Nabavi The Iranian-American playwright Sanaz Toossi – who won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama last year for her play “English,” about a class of English language students in Karaj, west of Tehran –...

Star Comedian Max Amini Interviews Reza Pahlavi, Gets Praise from Seinfeld

By Firouzeh Nabavi The famous Iranian-American standup comedian, actor and producer, Max Amini, has been in the news recently after his candid, sit-down interview with Reza Pahlavi, Iran’s Crown Prince. “The Unseen Prince Documentary” was...

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...

Iran Submits Movie by Vahid Jalilvand for Foreign-Language Oscar

Vahid Jalilvand’s drama “No Date, No Signature” has been submitted by the Farabi Cinema Foundation (FCF) to the 2019 Academy Awards as Iran's pick for the foreign-language Oscar. Since 1956, the Academy of Motion Picture...

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...

Two Iranian Directors Win Prizes at Karlovy Vary Festival in Czech Republic 

By Ahmad Rafat Two Iranian directors have won prizes at the prestigious Karlovy Vary International Film Festival held in the Czech Republic. The Best Director award was given to the movie "Fremont,”  directed by Babak Jalali....

At Sundance Festival, Directors Maryam Keshavarz, Noora Niasari Win Audience Awards

By Firouzeh Nabavi Two female directors of Iranian descent – Maryam Keshavarz and Noora Niasari – won audience awards at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah, which ended Sunday. https://twitter.com/iraniansinfilm/status/1619062770141634560?cxt=HHwWgIDRtdzAiPgsAAAA “The Persian Version,” directed by Keshavarz –...

Film Director Lambastes Journalist Over Opposition To Hijab

Marzieh Boroumand, a veteran Iranian film and television director who has come out against the compulsory hijab, has also criticized those who incite civil unrest, particularly from outside the country. A recent message on her...