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...
Jafar Panahi Among Contenders for the Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or
The Cannes Film Festival announced its lineup late last week, and said the Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi -- who is not allowed to leave Iran or to make movies -- was a contender for...
‘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...
Tough Realities of Life In Iran Are Highlighted in London Festival of Films By...
By Ahmad Rafat
The first festival of documentaries, short films, and animation by Iran-based female directors was recently held in London. The two-day festival was co-organized by the Persia Educational Foundation (established in 2016) and...
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...
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...
Another Oscar for Iran and Asghar Farhadi, the Director who Refused to Attend this...
Though he boycotted Hollywood's annual Awards Ceremony, Tehran-based film director Asghar Farhadi has repeated history, clinching a second Best Foreign Language Film Oscar for "The Salesman" five years after he became the first Iranian...
Iranian Director Ghanizadeh Dedicates Award to Slain Protester Pooya Bakhtiari
By Azadeh Karimi
Iranian film and stage director Homayoun Ghanizadeh, whose 2019 film “The Clown” won the top prize in the “Exceptional Talent and Creative” section of the “13th Gathering of Screenwriters and Film Critics”,...
London Film Festival Features Trump Biopic by Abbasi, Rasoulof’s New Movie
By Ahmad Rafat
The BFI London Film Festival, which ran from Oct. 8 to Oct. 20, showcased the work of Iranian directors and actors from Iran and the diaspora, with two movies receiving particular attention: ...
Producer of Iranian Horror Movie Armin Amiri Says the Genre Has Potential
By Fred Parvaneh
Iranian-born Armin Amiri is an American movie actor, producer, restaurateur and a former New York City club owner known for its toughest rope policy.
Amiri is best known for his supporting roles in...
