Iranian-Born Ricci Moshir Wins Top Reggae Award For His Song ‘Wakayo’
By Fred Parvaneh
Last November, Ricci Moshir (aka XOrasta Ricci) -- singer, songwriter, and leader of the band “Ricci and the Tic Tac Toes” -- won the award for Best Reggae Music for his song...
Iran’s Ministry of Culture Stops Release of Album Containing Rumi Poem
By Azadeh Karimi
The poetry committee of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance’s Office for Music has refused to issue a permit to Iranian singer-songwriter Mohsen Chavoshi for the release of his latest album...
Cannes Festival Presents Movie by British-Iranian Director Babak Anvari
The British-Iranian director Babak Anvari’s latest film, “Wounds,” has been selected by the Cannes Film Festival this year in its parallel Directors’ Fortnight section. No awards are given out in that section.
“Wounds,” which is...
Teaching Tar and Setar on YouTube: Interview with Sahba Motallebi
By Firouzeh Ramezanzadeh
Sahba Motallebi is an Iranian musician, songwriter and player of tar and setar (Iranian string instruments) Motallebi was born in 1978 in Tehran. She is a graduate of the Tehran Conservatory of...
Victims of 1988 Mass Murders in Iran Remembered in Play by Niloofar Beyzaie
By Azadeh Karimi
The latest work by the Iranian playwright and theater director Niloofar Beyzaie (1967-) titled “Missing Persons” made its theatrical debut in early September in Frankfurt. The two-character play commemorates the victims of...
New iPhone 7 Commercial Features Music by Iranian-American Rostam Batmanglij
From the Cookie Monster to Taylor Swift, Apple has used endless ways to convince us to buy their products. Now, the new iPhone7 commercial features a finely crafted track titled "In a Blackout" – co-written...
Iranian Actor Mohsen Afshani Arrested for Posting Provocative Video on Social Media
Police have arrested the Iranian actor and TV presenter Mohsen Afshani after he posted a video clip on his Instagram page that showed him waving a handgun and a knife while driving around in...
Iran Has Banned 52 Women Musicians from Performing Since January
The Iranian authorities have banned the cellist Elmira Nematzadeh and the daf player Negar Ezazi, two female members of the music band Hamnavazan Hesar, from accompanying the tar virtuoso, songwriter and singer Ali Ghamsari...
Singer Rastin, Raised in Sweden, Revs Up for LA Concert
By Fred Parvaneh
In the 1970s, a new musical movement was created by blending modern and traditional Persian beats with Western rhythm and blues and classic pop. The movement, known as 'Taraneh Nouvin' (or 'new...
A Persian Puppeteer in London
By Tara Biglari
"Dream and Destiny: Persian Modern Tales" was the title of a show performed at the Little Angel Theatre in Islington, north London, in September. It was the work of the Little Giants...
