We are pleased to announce that the festival committee has extended the deadline of the 2nd Annual Farhang Foundation Short Film Festival to Monday, February 22, 2010.
This year, filmmakers from all walks of life, Iranian and non-Iranian, are invited to create a music video (less than 9 minutes).
A music video is a short movie or animation that is accompanied with music of any style or genre (contemporary, pop, classical, folk, Iranian, non-Iranian, etc.). The music may be with or without lyrics and in any language. The music and the lyrics may be original or pre-existing.
L to R: Big Bad Boo Studios Founders; Aly Jetha and Shabnam Rezaei
Washington, DC–The 1979 revolution resulted in a clear and massive brain drain for Iran and created an estimated annual financial loss comparative to the yearly cost of the Iran-Iraq War: Causing Iran to miss out on the power of its people’s collective intelligence. However, the flip side is: Iranians live all over the world now and some have had a chance to spread their reach over the last 30-plus years–unceasingly growing; with healthy force, and in hypersonic form.
Persianesque Magazine’s Iranian-American Woman of the Year for 2009, Tehran-born super-entrepreneur Shabnam Rezaei is a classic example. It takes a lot to be featured as our Iranian-American woman of the year, but Shabnam Rezaei has more than enough accomplishments to put even the most eager shaagerd avval (top student) to shame.
L to R: "A Man Who Ate His Cherries" by Payman Haghani, "Heiran" by Shalizeh Arefpour - Original Photos: Smithsonian Institute
Presented in conjunction with Falnama: The Book of Omens, the 2010 Iranian Film Festival begins on January 8th at Washington, DC’s Freer and Sackler Galleries.
Amongst the five new films are: “A Man Who Ate His Cherries” by Payman Haghani, “Shirin” by Abbas Kiarostami, “Two-Legged Horse” by Samira Makhmalbaf, and “Heiran” by Shalizeh Arefpour; in addition to a special presentation of Kiarostami’s ”Ta’ziyeh/The Spectators.”
Abbas Kiarostami, is said to “convincingly and triumphantly brings the powerful experience of communal, ritual theater into the digital age with his groundbreaking film/video installation ‘Ta’ziyeh/The Spectators.’”
To celebrate the 2010 Persian New, The British Museum has joined forces with the charity Magic of Persia for a weekend of workshops and activities aimed at re-educating children about the rich and diverse cultural traditions and heritage of Iran. On the weekend of the 20th and 21st of March, events including games, arts and crafts, performances of Iranian music and dance will be organised for families and young people.
The arts have always proved to be an effective way of engaging with young people, and the creativity that lies at the heart of these events helps to generate enthusiasm for both ancient and modern Persian culture. The event is free and open to families of all nationalities and religions. As well as helping children to identify with Iranian culture, the workshops also aim to alleviate stereotypes, which can be formed all too easily as a result of the current political climate, and finally to provide a platform for the burgeoning Persian art scene.
Washington, DC–Marking the 30-year anniversary of the Islamic Republic’s existence and reign in Iran, the year 2009 went by…well, fast. The summer of 2009, not so much.
The Iranian election–which took the world by shock with its results and brutal force used on Iranian citizens by government-led orders–began in June and lasted throughout the summer: Most of which, we spent watching videos of our fellow Iranians in distress and under severe and inhumane conditions. Seconds seemed like hours and hours seemed like seconds as we were entranced and lost in an intense phase of tweet-based news flowing out of Iran–much due to the effort of citizen journalists, social networking and micro-blogging sites–but one substantial and influential player in the game of reportage that needs to be credited is Pulitzer Prize-finalist Iranian-American journalist, and Persianesque Magazine’s “Man of the Year”: Borzou Daragahi.
Watch Iranian writer (and much more), Maziar Bahari, talk to 60 Minutes‘ Bob Simon about his imprisonment and recent release from Tehran’s uber-jail Evin, in an interview that aired on Sunday November 22nd.
We’re just grateful that Bahari was able to make it out alive, despite the torture and interrogation (Basiji/Sepahi style) he says he experienced while in detainment at Evin prison in Iran.
A recent discovery in the Sahara desert by Italian archaeologists (and twin brothers) Angelo and Alfredo Castiglioni, might prove to be the remains of the indomitable Persian army, lead by the Persian King Cambyses II, the son of Cyrus the Great, while attempting to cross the desert some 2,500 years ago.
The brothers having unearthed artifacts like Bronze weapons, a silver bracelet, an earring, along with hundreds of human bones are confident in their findings. Talking to Discovery News, expedition member Dario Del Bufalo said, “We have found the first archaeological evidence of a story reported by the Greek historian Herodotus.”
Watch this video of Stephen Harper, Canada’s 22nd and current Prime Minister, as he explains why Canada is boycotting Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s speech at the UN and references Iran’s “detainment of Canadian citizens” and ”flagrant abuse of human rights.”
“There’s no way I’m going to permit any official of the government of Canada to be present,” says the Prime Minister.
Iranians and Americans gathered together in New York outside the Iran mission to the United Nations, to collectively protest Ahmadinejad’s presence.
In addition to the green-clad groups of people chanting anti Iranian regime and anti-Ahmadinejad slogans, a woman is shown laying on the ground, while a man paints red blood-like marks on her face in an attempt to replicate the now infamous bloody death of a young Iranian woman–who was merely a passerby during this summer’s highly intense protests against the results of the Iranian election when she was shot in the chest–Neda Soltan.
You must watch this video of one of the most clever protest platforms we’ve seen thus far, used to voice distaste against Ahmadinejad yesterday in New York.
The art installation consists of people dressed in all white clothing to double as a “human screen” while a compilation of videos and images from this summer’s protests in Iran are projected on them.
Shohreh Aghdashloo @ 61st Emmy Awards - Original Image: CBS
Iranian actress Shohreh Aghdashloo walked off the stage at the 61st annual Emmy Awards, a green-wristband-wearing winner for her nomination in the “Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie” category Sunday night in Los Angeles, which makes her the first Iranian to win an Emmy Award for her grouping.
We had predicted that the baritone-voiced actress would get at least an Emmy nod for her role as Sajida in HBO’s House of Saddam, but we hadn’t considered the fact that she would be joining the ranks of previous winners like, Anne Bancroft, Mary Tyler Moore, and Judy Davis.
Congratulations to Venice Film Festival winner: Shirin Neshat!
Click here to watch modern Iranian artist, Shirin Neshat and her green-clad entourage on the red carpet at the 66th annual Venice Film Festival, where she was awarded with the accolade: Silver Lion for Best Director, for her film Zanaan Bedoneh Mardaan (Women Without Men).
Jake Gyllenhaal & Gemma Arterton on the set of Prince of Persia - Photo courtesy of Disney
We know you’re restlessly anticipating the release of Prince of Persia: Sands of Time on May 28th 2009, but to help ease your simmering excitement a little, we have some new information on the movie and its storyline, just for you!
Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, described as ”an epic action-adventure set in the mystical lands of Persia”, is about a “rogue prince (played by Persian-looking Jake Gyllenhaal) who reluctantly joins forces with a mysterious princess (Gemma Arterton)” and they ”race against dark forces to safeguard an ancient dagger capable of releasing the Sands of Time—a gift from the gods that can reverse time and allow its possessor to rule the world.”
Saturday Night Live’s newest cast members have been announced, (although the reports have not been officially confirmed by NBC) and to our very pleasant surprise… Iranian actress and comedian, Nasim Pedrad is one of the lucky few!
With all the big names and comedy-geniuses that have graced the SNL stage throughout the years, we can only imagine the potentially lucrative career ahead for Pedrad. Congratulations to the Iranian beauty who is known in some circles for her work on her one-woman show: Me, Myself, and Iran!
