In continuation of my tribute to Persian cinema (previous article) I am still long overdue to review this stellar film of 2009 that I watched months ago and again recently with the intention to interview actor Navid Akhavan; but alas, our schedules rarely coincide to make the time to meet up so in the interim I will take this time to say a few words about ‘For A Moment, Freedom'.   Directed by Arash T. Riahi, ‘For A Moment Freedom' features an ensem...

 .............                                                                                                                                                          NEWSLETTER N° 497: february 18, 2011 Follow this LINK if you cannot read the newsletter properly  Contact the Editor, Advertise with us  This weekly newsletter reaches 90 931 film professionnals. ...

 .............                                                                                                                                                          NEWSLETTER N° 497: february 18, 2011 Follow this LINK if you cannot read the newsletter properly  Contact the Editor, Advertise with us  This weekly newsletter reaches 90 931 film professionnals. ...

  There was a conspicuous empty chair when the jury of the 61st Berlinale held its press conference on Thursday afternoon. Jury President Isabella Rossellini read a pronouncement that the empty chair was a symbolic gesture of support for Iranian director Jafar Panahi, who was invited to participate on the jury but was prevented from leaving his country. Panahi was sentenced last month to a six-year prison term and also received a ban from making movies for the next 20 years.   The...

 .............                                                                                                                                                          NEWSLETTER N° 495: february 4, 2011 Follow this LINK if you cannot read the newsletter properly The Berlin edition of the IFFS Festival Summit 2011 Bruno Chatelin, your editor, will co chair the Berlin edition 2011.   ...

  Amnesty International, the human rights organization, is building a petition campaign to protest the sentence of Jafar Panahi, a leading Iranian filmmaker and human rights activist. Panahi, an internationally celebrated film director who won the coveted Golden Lion prize at the Venice Film Festival for his 2000 film "Dayareh" (Circle), has been sentenced to six years in prison plus a twenty-year ban on all his artistic activities—including film making, writing scrip...

  MOHAMMED RASULOFThe Thessaloniki International Film Festival denounces the sentences conferred upon Iranian filmmakers Jafar Panahi and Mohammed Rasulof.  The recent accusations against them, as well as the excessive penalty imposed on them for spreading “propaganda against the system”, for participation in the protests that ensued after Ahmadinejad’s re-election and for their socially focused work, is a direct and unabashed violation of civil liberties. Thessaloniki Film Festival...

  FESTIVAL PROGRAMME 2010 The time has finally arrived for an Iranian Film festival to have a permanent home in the United Kingdom. FRIDAY 19th NOVEMBER - Opening night ...

The 1st London Iranian Film Festival has created many opportunities for emerging and established filmmakers to exhibit their work representing Iranian culture. In addition, it will introduce Iranian cinema to new audiences, fulfilling both an entertainment and educational function.The Festival aims to produce the best Iranian film programme in UK, attracting as many people as possible to view Iranian cinema. Regardless of who you are, where you come from and what you do, this is a cultural event...

Selection Committee Announcement Kamran Shirdel (Head of Film Selection Committee)DocumentarianConsidered a pioneer of Iran's NEW cinema. Born in born 1939 in Tehran, he studied architecture, urbanism, and design at the University of Rome and film direction at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia of Rome. After graduating in 1964, he worked as an assistant director with John Huston on The Bible before making his diploma film, Gli Specchi (The Mirrors), in Rome. He returned to Iran and star...

Shirin Ebadi   DIALOGUE WITH SHIRIN EBADI 2003 Noble Prize Winner, Shirin Ebadi, Iranian lawyer and human rights advocate talked with famous screenwriter Jean-Claude Carrière at the DAY IN TEHRAN event, organized, June 13th, in Paris, France on the grounds of the Cinémathèque Française. Shirin Ebadi is one of the very first female judges in Iran. Her constant and unfailing efforts in fostering  Human Rights for the weak and needy, in particular, women's rights, ch...

  Beginning of March, Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi had been arrested by the police of his country. Over two months later, he's still in prison.   The International Federation of Film Critics FIPRESCI, a non-profit, apolitical organization consisting of members from 68 countries worldwide, strongly protests the arrest and unjust confinement of filmmaker Jafar Panahi. In the collective view of FIPRESCI, Panahi is not only an outstanding filmmaker - he has merited the FIPR...