Farzaneh Kaboli setting stage for Iranian folk dramas

August 13, 2014, 8:53 am

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TEHRAN -- Choreographer and actress Farzaneh Kaboli plans to direct folk dramas from across Iran in one play entitled “The whole of Iran IS My Home”.

The play will be performed at Tehran’s Vahdat Hall on August 28 and 29, she told the Persian service of ISNA on Wednesday.

She described the play as “an extraordinary work” and added that her troupe is clad in beautiful traditional costumes to perform the play.

Pieces composed by masters from every province have been selected for the performances.

“I take great pride in having such a rich culture and strong traditions,” Kaboli stated.

Only women are allowed to attend the performances, which will be staged by an all-female cast.

Leili Qanbarzadeh, Sepideh Bakhtiari, Shabnaz Shojaei, Setareh Golestan and Hurieh Khajavi are some members of the cast.

Director Hadi Marzban, who is Kabli’s spouse, wrote the play.

“The play has a compelling story, which will appeal to those in the audiences from a five-year-old girl to youth and old ladies,” Kaboli said.

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Three generations of Iranian artists to hang works at Tehran gallery

August 13, 2014, 8:56 am

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TEHRAN – Tehran’s Mah Gallery will be showcasing works by about 50 three generations of Iranian artists at an exhibition, which will open tomorrow.

The artworks have been selected from private collections, the gallery announced in a press release on Wednesday.

Modern artworks, works by veterans and a collection of paintings of saqqakhanehs (water drinking places) will go on display.

Three paintings by Nasser Ovissi, one of the pioneers of the Saqqakhaneh School, two modern works by Masud Arabshahi, and one painting by Jazeh Tabatabaii are seen in the collection.

Alireza Espahbod’s still life, four still life paintings by Farideh Lashaii and a painting by Qasem Hajizadeh are other works to be showcased in the exhibit.

Bahman Jalali, Reza Derakhshani, Ramin Jamshidi, Farzaneh Hosseini, Qasem Mohammadi, Shahriar Ahmadi and Vahed Khakdan are among the other artists.

The exhibit will be running for one month in the gallery located at 26 Golestan Blvd., off Africa Ave.

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Art news in brief

August 13, 2014, 9:00 am

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“My Fragile Doll” to compete in South American festivals

TEHRAN – The Iranian animation “My Fragile Doll” will go on screen at two South American festivals in September and November.

Directed by Ali Zare’, the animated film will compete in the 16th Belo Horizonte International Short Film Festival (FESTCURTASBH), which will be held in Brazil from September 19 to 28.

The 24th Rio de Janeiro International Short Film Festival, which will take place in Argentina from November 5 to 12, will also screen the film.

The film is about a young girl who reconstructs events leading to her father’s imprisonment and execution using dolls her mother has made.

Iranian films line up for Montreal festival

TEHRAN – Six Iranian movies will go on screen at the 38th Montreal World Film Festival, which will be held in Canada from August 21 to September 1.

“With Others” directed by Nasser Zamiri, “Stranger” by Bahram Tavakoli, “Snow” by Mehdi Rahmani, “Tajrish… an Unfinished Story” by Purya Azarbaijani are the films that will be shown in the non-competition section of the event.

The Iranian documentaries “All the Winters I Haven't Seen” directed by Omid Khoshnazar and “Pomegranate is the Fruit of Paradise” by Teymur Qaderi are also in the Iranian lineup.

“Tales” to compete in Toronto festival

TEHRAN – Iranian director Rakhshan Bani-Etemad’s “Tales” will go on screen at the 38th Toronto International Film Festival, which will be held in Toronto, Canada from September 4 to 14.

The film is composed of seven short episodes, in which Bani-Etemad reveals the fate of some of the main characters in her previous films like “The Blue-Veiled”, “Under the Skin of the City” and “Mainline”.

Another Iranian movie “Today” by Reza Mirkarimi will also go on screen at the festival.

Deputy culture minister visits Simin Behbahani

TEHRAN -- Iranian Deputy Culture Minister for Cultural Affairs Seyyed Abbas Salehi paid a visit to the writer and poetess Simin Behbahani at Tehran’s Pars Hospital on Wednesday morning.

The 87-year-old writer, who has been suffering from a heart problem over the past few years, has been in a coma since last week.

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Iran to invite world artists to great painting project on Gaza

August 13, 2014, 8:53 am

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TEHRAN – Organizers of Iran’s International Resistance Art Festival plans to invite world artists to a large painting project, which aims to attract the attention of the international community to Israeli crimes in Gaza.

Those artists, who feel sorrow over the recent crimes in Gaza, will be asked to create their artworks on a certain date and time, secretary of the festival Habibollah Sadeqi said in a press release on Wednesday.

The central office will be in Tehran, but the locations will be in other courtiers, the date and the time are yet to be announced, he said.

The international media will also be asked to cover live the process of creating the artworks, he added.

In addition, Iran’s cultural offices in different countries have announced their collaboration with the project.

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“The Queen” leads nominations at Iran Cinema Celebration

August 13, 2014, 9:00 am

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Hamid Azarang (L) and Milad Keymaram act in a scene from “The Queen”.

TEHRAN -- The acclaimed Iranian anti-war drama “The Queen” won 11 nominations at the 16th Iran Cinema Celebration while “Modest Reception” is in the running in seven categories.

“The Queen”, starring Mostafa Zamani and Milad Keymaram, was shortlisted in categories including best film, best director for Mohammad-Ali Basheh-Ahangar, best actor for Keymaram, best visual effects and best cinematographer.

The story of “The Queen” is set in the southwestern Iranian city of Abadan during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war. An Iranian soldier hides in the Abadan Oil Refinery to reconnoiter the Iraqi forces.

The film won the best director award at the Iranian Film Critics and Screenwriters Guild Celebration for Bashe-Ahangar in January 2013.

It also received 14 nominations in various categories at the 30th Fajr International Film Festival in Tehran in February 2012. However it did not win any awards.

Certain people criticized the film and consider it “anti-war” due to the fact that the film challenges Iran’s official outlook on the Iran-Iraq war.

Actor/director Mani Haqiqi’s acclaimed drama “Modest Reception” is about a well-situated couple, Leila and Kaveh, who drive through the mountains distributing plastic bags full of money to every poor and unfortunate person they meet.

This film received nomination in categories including best film, best director, best actor for Haqiqi and best cinematographer.

Winners are scheduled to be announced during the celebration, which will be held with a two-year hiatus in Tehran on September 11.

The Iranian House Cinema (IHC) is the organizer of the celebration, which is held every year to commemorate Iran’s National Day of Cinema.

The celebration was not held in 2012 and 2013 due to closure of the IHC by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance under former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

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Iran to hold cartoon competition on Gaza

August 12, 2014, 8:34 am

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TEHRAN -- The Iranian House of Cartoon (IHC) has organized an international competition of cartoon on the theme of the Israeli war on Gaza.

The competition will be held in the two sections of cartoon and portrait caricature, IHC director Masud Shojaei-Tabatabaii said in a press release on Tuesday.

“Silence of the international media, the massacre in Gaza, and the companionship of Arab sheikhs and the United States in the Gaza events are the three categories assigned for the cartoon section,” he explained.

Portraits of world politicians such as Barack Obama, Angela Merkel, David Cameron, and Francois Hollande are also the major theme of the caricature, he said.

World cartoonists are invited to submit a maximum of five works each to the competition website info@resistart.ir before October 22, he added.

The selected works are due to go on display at Tehran’s Saba Art and Cultural Institute in November.

They will also be posted on ww.irancartoon.com, a website dedicated to cartoons in Iran.

According to Shojaei-Tabatabaii, a good number of world cartoonists are expected to take part in the competition.

The first winner will receive a cash prize of $1500, the second $1000 and the third $700.

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New award named after Japanese Iranologist Toshihiko Izutsu

August 12, 2014, 8:34 am

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TEHRAN – Keio University in Japan has established a new research award named after the Japanese Iranologist and Islamologist Professor Toshihiko Izutsu (1914-1993).

Japanese researchers who have compiled or written the best books or articles on Iran and Islam will receive the biennial award in 2015, Iran’s Islamic Culture and Relations Organization (ICRO) said in a press release on Tuesday.

The decision was announced during a meeting Iran’s cultural attaché in Japan, Reza Yusefi, had with the officials of Keio University held to mark the 100th birth anniversary of the professor.

Iran’s Cultural Office is due to collaborate with the university in organizing the award.

Toshihiko Izutsu was Professor Emeritus at Keio University in Japan and author of many books on Islam and other religions.

He taught at the Institute of Cultural and Linguistic Studies at Keio University in Tokyo, the Iranian Institute of Philosophy in Tehran, and McGill University in Montreal, Canada.

He was fluent in over 10 languages, including Arabic, Persian, Sanskrit, Chinese, Japanese, Russian and Greek.

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Obscura Festival displays Iranian photographer’s series “Mothers of Patience”

August 12, 2014, 8:34 am

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TEHRAN -- Iranian photographer Fatemeh Behboudi’s series “Mothers of Patience” is currently on display at the Obscura Festival 2014, Malaysia’s leading photography festival, which opened in Penang on Monday.

The collection contains photos of the mothers of the soldiers who were reported missing during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war.

“Years after the war, I met the mothers, who are still waiting to hear from their sons,” Behboudi told the Persian service of FNA on Tuesday.

“With this collection, I wanted to show the world the mothers’ deep sorrow over their unsettling situation,” she added.

The collection is being shown in the Women Photography Showcase section of the Obscura 2014.

The Obscura, which also hosts a series of exhibitions, talks and workshops will run until August 31.

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Art news in brief

August 12, 2014, 8:35 am

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Iranian, Turkish virtuosos to perform in Izmir

TEHRAN – Iranian Kamancheh virtuoso Kayhan Kalhor and the Turkish baglama virtuoso Erdal Erzincan will give a concert in Izmir, Turkey.

They will give a performance at Izmir’s Bornova Amphitheater on August 27.

Tehran center to host flamenco concert

TEHRAN – Iranian band Kuchi will give a flamenco concert at Tehran’s Niavaran Cultural Center on August 27.

Led by the guitarist Hutan Vakili-Moqaddam, the band will perform pieces by the Gypsy Kings, Paco de Lucia and Paco Pena.

Tehran Vocal Ensemble to give concerts at Vahdat Hall

TEHRAN – Tehran’s Vahdat Hall will host performances by the Tehran Vocal Ensemble on August 24 and 25.

Led by Milad Omranlu, the ensemble will perform classic, folklore and pop music during the concerts.

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Strategic research center to formulate new plan for music in Iran

August 12, 2014, 8:38 am

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The cultural advisor to President Hassan Rouhani, Hessameddin Ashena (1st from left), and Deputy Culture Minster for Artistic Affairs Ali Moradkhani (2nd from left), composer Hossein Alizadeh (1st from right), and two unidentified persons attend a session at the CSR in Tehran on August 12, 2014 to discuss the Plan for Music in Iran. (Mehr/Hadi Hirbodvash)

TEHRAN -- The Center for Strategic Research (CSR) has been assigned the task of formulating a new plan to replace the Plan for Music in Iran, which was made by cultural officials under former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The decision to create a new plan was made during a session held on Tuesday to review the present plan, the secretary of the session, Mohammadreza Fazeli told reporters.

A number of officials, including the cultural advisor to President Hassan Rouhani, Hessameddin Ashena, and Deputy Culture Minster for Artistic Affairs Ali Moradkhani, and a number of experts and musicians, including Hossein Alizadeh, Ali Torbi, Dariush Talaii, Hushang Kamkar and Mohammadreza Darvishi attended the session.

“There is a consensus among officials, experts and musicians that the present plan is unacceptable,” Fazeli said.

“The experts say that proper professional supervision was not provided for formulating the plan,” he added.

He said that the Center for Strategic Research in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance will use experts and musicians to formulate a new comprehensive plan for music in the country.

Fazeli also noted that ulama’s views will also be taken into consideration in making the plan.

The Center for Strategic Research was previously assigned the task of revising the Plan for Organizing and Development of Iranian Cinema, which was made during the second term of Ahmandinejad’s administration.