Iranian cinema is recovering: official

August 30, 2014, 9:40 pm

≫ Next: Iranian vocalist Alireza Qorbani to perform with Dusseldorf Symphony Orchestra

≪ Previous: Iran to be guest of honor at Moscow Intl. Book Fair in 2016

$

0

0

 

TEHRAN -- The director of the Cinema Organization of Iran has said that Iranian cinema is recovering from the setback it experienced under the former cultural administration.

 

“The vibrancy in the box office receipts shows that Iranian cinema is recovering,” Hojjatollah Ayyubi told the Persian service of IRNA on Friday.

 

He said that the Iranian theaters earned 280 billion rials (about $9 million) over the past five months. 

 

According to Ayyubi, this sum equals Iran’s total box office receipts in the past Iranian calendar year (March 21, 2013-March 20, 2014).

 

“Iranian cinema already experienced a difficult time and a period of anxiety. Now, a relaxed atmosphere dominates the cinema of the country, and the unity among the cineastes and the production of outstanding films encourage people go to the cinema,” he stated.

 

“Now, something good has happened in the art and culture of the country: the gap between the government and artists has been filled and we should make good use of this atmosphere to promote national cinema,” he added.

 

Ayyubi said that the country’s cinema infrastructure is suffering from a setback and asked the private sector to invest in the construction of new movie theaters in order to restore part of the deficiency. 

 

According to Ayyubi, over 300 movie theaters are currently active in Iran and 80 new cinemas are being built across the country. 

 

 

MMS/YAW

END

 

---

Iranian vocalist Alireza Qorbani to perform with Dusseldorf Symphony Orchestra

August 31, 2014, 9:33 pm

≫ Next: British festival to show work by Iranian video artist

≪ Previous: Iranian cinema is recovering: official

$

0

0

TEHRAN – Iranian vocalist Alireza Qorbani will accompany the Dusseldorf Symphony Orchestra during a concert in Germany.

 

He has been invited by the conductor of the orchestra, Ernst von Marschall.

 

The concert will be performed at Düsseldorf Tonhalle on September 28.

 

“This is the second time I will be cooperating with the 60-member orchestra,” Qorbani told the Persian service of MNA on Sunday.

 

He previously performed a concert with the orchestra in the western German city in 2009.

 

Qorbani is scheduled to perform several compositions by veteran Iranian musicians Homayn Khorram, Hushang Kamkar, Fardin Khalatbari and Mahyar Alizadeh.

 

RM/YAW

END

 

British festival to show work by Iranian video artist

August 31, 2014, 9:38 pm

≫ Next: Book containing images of exquisite artworks on Imam Reza (AS) published

≪ Previous: Iranian vocalist Alireza Qorbani to perform with Dusseldorf Symphony Orchestra

$

0

0

TEHRAN – Iranian video artist Mahmud Nuraei’s work entitled “Wind and Death” will be shown at the 2nd Gnarl Fest, a festival of video arts and installations, which will be held in Lincoln, England from October 27 to November 1.

 

The six-minute video takes a visual look at human mortality and the eternity of religion.

 

“Wind and Death” alongside with four other artists’ works will be shown in a package entitled “Performing the Self”.

 

The package also contains works by Caitlin Griffiths and Robert Foster from UK, Céline Trouillet from France, and Neno Belchev from Belgium and.  

 

Artists from more than 20 countries will attend the festival with two international and five UK premieres, and more than 40 videos and films. 

 

SB/YAW

END

 

Book containing images of exquisite artworks on Imam Reza (AS) published

August 31, 2014, 9:40 pm

≫ Next: Necklaces inspired by Persian literature on display at Golestan Gallery

≪ Previous: British festival to show work by Iranian video artist

$

0

0

TEHRAN – A book containing 110 exquisite artworks on Imam Reza (AS) has recently been published in Tehran.

 

Entitled “Guarantor of the Gazelle”, the book will be unveiled during a ceremony at the Mahmud Afshar Foundation on Thursday, Negar Publications and Emam-e Rauf Publications announced in a joint press release on Sunday.

 

The book contains works by 81 prominent calligraphers, painters, miniaturists and illuminators.

 

The artworks have been collected since autumn 2008, and art expert Ahmad Mahdavi Damghani wrote a preface to the book, which is in Persian and English.

 

Works by calligraphers Ashkan Ashofteh, Seyyed Mohammad Ehsaii, Abbas Akhaveyn, Hamid Ajami and Hossein Najafi were selected for the book.

 

Works by the painters Aidin Aqdashlu, Amir-Hassan Aqamiri, Ashraf Saeidi, Mohammadreza Atashzad and Masud Hosseinzadeh were published in the book.

 

Iranian Muslims gave the title of ‘the guarantor of the gazelle’ to Imam Reza (AS). It refers to the story of a deer caught by a hunter in a forest. Passing by, Imam Reza (AS) asked the hunter to free the deer so she could raise her babies, but he promised the deer would come back afterward. The hunter accepted and freed the deer.

 

Months later, the deer returned to the hunter’s home. However, the hunter declined to kill her, as he saw the miracle in what had happened.

 

SB/YAW

END

 

Necklaces inspired by Persian literature on display at Golestan Gallery

August 31, 2014, 9:30 pm

≫ Next: Exhibit on 200,000 years of coexistence of humans and animals in Iran underway at national museum

≪ Previous: Book containing images of exquisite artworks on Imam Reza (AS) published

$

0

0

TEHRAN -- A collection of hand-made sets of necklaces, inspired by tales from classical Persian literature, is on display at Tehran’s Golestan Gallery.

 

“I study ancient Persian tales such as Haft Peykar and Mantiq at-Tayr a lot and my works are mostly inspired by these stories, besides my personal thoughts and experience,” designer Reyhaneh Raei told Honaronline on Sunday.

 

Haft Peykar (literally, The Seven Beauties) is a romantic Persian epic poem by Nezami Ganjavi (1141-1209), and Mantiq at-Tayr (The Conference of the Birds) was written by poet Farid ud-Din Attar (c. 1145-1221).

 

Raei has started her career in jewelry design after she began to study a course on handcrafts. ”I mostly use silver in my works, and also add pieces of gold or brass. Semiprecious stones such as agate, azure, and turquoise also add more beauty to the collections.”

 

Persian motifs used in different eras such as the Achaemenid or the Islamic eras also act as a source of designs for the artist. “In addition, uncut pebbles give me new ides of designs and help me make new set.”

 

“The entire process is carried out by hand and usually,I just make one piece for each design.  However, if there are more customers, then I make a few more,” she explained.

 

On offering her works for sale, she said, “I never intended to offer my works in shops. They have all gone on show in galleries.”

 

“Jewelry can command a good price on one hand and can attract more customers on the other, if it is more artistic and innovative,” she added.

 

The exhibit, which opened on Friday, will be running until September 3 in the gallery located at 42 Kamasaii St. in the Darrus neighborhood.

 

 

 

RM/YAW

END

 

Exhibit on 200,000 years of coexistence of humans and animals in Iran underway at national museum

August 31, 2014, 9:27 pm

≫ Next: Iranian vocalist Alireza Qorbani to perform with Dusseldorf Symphony Orchestra

≪ Previous: Necklaces inspired by Persian literature on display at Golestan Gallery

$

0

0

TEHRAN -- An exhibition displaying signs of 200,000 years of coexistence of humans and animals in Iran opened at the National Museum of Iran in Tehran on Saturday.

 

A wide variety of artifacts from coins, dishes and sculptures, to stone instruments, clay inscriptions, miniature paintings, pictorial books and fossils, has been showcased at the exhibition.

 

The exhibit, which runs until September 30, aims to improve awareness of the environment and natural heritage, the organizers previously said.

 

Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Organization (CHTHO) Director Masud Solatnifar, CHTHO Research Center Director Mohammad Behshti, and a number of Other Iranian officials attended the opening ceremony of the exhibit.

 

“The definition of culture in each society is based on its interaction with the environment,” Behshti said in a short speech during the opening ceremony of the exhibition.

 

“Cultures differ from one another, because environments are different from each other,” he added.

 

“We have changed our mind about the environment over the past 70 years and this change has caused the destruction of the environment in the country,” he said.

 

Department of Environment Deputy Director Ahmad-Ali Keykha also attended the opening ceremony of the show and delivered a speech.

 

“If we want to witness a positive development in our environment, executives in all organizations should unite, and people should modify their behavior towards the environment,” he stated.

 

MMS/YAW

END

 

Iranian vocalist Alireza Qorbani to perform with Dusseldorf Symphony Orchestra

August 31, 2014, 9:33 pm

≫ Next: British festival to show work by Iranian video artist

≪ Previous: Exhibit on 200,000 years of coexistence of humans and animals in Iran underway at national museum

$

0

0

TEHRAN – Iranian vocalist Alireza Qorbani will accompany the Dusseldorf Symphony Orchestra during a concert in Germany.

 

He has been invited by the conductor of the orchestra, Ernst von Marschall.

 

The concert will be performed at Düsseldorf Tonhalle on September 28.

 

“This is the second time I will be cooperating with the 60-member orchestra,” Qorbani told the Persian service of MNA on Sunday.

 

He previously performed a concert with the orchestra in the western German city in 2009.

 

Qorbani is scheduled to perform several compositions by veteran Iranian musicians Homayn Khorram, Hushang Kamkar, Fardin Khalatbari and Mahyar Alizadeh.

 

RM/YAW

END

 

British festival to show work by Iranian video artist

August 31, 2014, 9:38 pm

≫ Next: Book containing images of exquisite artworks on Imam Reza (AS) published

≪ Previous: Iranian vocalist Alireza Qorbani to perform with Dusseldorf Symphony Orchestra

$

0

0

TEHRAN – Iranian video artist Mahmud Nuraei’s work entitled “Wind and Death” will be shown at the 2nd Gnarl Fest, a festival of video arts and installations, which will be held in Lincoln, England from October 27 to November 1.

 

The six-minute video takes a visual look at human mortality and the eternity of religion.

 

“Wind and Death” alongside with four other artists’ works will be shown in a package entitled “Performing the Self”.

 

The package also contains works by Caitlin Griffiths and Robert Foster from UK, Céline Trouillet from France, and Neno Belchev from Belgium and.  

 

Artists from more than 20 countries will attend the festival with two international and five UK premieres, and more than 40 videos and films. 

 

SB/YAW

END

 

---

Book containing images of exquisite artworks on Imam Reza (AS) published

August 31, 2014, 9:40 pm

≫ Next: Necklaces inspired by Persian literature on display at Golestan Gallery

≪ Previous: British festival to show work by Iranian video artist

$

0

0

TEHRAN – A book containing 110 exquisite artworks on Imam Reza (AS) has recently been published in Tehran.

 

Entitled “Guarantor of the Gazelle”, the book will be unveiled during a ceremony at the Mahmud Afshar Foundation on Thursday, Negar Publications and Emam-e Rauf Publications announced in a joint press release on Sunday.

 

The book contains works by 81 prominent calligraphers, painters, miniaturists and illuminators.

 

The artworks have been collected since autumn 2008, and art expert Ahmad Mahdavi Damghani wrote a preface to the book, which is in Persian and English.

 

Works by calligraphers Ashkan Ashofteh, Seyyed Mohammad Ehsaii, Abbas Akhaveyn, Hamid Ajami and Hossein Najafi were selected for the book.

 

Works by the painters Aidin Aqdashlu, Amir-Hassan Aqamiri, Ashraf Saeidi, Mohammadreza Atashzad and Masud Hosseinzadeh were published in the book.

 

Iranian Muslims gave the title of ‘the guarantor of the gazelle’ to Imam Reza (AS). It refers to the story of a deer caught by a hunter in a forest. Passing by, Imam Reza (AS) asked the hunter to free the deer so she could raise her babies, but he promised the deer would come back afterward. The hunter accepted and freed the deer.

 

Months later, the deer returned to the hunter’s home. However, the hunter declined to kill her, as he saw the miracle in what had happened.

 

SB/YAW

END

 

Necklaces inspired by Persian literature on display at Golestan Gallery

August 31, 2014, 9:30 pm

≫ Next: Exhibit on 200,000 years of coexistence of humans and animals in Iran underway at national museum

≪ Previous: Book containing images of exquisite artworks on Imam Reza (AS) published

$

0

0

TEHRAN -- A collection of hand-made sets of necklaces, inspired by tales from classical Persian literature, is on display at Tehran’s Golestan Gallery.

 

“I study ancient Persian tales such as Haft Peykar and Mantiq at-Tayr a lot and my works are mostly inspired by these stories, besides my personal thoughts and experience,” designer Reyhaneh Raei told Honaronline on Sunday.

 

Haft Peykar (literally, The Seven Beauties) is a romantic Persian epic poem by Nezami Ganjavi (1141-1209), and Mantiq at-Tayr (The Conference of the Birds) was written by poet Farid ud-Din Attar (c. 1145-1221).

 

Raei has started her career in jewelry design after she began to study a course on handcrafts. ”I mostly use silver in my works, and also add pieces of gold or brass. Semiprecious stones such as agate, azure, and turquoise also add more beauty to the collections.”

 

Persian motifs used in different eras such as the Achaemenid or the Islamic eras also act as a source of designs for the artist. “In addition, uncut pebbles give me new ides of designs and help me make new set.”

 

“The entire process is carried out by hand and usually,I just make one piece for each design.  However, if there are more customers, then I make a few more,” she explained.

 

On offering her works for sale, she said, “I never intended to offer my works in shops. They have all gone on show in galleries.”

 

“Jewelry can command a good price on one hand and can attract more customers on the other, if it is more artistic and innovative,” she added.

 

The exhibit, which opened on Friday, will be running until September 3 in the gallery located at 42 Kamasaii St. in the Darrus neighborhood.

 

 

 

RM/YAW

END

 

Exhibit on 200,000 years of coexistence of humans and animals in Iran underway at national museum

August 31, 2014, 9:27 pm

≫ Next: Art news in brief

≪ Previous: Necklaces inspired by Persian literature on display at Golestan Gallery

$

0

0

TEHRAN -- An exhibition displaying signs of 200,000 years of coexistence of humans and animals in Iran opened at the National Museum of Iran in Tehran on Saturday.

 

A wide variety of artifacts from coins, dishes and sculptures, to stone instruments, clay inscriptions, miniature paintings, pictorial books and fossils, has been showcased at the exhibition.

 

The exhibit, which runs until September 30, aims to improve awareness of the environment and natural heritage, the organizers previously said.

 

Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Organization (CHTHO) Director Masud Solatnifar, CHTHO Research Center Director Mohammad Behshti, and a number of Other Iranian officials attended the opening ceremony of the exhibit.

 

“The definition of culture in each society is based on its interaction with the environment,” Behshti said in a short speech during the opening ceremony of the exhibition.

 

“Cultures differ from one another, because environments are different from each other,” he added.

 

“We have changed our mind about the environment over the past 70 years and this change has caused the destruction of the environment in the country,” he said.

 

Department of Environment Deputy Director Ahmad-Ali Keykha also attended the opening ceremony of the show and delivered a speech.

 

“If we want to witness a positive development in our environment, executives in all organizations should unite, and people should modify their behavior towards the environment,” he stated.

 

MMS/YAW

END

 

Art news in brief

September 1, 2014, 9:40 pm

≫ Next: Persian version of Antoine Bara’s book on Hazrat Zeinab (SA) published

≪ Previous: Exhibit on 200,000 years of coexistence of humans and animals in Iran underway at national museum

$

0

0

European festivals to screen Iranian doc

TEHRAN – Iranian documentarian Mohammad Ehsani’s “Under the Dome of Heaven” will go on screen in two European festivals.

 

The documentary will go on screen at the 3rd International Archaeology Film Festival in Split, which will be held in Croatia on November 6 and 7.

 

The International Committee of Tourism Film Festival, which will be held from October 15 to 18 in Bucharest, Romania will also screen the documentary, which is on vandalism of historical sites.

Iranian cartoonists win awards at Syrian contest

TEHRAN – Two Iranian cartoonists won awards at the 10th International Cartoon Contest Syria, the website announced on Saturday.

 

Alireza Pakdel received the third prize and one of the five special prizes of the contest went to Mahmud Azadnia.

 

The First Prize of the contest went to Oleksy Kustovsky from Ukraine.

 

“Knowledge of Muslims” to appear in Russian

TEHRAN – A Russian version of “Knowledge of Muslims” written by the Iranian author Mohammadreza Hakimi will be offered at the 27th Moscow International Book Fair, which will be held from September 3 to 7 in Russia.

 

The book has been translated and published by Iran’s Islamic Culture and Relations Organization (ICRO).

 

 

German translator of Dowlatabdi’s novels dies

TEHRAN – The German translator of Iranian author Mahmud Dowlatabdi’s novels “Kalidar” and “Missing Soluch”, Sigrid Lotfi, died on Sunday in Tehran.

 

She was the widow of the renowned Iranian translator Mohammad-Hassan Lotfi.

 

 

“Fisherwomen” heading to Indian festival

TEHRAN – The Iranian documentary “Fisherwomen” will go on screen at the 9th Voices from the Waters International Traveling Film Festival, which will be held in Bangalore, India from September 11 to 14.

 

Directed by Shahrzad Puya and Shirin Vahidi, the documentary depicts the lives of two fisherwomen on Hengam Island in the Persian Gulf.

 

 

“Today” to compete in Greek festival 

TEHRAN – The Iranian drama “Today” will go on screen at the 55th Thessaloniki International Film Festival, which will be held in Greece from October 31 to November 9.

 

Directed by Seyyed Reza Mirkarimi, “Today” is about an aging taxi driver who takes a pregnant young woman to the hospital at the end of his working day, not knowing what awaits him there.

 

SB/YAW

END

 

Persian version of Antoine Bara’s book on Hazrat Zeinab (SA) published

September 2, 2014, 12:42 am

≫ Next: Iranian Artists Forum to host festival on peace

≪ Previous: Art news in brief

$

0

0

TEHRAN -- Lebanese Christian author Antoine Bara’s “Zeinab Sarkhatu Akmaltu Maseerah”, which is about the role of Hazrat Zeinab (SA), the sister of Imam Hussein (AS), in the Ashura uprising, has been published in Persian.

 

Translated by Gholm-Hassan Ansari, the book was published by the International Publishing Company.

 

The book was unveiled during a ceremony at Tehran’s Art Bureau on Monday. 

 

Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Ali Jannati, Islamic Ideology Dissemination Organization Director Hojjatoleslam Mehdi Khamushi and a number of culture figures attended the ceremony.

 

Bara is the author of “Hussein in Christian Ideology” and several other books and articles about Imam Hussein (AS) and his uprising against the tyranny of the Umayyad dynasty on Ashura, the tenth day of Muharram on which the Imam and his companions were martyred in 680. 

 

MMS/YAW

END

 

Iranian Artists Forum to host festival on peace

September 1, 2014, 9:37 pm

≫ Next: Artist mixes photos of world famous movies and Tehran social problems for new collection

≪ Previous: Persian version of Antoine Bara’s book on Hazrat Zeinab (SA) published

$

0

0

 

TEHRAN – The Iranian Artists Forum in Tehran will host a festival on peace, which will open on September 19.

 

Some theatrical and musical performances and art shows have been arranged for the festival entitled “Art for Peace”.

 

The festival has been organized to commemorate the International Day of Peace observed around the world on September 21, secretary of the exhibit Fereidun Farbud told the Persian service of MNA on Monday.

 

Several foreign ambassadors in Iran are also expected to attend the opening ceremony, he added.

 

“This is the second edition of the festival and we try to make it an international event during the upcoming editions,” he said.

 

A selection of paintings, photos, graphic designs, sculptures and installation works will be put on display in the exhibit, Farbud said, adding that several theater troupes and ensembles have also been invited to present their works on peace during the week-long program. 

 

The festival means to focus on peace and a world without war, and helps to bring a world of peace to the people through the international language of art, he said.

 

Azadeh Akhlaqi, Majid Barzegar, Parisa Tashakori, Bahram Dabiri, Hamid Ajami, Mahsa Alikhani, Alireza Vakili and Setareh Sanjari are among the artists whose works will be put on display. 

 

RM/YAW

END

 

Artist mixes photos of world famous movies and Tehran social problems for new collection

September 1, 2014, 9:33 pm

≫ Next: Iranian filmmakers spotlight ISIL crimes in Iraq

≪ Previous: Iranian Artists Forum to host festival on peace

$

0

0

TEHRAN – Iranian graphic designer Marjan Andrudi has mixed a collection of photos of world famous movies and some social problems of Tehran for her new collection of photo collages.

 

“The works have been recreated through photoshop to help narrate the problems in a satirical atmosphere,” Andrudi told the Persian service of ISNA on Sunday.

 

Photos of “Apocalypse Now”, a 1979 American epic war film set during the Vietnam War by director Francis Ford Coppola; “Funny Games”, a 1997 Austrian psychological thriller film by Michael Haneke; “Chinatown”, a 1974 American neo-noir film by Roman Polanski; and “The Tree of Life”, a 2011 American experimental drama film by Terrence Malick are among the works chosen for the photo collages.

 

“I chose to focus on the social problems of Tehran, since it is the city I live in and I know it quite well and am familiar with its hustle and bustle,” she explained.

 

Andrudi, who will be displaying a collection of her works in an exhibition in Mehrva Gallery, added, “I have chosen these photos for my personal interest besides their concepts, which are near to my personal ideas.”

 

“I have concentrated on the names of the movies and my personal portraits have also been reproduced in all the photos,” she explained.

 

In addition, a brief description about the films including name, director and synopsis has also been written beside each photo.

 

The exhibition takes its name from Francis Ford Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now” and will open on September 12.

 

The exhibit will run for 10 days in the gallery located at 38 South Aban St. off Karim Khan Ave.

 

Photo: A photo collage by Marjan Andrudi

 

RM/YAW

END

 

---

Iranian filmmakers spotlight ISIL crimes in Iraq

September 1, 2014, 9:29 pm

≫ Next: Author Antoine Bara completes book on Hazrat Zeinab (SA) after 25 years

≪ Previous: Artist mixes photos of world famous movies and Tehran social problems for new collection

$

0

0

TEHRAN -- Two groups of Iranian documentarians have traveled to Iraq to make films on the crimes the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) is committing in the country.

 

The groups, which are led by Mohammad Sadri and Majed Nisi, are currently in Baghdad and, after the usual preliminaries, they will begin their works, the director of Safir Film, a film center established by students of Tehran’s Sharif University of Technology, told the Persian service of MNA on Sunday.

 

As part of their mission, the filmmakers will focus on the Iraqi Christians, which have been uprooted by ISIL from their homeland, Morteza Sha’bani said.

 

The documentarians will visit Karbala and Najaf, two major centers for Iraqi Shia population, in which the Christians took refuge, he added.

 

“The filmmakers are also scheduled to spotlight the ancient sites and religious monuments destroyed by the ISIL forces in Iraq,” Sha’bani stated.

 

He said that some Iraqi TV networks have agreed to help the documentarians in their mission. The productions of the group are also scheduled to be aired by the networks in Iraq.      

 

“The films, which will be produced by the documentarians, aim to encourage the Iraqi people to continue their fight against ISIL… and to familiarize them with the crimes of the Takfiris and their principles,” he noted.

 

Sadri previously collaborated as a cameraman with Morteza Avini, the documentarian who made the blockbuster TV series “The Narration of Triumph” about the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war. Majed is an Iranian Arab filmmaker. 

 

 

MMS/YAW

END

 

Author Antoine Bara completes book on Hazrat Zeinab (SA) after 25 years

September 2, 2014, 9:04 pm

≫ Next: Finnish architect’s plan for Shiraz museum discussed

≪ Previous: Iranian filmmakers spotlight ISIL crimes in Iraq

$

0

0

TEHRAN -- Antoine Bara, the Lebanese Christian author of “Zeinab Sarkhatu Akmaltu Maseerah”, which is about the role of Hazrat Zeinab (SA), the sister of Imam Hussein (AS), in the Ashura uprising, has completed the book after 25 years of work.

 

A Persian translation of “Zeinab Sarkhatu Akmaltu Maseerah” was unveiled during a ceremony at Tehran’s Art Bureau on Monday. 

 

This book took 25 years to complete, Antoine Bara said at the ceremony, “I rewrote the book 10 times and each time I finished the book, I found additional sources to study and was forced to rewrite the book again”. 

 

He added that it is hard to talk about Hazrat Zeinab (SA); she is an endless ocean full of gems and is a unique character in the world.

 

The book narrates the role Hazrat Zeinab (SA) had in Karbala to keep her brother’s uprising live. She actually complemented her brother, he said.

 

Bara is the author of “Hussein in Christian Ideology” and several other books and articles about Imam Hussein (AS) and his uprising against the tyranny of the Umayyad dynasty on Ashura, the tenth day of Muharram on which the Imam and his companions were martyred in 680.

 

Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Ali Jannati, Islamic Ideology Dissemination Organization Director Hojjatoleslam Mehdi Khamushi and a number of cultural figures were among the participants in the ceremony.

 

The book has been translated into Persian by Gholm-Hassan Ansari and has been published by the International Publishing Company.

 

RM/YAW

END

 

Finnish architect’s plan for Shiraz museum discussed

September 2, 2014, 9:05 pm

≫ Next: Stone’s doc on Hugo Chavez to go on screen at Iranian festival

≪ Previous: Author Antoine Bara completes book on Hazrat Zeinab (SA) after 25 years

$

0

0

 

TEHRAN – The plan of the Finnish architect Alvar Aalto (1898-1976) for a museum of fine arts in Shiraz was discussed during a meeting between Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja and Shiraz Mayor Alireza Pak-Fetrat on Monday.

 

“Aalto, a central figure in international modernism, designed a plan for the museum in 1969, and we would be pleased if the museum would be built using his design,” Tuomioja said during the meeting.

 

He added that Finish architects are eager to study the plan and to cooperate with Iranian architects.

 

He also expressed hope that the two countries would expand their cultural relations.

 

Earlier in his trip, Tuomioja described Iran-Finland relations as deep-rooted “because of the numerous common interests they share” and expressed hope that the atmosphere would become ripe for the expansion of relations.

 

RM/YAW/HG

END

 

Stone’s doc on Hugo Chavez to go on screen at Iranian festival

September 2, 2014, 9:09 pm

≫ Next: All-female pop band to perform in Tehran

≪ Previous: Finnish architect’s plan for Shiraz museum discussed

$

0

0

TEHRAN – The 13th Resistance International Film Festival will screen “South of the Border”, a 2009 American documentary film directed by Oliver Stone. 

 

The film features Stone and his crew as they travel from the Caribbean down the spine of the Andes in an attempt to explain Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez.

 

The festival will be held in Tehran, Moscow and several other cities worldwide during October.

 

SB/YAW

END

 

All-female pop band to perform in Tehran

September 2, 2014, 8:59 pm

≫ Next: Statue of Omar Khayyam to be set up in Manhattan

≪ Previous: Stone’s doc on Hugo Chavez to go on screen at Iranian festival

$

0

0

TEHRAN -- Setareye Qotbi (Polaris), an all-female Iranian pop band, will appear again to perform concerts at Tehran’s Vahdat Hall on September 4 and 5.

 

“We spent three years getting authorization [from the Culture Ministry] to perform the concerts,” band leader Bahareh Ilchi, who is also the pianist and harpist of the band, told the Persian service of Hanaronline on Tuesday.

 

“We aim to show that Iranian women are also able to work in this field,” she added.

 

The band, which is composed of five singers and 12 musicians, will perform a repertoire of Persian, English, French, Arabic, and Hindi songs during the performances.

 

 

Ilchi said that her band is the first all-female Iranian pop group to perform live in concert in Iran since the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979.

 

Female pop singers previously performed their concerts with recorded music, she added.

     

Ilchi established the band in 2009 with a number of graduates from music academies in Tehran.

 

“[For legal reasons] it was not possible for the members to learn to play the drums and electronic instruments at the academies,” she said and added that she asked her colleagues to learn the instruments in private courses that some musicians hold in Iran.

 

“It took three years for the players to reach an acceptable level, and then we began our activities,” she explained.

 

In Iran, only females are allowed to attend concerts performed by female singers.

 

MMS/YAW/HG

END