Pascal Luban says Iranian games have made good progress

January 12, 2015, 1:00 pm

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TEHRAN – French-based game designer Pascal Luban said that the game designing industry in Iran is young but has made good progress in a short period of time.

 

Luban made the comments in an interview with the Persian service of the Mehr News Agency last week after holding several workshops for Iranian game designers.

 

Although the game designing industry in Iran is young and is no more than six or seven years old, there has been good progress during this short time, he said.

 

He believed that at least one Iranian game will be added to the international market within the next five years.

 

Luban added that he was surprised to see young talent among the designers in Iran along with the quality control system and management.

 

According to Luban, there are many countries which enjoy good talent but still cannot produce good games. 

 

Pascal Luban, who had visited several Iranian game studios during his workshops, added that he believed even the very small studios in Iran have been organized and run very well.

 

He explained that a good game is like a football game in which the team carries out everything, that is, every individual must not only be talented but also know how to work with one another.

 

Luban said that making a good game requires good management plus a proper understanding of designing a game, both of which he has observed during his stay in Iran.

 

Luban who had visited five Iranian game studios, further added that some of the games had a few weaknesses, but still were good for the relatively young age of the game designing industry in Iran.

 

Works by school students and university students were also surprising, he added.

 

He regarded the support of the public sector for the game designing industry a positive step and called it a good factor for its development.

 

The workshops were organized by the National Foundation for Computer Games (NFCG).

 

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Abbas Kiarostami to hold workshops in Barcelona

January 12, 2015, 1:12 pm

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TEHRAN – World-renowned Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami will hold a series of workshops in Barcelona during March.

 

Entitled “Filming in Barcelona with Abbas Kiarostami”, the workshops will be held from February 27 to March 10.

 

Fifty students will make 50 short films inspired by the city of Barcelona under Kiarostami’s supervision.

 

Organized by Spain’s Cinema Black Factory, the workshops aim to develop the creativity of novice cineastes.

 

A retrospective of Abbas Kiarostami’s films will be held on the sidelines of the program at the Film Archive of Catalonia (Filmoteca de Catalunya) in Barcelona.

 

Kiarostami has made more than 20 films, including fiction features, educational shorts, feature-length documentaries and a series of films for television.

 

He was awarded the prestigious Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1997 for his film “Taste of Cherry”.

 

He has directed “Certified Copy” (2010) and “Like Someone in Love” (2012) outside of Iran. Juliette Binoche received the Palme d’Or for Best Actress at Cannes for her role in the film “Certified Copy”. His Japanese-language film “Like Someone in Love” (2012) was shot in Tokyo.

 

Kiarostami is also a poet, photographer, painter, illustrator and graphic designer.

 

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Leather bearing drawings discovered in Burnt City

January 12, 2015, 12:54 pm

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TEHRAN -- A piece of leather bearing drawings has been discovered in the 5200-year-old Burnt City in southeastern Iran.
 
A team of archaeologists led by Professor Seyyed Mansur Sajjadi has unearthed the leather during the new season of excavation currently underway at the site.

“Due to extensive corrosion, some experts and the archaeologists are trying to save the leather,” Sajjadi told the Research Center for Cultural Heritage and Tourism on Monday.

No more details were mentioned about the artifact.

Ruins of a structure were also unearthed in the urban area of the Burnt City, which has two walls each one meter thick that are supported by nine buttresses.

“The signs of fire are clearly seen in some rooms of the building,” Sajjadi stated.

He also said that the team discovered a small room in building, which is surmised to have been used as a place for offering sacrifices.

The team also found some pieces of plain and colored textiles in the rooms.

The Burnt City, which was registered on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in June 2014, is located 57 kilometers from the town of Zabol in Sistan-Baluchestan Province.

The city, which was the largest urban settlement in the eastern half of the Iranian Plateau, burned down three times and was not rebuilt after the last fire in around 1800 BC.

Despite the excavations and studies carried out at the site, the reasons for the unexpected rise and fall of the Burnt City still seem to remain a mystery.
 
A 10-centimeter ruler with an accuracy of half a millimeter, an artificial eyeball, an earthenware bowl bearing the world’s oldest example of animation and many other artifacts have been discovered among the ruins of the city in the course of the many seasons of archaeological excavations conducted by Iranian teams.
 
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Photos on Syrian civil war on display in Tehran exhibit

January 12, 2015, 1:05 pm

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TEHRAN – Iranian photographer Hassan Qaedi is displaying his works on the Syrian civil war in an exhibition at the Iranian Artists Forum in Tehran.

 

The exhibition is part of the third edition of the program 10 Days with Iranian Photographers.

 

The exhibition entitled “Daraa Offensive” showcase part of the campaign during the Syrian civil war launched by rebel forces in Daraa, a city in southwestern Syria, Qaedi told the Persian service of the Mehr News Agency on Monday.

 

“All the photos are in black and white and center on the war, life of the inhabitants during the war, and the city of Homs after the Syrian government forces retook control of the city,” he said.

 

He added that he took the photos during the four trips he took to Syria and recorded the events during the war in the region.

 

“A photographer rarely has the chance to take photos of the injured and the dead bodies of the enemy forces, however I had this opportunity,” he added.

 

He said that he was one of the few photographers who recorded the Syrian war and added, “I had displayed some of the photos on line on a website and received good feedback.”

 

“Even one of the world photo agencies named VII Photo had expressed satisfaction to see the life and happiness of the Syrian inhabitants in the photos,” he added.

 

The third edition of “10 Days with Iranian Photographers” opened in seven galleries of the forum on Sunday.

 

Director of the Center for Visual Arts of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance Majid Mollanoruzi, Iranian Photojournalists’ Association director Kavus Sadeqlu, and the National Iranian Photographers’ Society director Masud Zendehruh Kermani attended the opening ceremony.

 

“Daraa Offensive” is on display in the Momayyez Gallery of the forum and the exhibit will be running until January 20.

 

 

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Ahmad Shamlu’s U.S. travelogue becomes bestseller

January 13, 2015, 11:39 am

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TEHRAN – All 3300 copies of Ahmad Shamlu’s “A Diary of the Much Blessed Royal Trip to the Untidied States of Americ” were sold out at the Iranian bookstores about three weeks after its publication.

 

Shamlu wrote the satirical diary on his trip to the United States during 1989 and 1990.

 

The second edition of the book came out by Maziar Publications on Monday. 

 

In the book, Shamlu narrated the adventure of a journey by an imaginary king, probably of the Qajar era.

 

A Persian poet, writer, and journalist, Shamlu (1925-2000) was arguably the most influential poet of modern Iran. 

 

For infrastructure and impact, he uses a kind of everyday imagery in which personified oxymoronic elements are spiked with an unreal combination of the abstract and the concrete thus far unprecedented in Persian poetry, which distressed some of the admirers of more traditional poetry.

 

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Art news in brief

January 13, 2015, 11:44 am

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Movies from Iran, Iraq, Turkey share best film award at Turkish festival

TEHRAN – Iranian director Teimur Ghaderi’s “Pomegranate Is the Fruit of Paradise”, Iraqi director Tofigh Amani’s “Ants Apartment” and Turkish filmmaker Serhat Karaaslan’s “Ice Cream” have shared the best film award at the 5th Yilmaz Guney Film Festival in Turkey.

 

The festival was held in Batman from January 6 to 11.

 

“Fish and Cat” picked as best at Festival of Iranian Films in Prague

TEHRAN – Iranian director Shahram Mokri’s acclaimed film “Fish and Cat” has won the best film award at the 4th Festival of Iranian Films in Prague.

 

The Iranian film “I Am Not Angry!” by Reza Dormishian won the Audience Award of the festival, which was held from January 7 to 11.

 

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Shahram Nazeri honors Alim Qasimov

January 13, 2015, 11:50 am

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TEHRAN -- Iranian singer Shahram Nazeri honored the renowned Azerbaijani vocalist, Alim Qasimov with an Iranian flag on the second night of his performance at Tehran’s Vahdat Hall on Monday.

 

Addressing the audience on stage, Nazeri said, “I am proud to have honored the singer. Tonight is a great night for me since I felt like I was in heaven during his performance.”

 

Nazeri added, “Music is nothing but love and if this feeling does not exist in a singer, it is impossible for the singer’s work to impress the audience.”

 

He expressed his hope that all the musicians especially in Iran would adore each other and transfer this feeling to people.

 

Author Mahmud Dowlatabadi and a large number of cineastes including Parviz Parastuii, Golab Adineh, Fatemeh Motamed-Arya, Behnaz Jafari and Pantea Bahram attended the concert.

 

Alim Qasimov and his daughter Fargana Qasimova along with the Tehran Wind Orchestra gave their performances on January 11, 12 and 13.

 

The concert was to be a two-night performance, but an additional night was added due to the high number of Iranian enthusiasts and their warm reception.

 

Many Azeri popular songs were performed during the concerts conducted by Javid Majlesi along with Tehran Wind Orchestra director Sina Zokaii.

 

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OIC official visits National Library and Archives of Iran

January 13, 2015, 11:54 am

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TEHRAN -- The secretary general of the Parliamentary Union of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Member States, Mahmud Erol Kilic, visited the National Library and Archives of Iran (NLAI) in Tehran on Monday.

 

He also met NLAI Director Reza Salehi-Amiri and they discussed ways to expand cultural relations between Iran and Turkey, the Persian service of IRNA reported on Tuesday.

 

They also talked about the ways to arrange sessions for Iranian and Turkish intellectuals to meet and expand cultural ties between the two nations.

 

“The biggest service to the world of Islam is to help promote unity among the different Islamic religious denominations,” Salehi-Amiri said.

 

He called Erol Kilic “a cultural figure”, who supports the idea of expansion of cultural ties among the Islamic countries.

 

“Mahmud Erol Kilic is trying to develop unity and friendship between the Iranian and Turkish people,” Salehi-Amiri concluded.

 

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Filmmaker asks Iranian officials to watch “A Few Cubic Meters of Love”

January 13, 2015, 12:13 pm

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TEHRAN -- Filmmaker Nader Talebzadeh has asked Iranian officials to watch “A Few Cubic Meters of Love”, a drama on migration and love directed and produced by Afghan brothers Jamshid Mahmudi and Navid Mahmudi who have lived in Iran for the past 30 years.

 

“This is a film, by which we can maneuver out of Iran,” he said in a review session that Tehran’s Enqelab Cultural Center held for the film on Monday evening.

 

“By this film, we can show that we allowed a film to be produced to criticize ourselves and convey that we didn’t use to know how to treat immigrants in the country,” he added.

 

The story of the film is set somewhere in the outskirts of Tehran, where a small factory illegally employs Afghan asylum seekers, who live with their families in old containers or modest shacks in nearby shanty towns. Saber, a young Iranian worker, secretly meets Marona, daughter of Abdolsalam, an Afghan worker. A love story unfolds. 

 

“A Few Cubic Meters of Love” is Jamshid Mahmudi’s debut film, which premiered at the 32nd Fajr International Film Festival in Tehran in February 2014. The film won him the Simorgh for best director in the New View section of the festival.

 

“I would have felt bad had we not won any award at this event,” Jamshid Mahmudi said during the review session.

 

“Because we did our best to make the film be warmly received,” he added.

 

The film is currently on screen at Iranian movies theaters.  

 

“The reason behind why Iranian people like this film, is that it is a real-life drama,” Jamshid Mahmudi stated.

 

The film was selected to represent Afghanistan at the 87th Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category, but was not nominated.

 

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Filmmaker asks Iranian officials to watch “A Few Cubic Meters of Love”

January 13, 2015, 12:13 pm

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TEHRAN -- Filmmaker Nader Talebzadeh has asked Iranian officials to watch “A Few Cubic Meters of Love”, a drama on migration and love directed and produced by Afghan brothers Jamshid Mahmudi and Navid Mahmudi who have lived in Iran for the past 30 years.

 

“This is a film, by which we can maneuver out of Iran,” he said in a review session that Tehran’s Enqelab Cultural Center held for the film on Monday evening.

 

“By this film, we can show that we allowed a film to be produced to criticize ourselves and convey that we didn’t use to know how to treat immigrants in the country,” he added.

 

The story of the film is set somewhere in the outskirts of Tehran, where a small factory illegally employs Afghan asylum seekers, who live with their families in old containers or modest shacks in nearby shanty towns. Saber, a young Iranian worker, secretly meets Marona, daughter of Abdolsalam, an Afghan worker. A love story unfolds. 

 

“A Few Cubic Meters of Love” is Jamshid Mahmudi’s debut film, which premiered at the 32nd Fajr International Film Festival in Tehran in February 2014. The film won him the Simorgh for best director in the New View section of the festival.

 

“I would have felt bad had we not won any award at this event,” Jamshid Mahmudi said during the review session.

 

“Because we did our best to make the film be warmly received,” he added.

 

The film is currently on screen at Iranian movies theaters.  

 

“The reason behind why Iranian people like this film, is that it is a real-life drama,” Jamshid Mahmudi stated.

 

The film was selected to represent Afghanistan at the 87th Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category, but was not nominated.

 

MMS/YAW

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Art news in brief

January 15, 2015, 1:48 pm

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Shahdad Rohani perform concerts in Tehran 

Prominent Iranian composer and conductor Shahdad Rohani will perform concerts with an orchestra composed of musicians from the Tehran Symphony Orchestra in Tehran.

 

The concert will be performed at the Grand Hall of the Interior Ministry on January 22 and 23.

 

 

Book on history of Persian literature published in Istanbul

 

TEHRAN -- A book on the history of Persian literature has been published in Turkish in Istanbul.

 

“The History of Persian Literature” has been authored by Mehmet Atalay, a professor of Persian literature at Istanbul University.

 

The book studies the history of Persian literature from the beginning to the Ghaznavid era (977–1186 CE), during which the Turkish dynasty ruled in Khorasan in northeastern Iran, Afghanistan and northern India. 

 

 

Persian version of “Catechism of the Catholic Church” unveiled in Rome

TEHRAN -- A Persian version of “Catechism of the Catholic Church”, which was rendered by translators from the University of Religions and Denominations (URD) in Qom, has been unveiled at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.

 

URD Chancellor Hojjatoleslam Abohassan Navvab, Cardinal Jean-Louis Pierre Tauran, the president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue in the Roman Curia and a number of cultural figures attended the unveiling ceremony.

 

“Catechism of the Catholic Church” is a complete summary of what Catholics throughout the world believe in common. The book draws on the Bible, the Mass, the Sacraments, Church tradition and teaching, and the lives of saints.

 

The translators of the URD spent 12 years rendering the book into Persian.

 

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Iran asks West not let Islamic sanctities be insulted

January 15, 2015, 1:58 pm

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TEHRAN -- The spokesman of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, Hossein Nushabadi, has asked the West to stop those who are insulting the Prophet Muhammad (S)

 

He made the remarks following the French magazine Charlie Hebdo’s decision to publish its latest edition with a cartoon of the Prophet of Islam (S) a week after the attacks in Paris which killed 17 including nine of Charlie Hebdo’s contributors.

  

“The West has an erroneous perception of freedom of expression,” Nushabadi told the Persian service of IRNA on Wednesday and added, “Insulting the sanctities, saints and leaders of a monotheistic religion is not part of freedom of expression.”

 

“Islam is a religion with over 1.5 billion followers… who do not tolerate such an offensive behavior,” he noted.

 

The first edition of Charlie Hebdo published on Tuesday since nine of its contributors were murdered has a cover showing the Prophet Mohammed and the slogan, “Tout est pardonné,” French for “All is forgiven”.

 

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“Timeloss” to go on stage in U.S.

January 15, 2015, 2:18 pm

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TEHRAN - The Mehr Theater Group led by Iranian director and writer Amir-Reza Kuhestani will perform “Timeloss” in the American cities of New York and Los Angeles.

 

“Timeloss”, a fiery story about the passage of time, is another version of “Dance on Glass”, which Kuhestani staged in 2001.

 

The play is an entry to “Under the Radar Festival”, a festival tracking new theater from around the world that is taking place at the Public Theater in New York from January 7 to 18. 

 

The troupe will have their first performance tomorrow night. They will have three more performances at the Public Theater until January 18.

 

Their next performance will be in the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Los Angeles on January 21 and 22.

 

Starring Hassan Majuni and Mahin Sadri, the play will be performed in Persian with English supertitles.

 

The play was staged at the Paris Autumn Festival in November 2014. It has also been staged in Hamburg, Brussels, Frankfurt, Geneva and Rotterdam.

 

Kuhestani is one of Iran’s most successful and prolific playwright-directors. 

 

His “Dance on Glass” won international acclaim and toured for four years. He is the first director to win two consecutive awards for the best theater production of the year in Iran for his play “Ivanov” (2011) and “The Fourth Wall” (2012).

 

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“Track 143” published in Tehran

January 15, 2015, 2:20 pm

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TEHRAN – Persian war novel “Track 143”, based on which a film of the same title was produced last year, was unveiled at Tehran’s Andisheh Cultural Center on Tuesday.

 

Published by Sureh-Mehr Publications, the book has been written by Narges Abyar, who also directed the movie, the Persian service of MNA reported on Wednesday.

 

“Track 143” highlights the story of a mother named Olfat, a woman who is waiting for her son, who has been missing in action since the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war, to return home.

 

“The book actually tells the stories of thirteen young adult combatants who went to the war, however the story of the mother of one of the boys was particularly interesting to me so I wanted to highlight it,” Abyar said at the ceremony.

 

“I completed research on the book in 2001 and 2002, and published it in 2006. The novel was selected as the best novel of Iran’s Sacred Defense Book of the Year awards. However, it was not well received, but later it was published under the title ‘Track 143’”, she added.

 

Abyar continued that she believes mothers who are waiting for their missing-in-action sons are the real mothers, adding, “I have seen many women like (Olfat) around me in the streets, in the neighborhood, or even among relatives, and I tried to concentrate on those characters of whom I have better knowledge”.

 

She also added, “Our country needs a proper definition of anti-war drama. I wish there was such a definition so that not all stories dealing with the aftermath of the war would be called anti-war novels.

 

“We were victims of the war and we should show the world what has happened during these eight years. Showing the consequences of the war does not equate to being anti-war,” she explained.

 

Addressing the participants, she concluded, “We have many characters and heroes, whom we must portray. So please pray for me, since I want to continue on this path and it is one of my wishes to make films for the heroes of my country.”

 

Filmmaker Ali Basheh-Ahangar who was also present at the ceremony congratulated Abyar for her portrayal of the painful emotional moments and her respect for the families of the martyrs.

 

He called the mothers of the martyrs and their families a great treasure of the eight-year Sacred Defense (1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war) and asked the Muslims to help register images of their words and love.

 

The film “Track 143” was widely acclaimed at the 32nd Fajr International Film Festival in Tehran last February.

 

Merila Zarei, Mehran Ahmadi, Gelareh Abbasi, Yadollah Shademani and Javad Ezzati star in the film.

 

Zarei won a Crystal Simorgh for Best Actress for the portrayal of Olfat in “Track 143” at the festival.

 

Abyar received the special jury prize and her film was selected as the Audience Favorite Film at the festival.

 

RM/YAW

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Art news in brief

January 16, 2015, 12:09 pm

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Exhibition of Persian calligraphy underway in Moscow 

 

TEHRAN – Works by Iranian calligraphy Ali Ganji are currently on display in an exhibition at Iran’s cultural attaché’s office in Moscow.

 

Member of the Writers’ Union of Russia Vladimir Zakharov and Abdolqasem Esmaeilpur, the Iranian scholar teaching Persian literature and language at the Moscow State University, attended the opening ceremony on Wednesday.

 

The exhibit runs until January 24.

 

 

Iranian films to go on screen in Bulgarian festival 

TEHRAN – The 7th edition of the Sofia MENAR Film Festival dedicated its “In Focus” section to screening a selection of independent films from Iran.

 

“Fish and Cat” directed by Shahram Mokri, “I Am Not Angry” by Reza Dormishian, “Melbourne” by Nima Javidi, “The Last Step” by Ali Mosaffa, and “The Wedlock” by Ruhollah Hejazi are among the films to go on screen in this section of the Bulgarian festival, which will run until February 1.

 

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Kayhan Kalhor to team up with Dutch band for tour of Netherlands

January 16, 2015, 12:12 pm

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TEHRAN – Iranian kamancheh virtuoso Kayhan Kalhor will perform with the Rembrandt Frerichs Trio during their tour of the Netherlands, which will take place from February 13 to 15.

 

The first performance will be held at the RASA Hall in Utrecht on February 13. 

 

The next concert will be performed at the Orgelpark Hall in Amsterdam on February 14 and the De Doelen Hall in Rotterdam will host the band on February 15.

 

The trio was established by Dutch pianist Rembrandt Frerichs. He has a couple of ensembles of his own. His works are influenced by the American jazz tradition and Arabic music. 

 

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What’s in art galleries

January 16, 2015, 12:22 pm

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 Painting

 

* Mina Gallery is hosting an exhibition of paintings by Ali-Asghar Qarebaghi.

 

The exhibition runs until January 22 at the gallery, which can be found at 120 Golestan-e Dovvom Alley, off Pasdaran Ave.

 

* Paintings by Ardeshir Mohasses are on display in an exhibition at the Sam Art Dastaan Gallery.

 

The exhibit runs until January 31 at the gallery located on the 1st floor, Sam Center, Fereshteh St.

 

* Shokuh Gallery will host an exhibition of paintings by 19-century renowned Iranian and European artists.

 

The show will continue until January 21 at the gallery, which can be found at 19 Amir Nuri Alley, North Salimi St. near Andarzgu Blvd.

 

* An exhibition of paintings by Maryam Khazaii is currently underway at Haft-Samar Gallery.

 

The exhibit runs until January 21 at the gallery located at No. 8, Fifth Alley, Kuh-e Nur St., off Motahhari Ave.

 

* Paintings by Hamid Derakhshandeh are on display in a showcase at Etemad Gallery.

 

The exhibition runs until January 27 at the gallery, which can be found at 4 Bukan St. off Sadeqi Qomi St., near Yasser Square in the Niavaran neighborhood.

 

* Seyhun Gallery is playing host to an exhibition of paintings by Afshin Baqeri.

 

The exhibition runs until January 28 at the gallery located at No. 11, 4th Alley, Vozara St.

 

* Paintings by Ana Darab and Milad Khanevadeh are on display in an exhibition at the Fereshteh branch of Tehran’s Book City Institute.

 

The exhibition runs until January 28 at the gallery located at No. 32, Darbandi St., off Tajrish Sq.

 

* An exhibition of paintings by Saeid Rafiei-Monfared is currently underway at Vaali Gallery.

 

The show runs until January 27at the gallery located at 71 Khoddami St. off Vanak Square.

 

* Paintings by Sara Qazi-Asadi are on display in an exhibition at Vista Gallery.

 

The exhibit runs until January 26 at the gallery located on 12th Alley, Miremad Av.

 

* Aqili Gallery is hosting a group exhibition of paintings.

 

The exhibition runs until January 28 at the gallery located at 1991 Farvardin Alley, off Simaye Iran St., in the Shahrak-e Gharb district.

 

SB/YAW

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Berlinale to screen “Atom-Heart Mother”

January 16, 2015, 12:21 pm

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TEHRAN -- “Atom-Heart Mother” by Iranian director Ali Ahmadzadeh will be screened in the Forum section of the 65th Berlin International Film Festival -- Berlinale, which will open On February 5.

 

The film, Ahmadzadeh’s second, begins with a goodbye party to Kami, who is going to leave Iran to start a new life in Tunisia.

 

The Forum is the most daring section of the Berlin festival, which focuses on avant-garde, experimental works, essays, long-term observations and yet-to-be-discovered cinematic landscapes. 

 

Forty-three films will be shown in the Forum’s main program.

 

The festival will also show “Taxi” by Iranian director Jafar Panahi in the main competition section.

 

The story of the documentary-like film is set in a Tehran taxi that is driven by Panahi.

 

The film will compete with seven other productions, including Werner Herzog’s “Queen of the Desert” and Bill Condon’s “Mr. Holmes”.

 

MMS/YAW

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DEFC produces biopic on Persian scholar Jafar Shahidi

January 16, 2015, 12:17 pm

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TEHRAN – The Documentary and Experimental Film Center (DEFC) has produced a biopic of Jafar Shahidi (1918-2008), an expert on Persian literature and a prominent Islamic historian.

 

Directed by Manuchehr Moshiri, the biopic “And I Am the Diver and the Tavern Is the Sea” was screened at Tehran’s Negarestan Garden on Wednesday, the Persian service of MNA reported on Friday.

 

Shahidi’s daughter Shokufeh Shahidi, the daughter of Persian lexicographer Mohammad Moin (1914-1971), Mahdokht Moin, and a number of other literati attended the ceremony.

 

Mahdokht who was a student of Jafar Shahidi called the biopic useful and impressive for the generation of today.

 

“Master Shahidi did not allow others to make a film about him. I asked his daughter Shokufeh to persuade him to consent. Moshiri was also successful in his production,” Mahdokht said.

 

She added, “Master Shahidi was famous for his moral goodness. He was one of the few scholars who merged knowledge, action and mysticism together.”

 

Mohammad Dehqani, a student of Shahidi, next made a brief speech at the ceremony recalling his memoirs with the master in his classes.

 

“The classes with Shahidi were among the most useful and helpful ones we had during the Ph.D. program. Other students from several other classes also used to attend his classes to make use of his lectures. He was good-tempered and he used to tolerate discussions with his students,” he added.

 

Shahidi was a pupil of lexicographer Ali-Akbar Dehkhoda, who wrote the most comprehensive unabridged Persian dictionary. He later became a director of the then Dehkhoda Dictionary Institute, which Dehkhoda had established in 1945 to complete the dictionary.

 

He got a Ph.D. in Persian language and literature from the University of Tehran in 1961 and continued his studies at the Qom and Najaf seminaries, where he received permission to practice ijtihad, the use of reason to arrive at the knowledge of truth in religious matters.

 

His most notable work is the fluent and eloquent translation of Imam Ali’s Nahj-ul-Balagha. He was also the author of “Analytical History of Islam”, which won Iran’s best book of the year award in 2006.

 

RM/YAW

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Kayhan Kalhor to team up with Dutch band for tour of Netherlands

January 16, 2015, 12:12 pm

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TEHRAN – Iranian kamancheh virtuoso Kayhan Kalhor will perform with the Rembrandt Frerichs Trio during their tour of the Netherlands, which will take place from February 13 to 15.

 

The first performance will be held at the RASA Hall in Utrecht on February 13. 

 

The next concert will be performed at the Orgelpark Hall in Amsterdam on February 14 and the De Doelen Hall in Rotterdam will host the band on February 15.

 

The trio was established by Dutch pianist Rembrandt Frerichs. He has a couple of ensembles of his own. His works are influenced by the American jazz tradition and Arabic music. 

 

SB/YAW

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