Iran warns Berlin festival against politicizing cinema

February 8, 2015, 11:23 am

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TEHRAN – Director of the Cinema Organization of Iran (COI) Hojjatollah Ayyubi warned director of the Berlin International Film Festival Dieter Kosslick against his political remarks on Iran prior to a screening of Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi’s “Taxi” at the festival.

 

In an open letter published on Saturday, Ayyubi wrote, “The Berlin festival has been held with screening of films by great Iranian cineastes over the past years.”

 

“[The] Berlin [festival] has turned into a familiar name for Iranian filmgoers: a place for showing films, a venue for dialogue, a dialogue the modern world desperately needs. A dialogue which, if it were to exist today, would prevent all of us from being engulfed in the current awful waves of misunderstandings,” he added.

 

“I regret that you wish to drive everybody in a taxi of new misunderstandings about the Iranian people by screening a film made by a director who has been banned by law from making films – nevertheless, he has done exactly that. I am delighted to announce that the director of ‘Taxi’ continues to drive in the fast lane of his life, freely enjoying all of its blessings,” he stated.

 

“… I, like many other lovers of cinema, hear the ominous sound of the footsteps of politics at the Berlin festival. I, like the rest of you, wanted Berlin to remain a refuge of culture and art, but it seems that someone preferred politics to art. The sound of politics can be heard, and the bricks you are laying course upon course will quickly build a new Berlin wall around your festival; a wall that could be much higher than the Great Wall of China. And politics leads to separation, which leads to the construction of Berlin Walls… whereas culture and cinema leads to the removal of walls and barriers.”  

 

Last Friday, the Berlin International Film Festival premiered “Taxi”, the latest film by Panahi, who was banned from making films for 20 years by an Iranian court for a documentary he tried to make on the unrest following Iran’s 2009 presidential election, Reuters reported.

 

“Jafar never accepted his 20-year ban and tried to do his work because he cannot make a living without making films, and by accident we got this film here, perhaps by taxi?” Kosslick said to reporters on the red carpet.

 

“Jafar is in a much better mood as a person because he is the cab driver in the film and he is a comical cabdriver with a great sense of humor and this is good because three years ago he was depressed,” he stated.

 

Panahi’s film is one of 19 vying for the Berlin festival’s annual Golden Bear prize.

 

MMS/YAW

END

 

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Winners of Iran’s Book of the Year Awards honored

February 8, 2015, 11:20 am

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TEHRAN -- The winners of the 32nd edition of Iran’s Book of the Year Awards were announced during a ceremony attended by President Hassan Rouhani in Tehran’s Summit Conference Hall on Sunday.

 

Speaking at the ceremony, Rouhani talked about book reviews, how to learn to compose oral and written reviews, as well as the issue of supervising the publication of books.

 

“Of course, reviews are possible in a safe and open atmosphere, however we must first learn how to criticize,” the President said at the ceremony.

 

Addressing the participants, he continued, “You, the literati, must write books, articles and analysis, and write reviews; you must even tell us how a review should be written. I believe the experts in each field have better ideas.”

 

Talking about supervising book publishing, Rouhani added, “I am not questioning whether or not supervision should or should not exist, rather that we cannot make one hundred principles for supervision. We can establish two or three guidelines concerning morality, national security and sanctities. You can add one more element to it, but the number should not reach one hundred.”

 

He emphasized that supervising the publication of books must be entrusted to those in charge of books, adding, “Publishers, writers and scholars must come and give their opinions. If a book is published and read by readers, why should it go through a difficult process again for republication?” the President asked.

 

“Once, books were the only media, however new media are added every day. You, the great scholars must tell us how supervision on cultural issues should be, and your opinions will then be turned into regulations and laws, since a law rooted in experts’ opinions is stronger,” the President explained.

 

“We must celebrate over the best books, but we should also celebrate the day when the youth would read the most books,” he remarked.

 

The ceremony attended by Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Ali Jannati continued with handing out awards to the winners.

 

The following is a list of the winners in various categories:

 

* “The Lexicon of Valid Hadiths” by Mohammad-Asef Mohseni 

 

* “Herbal Medicine” by Ahmad Emami 

 

* “Sociologie du theatre” ( Jean Duvignaud) translated by Jalal Sattari 

 

* “Dictionary of Iran’s Architectural Works” by Leila Pahlevanzadeh

 

* “Portrayal of Delight” (analysis of Hafez poetry) by Saeid Hamidian  

 

* “Submersible Geology” by Homayun Motiei 

 

* “Encyclopedia of Great Tehran” by Kazem Musavi Borujerdi 

 

* “Institute of Martyr Sani” by Ali Osat Nateqi

 

* “Striving in the Path of God: Jihad and Martyrdom in Islamic Thought” by Asma Afsaruddin (Bangladesh)

 

* “Translation of Holy Quran into Japanese” by Tatsu Ichi Savada

 

* “Ice Houses of Iran” by Hemming Jorgensen (Denmark)

 

* “History of Shiism in Lebanon” by Sadun Hamada (Lebanon) 

 

In addition, scholar Najib Mayel Heravi from Afghanistan was honored as a high researcher of Islamic and Iranian studies.

 

The Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance is the main organizer of the Book of the Year Awards.

 

RM/YAW

END

Art news in brief

February 8, 2015, 11:11 am

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Iranian, Slovenian national libraries sign MOU

TEHRAN – A memorandum of understanding (MOU) has been signed between the National Library and Archives of Iran (NLAI) and the National and University Library of Slovenia (NUK).

 

The MOU inked in Ljubljana during a meeting between NLAI Director Seyyed Reza Salehi-Amiri and NUK Director Martina Roznam Salobir, IRNA reported on Saturday.

 

Based on the MOU, the libraries are scheduled to organize mutual workshops, seminars, educational courses and book fairs.

 

 

Comments on Mehdi Akhavan-Saless published in book

TEHRAN- Interviews on Mehdi Akhavan-Saless, a pioneer of blank verse in Persian literature, has recently been published in a book by Negah Publications in Tehran.

 

Entitled “Horizons and the Mysteries of the Single Pearl,” the book contains a collection of interviews, outlooks and commentaries on Akhavan-Saless (1929-1990), who was also a musicologist.

 

Poet Simin Behbahani, painter Iran Dorudi, filmmaker Masud Kimiai, and writers Reza Baraheni and Ehsan Naragi are among those 30 Iranian figures interviewed by Mehdi Mozafari Savoji for the book. 

 

 

Fajr festival an opportunity to introduce Iranian music: culture minister

TEHRAN – Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Ali Jannati has said that the Fajr International Music Festival provides an opportunity to introduce rich Iranian music to other nations.

 

In a message sent to the organizers of the festival on Sunday, Jannati said that such events can be a benchmark for annual efforts made by artists who try to promote Iranian arts and culture. 

 

Every year musicians from four corners of the globe come together at the festival that Iran organizes annually during February to celebrate the anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution.  

 

This year, in addition to many local Iranian musicians, ten groups from across the world will participate in the festival, which will be held in Tehran from February 13 to 20.

 

MA/YAW

END 

 

What’s in art galleries

February 8, 2015, 11:15 am

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Painting

* An exhibition of paintings by Saeid Ahmadzadeh is currently underway at Shokuh Gallery.

 

The show will continue until February 18 at the gallery, which can be found at 19 Amir Nuri Alley, North Salimi St. near Andarzgu Blvd.

 

* Tarrahan-e Azad Gallery is hosting an exhibition of paintings by Mahsa Karimi. 

 

The exhibition runs until February 11 at the gallery located at 41 Salmas Square, off Fatemi St.

 

* An exhibition of paintings by Bahareh Babaii is underway at Homa Gallery.

 

The exhibition runs until February 17 at the gallery, which can be found at No. 8, 4th Gharbi Alley, Sanaii St., and Karim Khan Blvd.

 

Jewelry 

* A collection of jewelry by Fatemeh Jalali and Danial Zirak is on display in an exhibition at Golestan Gallery.

 

The exhibition runs until February 10 at the gallery located at 42 Kamasaii St. in the Darus neighborhood.

 

Photo 

* Mehrva Gallery is playing host to an exhibition of photographs by Hamid Janipur. 

 

The display will run until February 16 at the gallery, which can be found at 38 South Aban St. off Karim Khan Blvd.

 

MA/YAW

END

 

Persian translator of German literature Keikavus Jahandari commemorated

February 8, 2015, 11:17 am

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TEHRAN -- The Persian literary monthly Bokhara paid tribute to Iranian translator of the German literature Keikavus Jahandari (1923-2015) at the Mahmud Afshar Foundation on Saturday.

 

Jahandari, famous for his translation of “Steppenwolf” by German-Swiss author Hermann Hesse (1877-1962), was a scholar of German literature and a researcher at the Center for the Great Islamic Encyclopedia.

 

The ceremony was attended by a number of literati including Managing Director of Bokhara Ali Dehbashi and Director of Children’s Book Council of Iran Nushafarin Ansari, the Persian service of ISNA reported on Sunday.

 

Dehbashi gave a brief explanation about Jahandari and called him one of the great translators of Iran who has rendered many books from German and English into Persian.

 

“His precise and smooth translations have played a major role in familiarizing Iranians with the world great literary works,” Dehbashi said. 

 

Member of the high council of the Center for the Great Islamic Encyclopedia Sadeq Sajjadi next made a brief speech and said that Jahandari had a good command of books on Iranian and Islamic studies and was a great help to other scholars.

Writer and translator Kamran Fani pointed to Jahandari’s translations of books and called the translation of a travelogue written by Jakob Eduard Polak (1818- 1891) one of his best works.

 

Polak was the Austrian physician who played an important role in introducing modern medicine in Iran.

 

A live music performance was the closing program of the event.

 

RM/YAW

END

 

Iran warns Berlin festival against politicizing cinema

February 8, 2015, 11:23 am

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TEHRAN – Director of the Cinema Organization of Iran (COI) Hojjatollah Ayyubi warned director of the Berlin International Film Festival Dieter Kosslick against his political remarks on Iran prior to a screening of Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi’s “Taxi” at the festival.

 

In an open letter published on Saturday, Ayyubi wrote, “The Berlin festival has been held with screening of films by great Iranian cineastes over the past years.”

 

“[The] Berlin [festival] has turned into a familiar name for Iranian filmgoers: a place for showing films, a venue for dialogue, a dialogue the modern world desperately needs. A dialogue which, if it were to exist today, would prevent all of us from being engulfed in the current awful waves of misunderstandings,” he added.

 

“I regret that you wish to drive everybody in a taxi of new misunderstandings about the Iranian people by screening a film made by a director who has been banned by law from making films – nevertheless, he has done exactly that. I am delighted to announce that the director of ‘Taxi’ continues to drive in the fast lane of his life, freely enjoying all of its blessings,” he stated.

 

“… I, like many other lovers of cinema, hear the ominous sound of the footsteps of politics at the Berlin festival. I, like the rest of you, wanted Berlin to remain a refuge of culture and art, but it seems that someone preferred politics to art. The sound of politics can be heard, and the bricks you are laying course upon course will quickly build a new Berlin wall around your festival; a wall that could be much higher than the Great Wall of China. And politics leads to separation, which leads to the construction of Berlin Walls… whereas culture and cinema leads to the removal of walls and barriers.”  

 

Last Friday, the Berlin International Film Festival premiered “Taxi”, the latest film by Panahi, who was banned from making films for 20 years by an Iranian court for a documentary he tried to make on the unrest following Iran’s 2009 presidential election, Reuters reported.

 

“Jafar never accepted his 20-year ban and tried to do his work because he cannot make a living without making films, and by accident we got this film here, perhaps by taxi?” Kosslick said to reporters on the red carpet.

 

“Jafar is in a much better mood as a person because he is the cab driver in the film and he is a comical cabdriver with a great sense of humor and this is good because three years ago he was depressed,” he stated.

 

Panahi’s film is one of 19 vying for the Berlin festival’s annual Golden Bear prize.

 

MMS/YAW

END

 

Winners of Iran’s Book of the Year Awards honored

February 8, 2015, 11:20 am

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≪ Previous: Iran warns Berlin festival against politicizing cinema

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TEHRAN -- The winners of the 32nd edition of Iran’s Book of the Year Awards were announced during a ceremony attended by President Hassan Rouhani in Tehran’s Summit Conference Hall on Sunday.

 

Speaking at the ceremony, Rouhani talked about book reviews, how to learn to compose oral and written reviews, as well as the issue of supervising the publication of books.

 

“Of course, reviews are possible in a safe and open atmosphere, however we must first learn how to criticize,” the President said at the ceremony.

 

Addressing the participants, he continued, “You, the literati, must write books, articles and analysis, and write reviews; you must even tell us how a review should be written. I believe the experts in each field have better ideas.”

 

Talking about supervising book publishing, Rouhani added, “I am not questioning whether or not supervision should or should not exist, rather that we cannot make one hundred principles for supervision. We can establish two or three guidelines concerning morality, national security and sanctities. You can add one more element to it, but the number should not reach one hundred.”

 

He emphasized that supervising the publication of books must be entrusted to those in charge of books, adding, “Publishers, writers and scholars must come and give their opinions. If a book is published and read by readers, why should it go through a difficult process again for republication?” the President asked.

 

“Once, books were the only media, however new media are added every day. You, the great scholars must tell us how supervision on cultural issues should be, and your opinions will then be turned into regulations and laws, since a law rooted in experts’ opinions is stronger,” the President explained.

 

“We must celebrate over the best books, but we should also celebrate the day when the youth would read the most books,” he remarked.

 

The ceremony attended by Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Ali Jannati continued with handing out awards to the winners.

 

The following is a list of the winners in various categories:

 

* “The Lexicon of Valid Hadiths” by Mohammad-Asef Mohseni 

 

* “Herbal Medicine” by Ahmad Emami 

 

* “Sociologie du theatre” ( Jean Duvignaud) translated by Jalal Sattari 

 

* “Dictionary of Iran’s Architectural Works” by Leila Pahlevanzadeh

 

* “Portrayal of Delight” (analysis of Hafez poetry) by Saeid Hamidian  

 

* “Submersible Geology” by Homayun Motiei 

 

* “Encyclopedia of Great Tehran” by Kazem Musavi Borujerdi 

 

* “Institute of Martyr Sani” by Ali Osat Nateqi

 

* “Striving in the Path of God: Jihad and Martyrdom in Islamic Thought” by Asma Afsaruddin (Bangladesh)

 

* “Translation of Holy Quran into Japanese” by Tatsu Ichi Savada

 

* “Ice Houses of Iran” by Hemming Jorgensen (Denmark)

 

* “History of Shiism in Lebanon” by Sadun Hamada (Lebanon) 

 

In addition, scholar Najib Mayel Heravi from Afghanistan was honored as a high researcher of Islamic and Iranian studies.

 

The Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance is the main organizer of the Book of the Year Awards.

 

RM/YAW

END

1st Kish Intl. Sculpture Symposium kicks off

February 9, 2015, 11:59 am

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TEHRAN – The 1st Kish International Sculpture Symposium opened on Sunday with hopes for turning the southern Iranian island in the Persian Gulf into a center for sculpture. 

 

Situated 19 kilometers south of the mainland, Kish Island is playing host to a number of sculptors from Italy, Bulgaria, Taiwan, Germany, Portugal, Belarus, Spain, Costa Rica, Serbia, Georgia, Hungary and Austria. 

 

Five Iranian artists are also participating in the symposium, which runs until March 1. 

 

U.S.-based Georgian artist Batu Siharulidze, mostly known for his abstract figurative sculptures, and Iranian sculptors Saeid Shahlapur and Seyyed Mohammad Beheshti are the members of the jury panel for the symposium, which has been organized with the help of the Kish Free Zone Organization (KFZO). 

 

The secretary of the symposium, Seyyed Mojtaba Musavi, said that art and culture have been highly regarded by KFZO managers in their new policies.

 

Musavi also expressed his hope that the event will continue annually with an aim to embellish the island’s urban settings and environment, and added that the sculptures created during this event will be installed in urban areas across Kish.

 

Musavi evaluated the symposium as a professional event and said that only five of those 77 designs submitted by Iranian sculptors were qualified to compete in the event. 

 

Shahriar Rezaii, Hamid Reza Sadeqzadeh, Hedayat Sahraii, Safura Fadaii and Mohammad Mardi are the Iranian artists competing in the symposium.

 

MA/YAW

END

 

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Print works by Turkish artists on display at Tehran gallery

February 9, 2015, 12:02 pm

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TEHRAN – An exhibition of print works by a group of eight Turkish artists is currently underway at Tehran’s Hoom Gallery.

 

 

The artists are showcasing 14 prints of their latest works, which have been created on pieces of wood, the director of the gallery, Laleh Shamsi, told the Persian service of Honaronline on Monday. 

 

The exhibition has been organized in collaboration with the Izmir State Painting and Sculpture Museum, she said.

 

Ayten Mungan, Nilgun Koseoglu, Mualla Gurle, Nilgun Kilicaslan, Nilgun Altintig and Emine Ozdemir are among the eight printmakers who work under the supervision of the director of the museum, Faden Suzan Kudsioglu. 

 

The exhibition runs until February 12 at the gallery which can be found at No. 2, Fourth Alley, off Qaem-Maqam Farahani Street.

 

The group has previously displayed their works at several exhibitions across the world. 

 

Hoom Gallery put a collection of the works by the group on show during May and June 2014. 

 

MA/YAW

END

 

Iran seeks advance in translation of Persian works

February 9, 2015, 12:05 pm

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Tehran -- Iran’s Islamic Culture and Relations Organization (ICRO) has prepared a plan to promote the translation of Persian books into other languages.

 

The plan entitled “Translation of Persia (TOP)” was announced by ICRO Director Abuzar Ebrahimi in a press release on Monday.

 

He called TOP “a national plan” and said, “TOP aims to promote foreign translators and publishers for translation and publication of Persian books in order to improve the knowledge of other nations about Islamic and Iranian culture.”

 

“The ICRO has prepared all the necessary preliminaries to implement the plan, which will be publicized by Iran’s cultural centers in over 60 countries across the world in the near future,” he added.

 

According the plan, the ICRO will provide part of the funds that foreign publishers will expend for publication of the translated works.

 

“Over the years, Iranian scholars and writers have created many invaluable books, which have failed to get into the world book markets due to a lack of a comprehensive plan to translate the works,” Ebrahimi stated.

 

He expressed his hope that the plan can help the works be offered at world book markets.     

 

MMS/YAW

END

 

Foreign diplomats visit exhibition of Khorvin artifacts at Tehran museum

February 9, 2015, 12:06 pm

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TEHRAN – A number of foreign diplomats visited the exhibition of the Khorvin artifacts that were recovered from a Belgian museum last December at the National Museum of Iran in Tehran on Monday.

 

The collection, which consists of pottery and metal artifacts, arrived in Tehran on December 25, 2014.

 

The treasure contains 349 artifacts, which Belgium sent back to Iran after a legal battle that lasted 33 years.

 

Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Organization (CHTHO) Director Masud Soltanifar also accompanied the diplomats, the CHTHO announced.

 

In his short speech, Soltanifar honored the Belgian ambassador to Tehran, Francois Delhaye, for his great efforts in returning the artifacts.

 

“The historical artifacts of [the ancient site of] Khorvin are the lost pieces of Iran’s local culture, which returned home by the efforts that CHTHO made in collaboration with the country and officials of Belgium,” Soltanifar said.

 

He expressed his hope that Belgium’s act would turn into a good symbol for other countries and culture-loving nations to help return cultural properties back to their homelands.

 

The artifacts had been excavated from a 4000-year-old ancient site near the village of Khorvin over 60 kilometers west of Tehran.

 

RM/YAW

END

 

“Crazy Face”, “I Am Diego Maradona” lead nominations at Fajr filmfest

February 9, 2015, 12:08 pm

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TEHRAN – “Crazy Face” and “I Am Diego Maradona” garnered 11 nominations each at the 33rd Fajr Film Festival, Iran’s most important film gala, the organizers announced on Monday.

 

Produced by Bita Mansuri, “Crazy Face” received 11 nominations, including best film, best director for Abolhassan Davudi, best actress for Tannaz Tabatabaii, best cinematographer, best screenplay and best music.

 

The film narrates the real-life adventures of several Iranian youth who get to know each other through internet social networks, and follows the failed aftermath of their relations.

 

The family drama “I Am Diego Maradona” by producer Javad Noruzbeigi has been nominated in the best film category.

 

Other nominations include best director and best screenwriter for Bahram Tavakkoli, best actress for Golab Adineh, best editor, best sound recorder and best stage and costume designer.

 

“I Am Diego Maradona” is about the domestic problems of two married sisters coming from two different social and economic levels.

 

In addition, “Love Season”, a film on infidelity by filmmaker Alireza Raisian, stands next with nominations in 10 categories.

 

Winners are scheduled to be announced during the closing ceremony of the event on February 11.

 

RM/YAW

END

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Art news in brief

February 8, 2015, 11:11 am

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Iranian, Slovenian national libraries sign MOU

TEHRAN – A memorandum of understanding (MOU) has been signed between the National Library and Archives of Iran (NLAI) and the National and University Library of Slovenia (NUK).

 

The MOU inked in Ljubljana during a meeting between NLAI Director Seyyed Reza Salehi-Amiri and NUK Director Martina Roznam Salobir, IRNA reported on Saturday.

 

Based on the MOU, the libraries are scheduled to organize mutual workshops, seminars, educational courses and book fairs.

 

 

Comments on Mehdi Akhavan-Saless published in book

TEHRAN- Interviews on Mehdi Akhavan-Saless, a pioneer of blank verse in Persian literature, has recently been published in a book by Negah Publications in Tehran.

 

Entitled “Horizons and the Mysteries of the Single Pearl,” the book contains a collection of interviews, outlooks and commentaries on Akhavan-Saless (1929-1990), who was also a musicologist.

 

Poet Simin Behbahani, painter Iran Dorudi, filmmaker Masud Kimiai, and writers Reza Baraheni and Ehsan Naragi are among those 30 Iranian figures interviewed by Mehdi Mozafari Savoji for the book. 

 

 

Fajr festival an opportunity to introduce Iranian music: culture minister

TEHRAN – Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Ali Jannati has said that the Fajr International Music Festival provides an opportunity to introduce rich Iranian music to other nations.

 

In a message sent to the organizers of the festival on Sunday, Jannati said that such events can be a benchmark for annual efforts made by artists who try to promote Iranian arts and culture. 

 

Every year musicians from four corners of the globe come together at the festival that Iran organizes annually during February to celebrate the anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution.  

 

This year, in addition to many local Iranian musicians, ten groups from across the world will participate in the festival, which will be held in Tehran from February 13 to 20.

 

MA/YAW

END 

 

What’s in art galleries

February 8, 2015, 11:15 am

≫ Next: Persian translator of German literature Keikavus Jahandari commemorated

≪ Previous: Art news in brief

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Painting

* An exhibition of paintings by Saeid Ahmadzadeh is currently underway at Shokuh Gallery.

 

The show will continue until February 18 at the gallery, which can be found at 19 Amir Nuri Alley, North Salimi St. near Andarzgu Blvd.

 

* Tarrahan-e Azad Gallery is hosting an exhibition of paintings by Mahsa Karimi. 

 

The exhibition runs until February 11 at the gallery located at 41 Salmas Square, off Fatemi St.

 

* An exhibition of paintings by Bahareh Babaii is underway at Homa Gallery.

 

The exhibition runs until February 17 at the gallery, which can be found at No. 8, 4th Gharbi Alley, Sanaii St., and Karim Khan Blvd.

 

Jewelry 

* A collection of jewelry by Fatemeh Jalali and Danial Zirak is on display in an exhibition at Golestan Gallery.

 

The exhibition runs until February 10 at the gallery located at 42 Kamasaii St. in the Darus neighborhood.

 

Photo 

* Mehrva Gallery is playing host to an exhibition of photographs by Hamid Janipur. 

 

The display will run until February 16 at the gallery, which can be found at 38 South Aban St. off Karim Khan Blvd.

 

MA/YAW

END

 

Persian translator of German literature Keikavus Jahandari commemorated

February 8, 2015, 11:17 am

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TEHRAN -- The Persian literary monthly Bokhara paid tribute to Iranian translator of the German literature Keikavus Jahandari (1923-2015) at the Mahmud Afshar Foundation on Saturday.

 

Jahandari, famous for his translation of “Steppenwolf” by German-Swiss author Hermann Hesse (1877-1962), was a scholar of German literature and a researcher at the Center for the Great Islamic Encyclopedia.

 

The ceremony was attended by a number of literati including Managing Director of Bokhara Ali Dehbashi and Director of Children’s Book Council of Iran Nushafarin Ansari, the Persian service of ISNA reported on Sunday.

 

Dehbashi gave a brief explanation about Jahandari and called him one of the great translators of Iran who has rendered many books from German and English into Persian.

 

“His precise and smooth translations have played a major role in familiarizing Iranians with the world great literary works,” Dehbashi said. 

 

Member of the high council of the Center for the Great Islamic Encyclopedia Sadeq Sajjadi next made a brief speech and said that Jahandari had a good command of books on Iranian and Islamic studies and was a great help to other scholars.

Writer and translator Kamran Fani pointed to Jahandari’s translations of books and called the translation of a travelogue written by Jakob Eduard Polak (1818- 1891) one of his best works.

 

Polak was the Austrian physician who played an important role in introducing modern medicine in Iran.

 

A live music performance was the closing program of the event.

 

RM/YAW

END

 

---

Iran warns Berlin festival against politicizing cinema

February 8, 2015, 11:23 am

≫ Next: Winners of Iran’s Book of the Year Awards honored

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TEHRAN – Director of the Cinema Organization of Iran (COI) Hojjatollah Ayyubi warned director of the Berlin International Film Festival Dieter Kosslick against his political remarks on Iran prior to a screening of Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi’s “Taxi” at the festival.

 

In an open letter published on Saturday, Ayyubi wrote, “The Berlin festival has been held with screening of films by great Iranian cineastes over the past years.”

 

“[The] Berlin [festival] has turned into a familiar name for Iranian filmgoers: a place for showing films, a venue for dialogue, a dialogue the modern world desperately needs. A dialogue which, if it were to exist today, would prevent all of us from being engulfed in the current awful waves of misunderstandings,” he added.

 

“I regret that you wish to drive everybody in a taxi of new misunderstandings about the Iranian people by screening a film made by a director who has been banned by law from making films – nevertheless, he has done exactly that. I am delighted to announce that the director of ‘Taxi’ continues to drive in the fast lane of his life, freely enjoying all of its blessings,” he stated.

 

“… I, like many other lovers of cinema, hear the ominous sound of the footsteps of politics at the Berlin festival. I, like the rest of you, wanted Berlin to remain a refuge of culture and art, but it seems that someone preferred politics to art. The sound of politics can be heard, and the bricks you are laying course upon course will quickly build a new Berlin wall around your festival; a wall that could be much higher than the Great Wall of China. And politics leads to separation, which leads to the construction of Berlin Walls… whereas culture and cinema leads to the removal of walls and barriers.”  

 

Last Friday, the Berlin International Film Festival premiered “Taxi”, the latest film by Panahi, who was banned from making films for 20 years by an Iranian court for a documentary he tried to make on the unrest following Iran’s 2009 presidential election, Reuters reported.

 

“Jafar never accepted his 20-year ban and tried to do his work because he cannot make a living without making films, and by accident we got this film here, perhaps by taxi?” Kosslick said to reporters on the red carpet.

 

“Jafar is in a much better mood as a person because he is the cab driver in the film and he is a comical cabdriver with a great sense of humor and this is good because three years ago he was depressed,” he stated.

 

Panahi’s film is one of 19 vying for the Berlin festival’s annual Golden Bear prize.

 

MMS/YAW

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Winners of Iran’s Book of the Year Awards honored

February 8, 2015, 11:20 am

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TEHRAN -- The winners of the 32nd edition of Iran’s Book of the Year Awards were announced during a ceremony attended by President Hassan Rouhani in Tehran’s Summit Conference Hall on Sunday.

 

Speaking at the ceremony, Rouhani talked about book reviews, how to learn to compose oral and written reviews, as well as the issue of supervising the publication of books.

 

“Of course, reviews are possible in a safe and open atmosphere, however we must first learn how to criticize,” the President said at the ceremony.

 

Addressing the participants, he continued, “You, the literati, must write books, articles and analysis, and write reviews; you must even tell us how a review should be written. I believe the experts in each field have better ideas.”

 

Talking about supervising book publishing, Rouhani added, “I am not questioning whether or not supervision should or should not exist, rather that we cannot make one hundred principles for supervision. We can establish two or three guidelines concerning morality, national security and sanctities. You can add one more element to it, but the number should not reach one hundred.”

 

He emphasized that supervising the publication of books must be entrusted to those in charge of books, adding, “Publishers, writers and scholars must come and give their opinions. If a book is published and read by readers, why should it go through a difficult process again for republication?” the President asked.

 

“Once, books were the only media, however new media are added every day. You, the great scholars must tell us how supervision on cultural issues should be, and your opinions will then be turned into regulations and laws, since a law rooted in experts’ opinions is stronger,” the President explained.

 

“We must celebrate over the best books, but we should also celebrate the day when the youth would read the most books,” he remarked.

 

The ceremony attended by Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Ali Jannati continued with handing out awards to the winners.

 

The following is a list of the winners in various categories:

 

* “The Lexicon of Valid Hadiths” by Mohammad-Asef Mohseni 

 

* “Herbal Medicine” by Ahmad Emami 

 

* “Sociologie du theatre” ( Jean Duvignaud) translated by Jalal Sattari 

 

* “Dictionary of Iran’s Architectural Works” by Leila Pahlevanzadeh

 

* “Portrayal of Delight” (analysis of Hafez poetry) by Saeid Hamidian  

 

* “Submersible Geology” by Homayun Motiei 

 

* “Encyclopedia of Great Tehran” by Kazem Musavi Borujerdi 

 

* “Institute of Martyr Sani” by Ali Osat Nateqi

 

* “Striving in the Path of God: Jihad and Martyrdom in Islamic Thought” by Asma Afsaruddin (Bangladesh)

 

* “Translation of Holy Quran into Japanese” by Tatsu Ichi Savada

 

* “Ice Houses of Iran” by Hemming Jorgensen (Denmark)

 

* “History of Shiism in Lebanon” by Sadun Hamada (Lebanon) 

 

In addition, scholar Najib Mayel Heravi from Afghanistan was honored as a high researcher of Islamic and Iranian studies.

 

The Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance is the main organizer of the Book of the Year Awards.

 

RM/YAW

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1st Kish Intl. Sculpture Symposium kicks off

February 9, 2015, 11:59 am

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TEHRAN – The 1st Kish International Sculpture Symposium opened on Sunday with hopes for turning the southern Iranian island in the Persian Gulf into a center for sculpture. 

 

Situated 19 kilometers south of the mainland, Kish Island is playing host to a number of sculptors from Italy, Bulgaria, Taiwan, Germany, Portugal, Belarus, Spain, Costa Rica, Serbia, Georgia, Hungary and Austria. 

 

Five Iranian artists are also participating in the symposium, which runs until March 1. 

 

U.S.-based Georgian artist Batu Siharulidze, mostly known for his abstract figurative sculptures, and Iranian sculptors Saeid Shahlapur and Seyyed Mohammad Beheshti are the members of the jury panel for the symposium, which has been organized with the help of the Kish Free Zone Organization (KFZO). 

 

The secretary of the symposium, Seyyed Mojtaba Musavi, said that art and culture have been highly regarded by KFZO managers in their new policies.

 

Musavi also expressed his hope that the event will continue annually with an aim to embellish the island’s urban settings and environment, and added that the sculptures created during this event will be installed in urban areas across Kish.

 

Musavi evaluated the symposium as a professional event and said that only five of those 77 designs submitted by Iranian sculptors were qualified to compete in the event. 

 

Shahriar Rezaii, Hamid Reza Sadeqzadeh, Hedayat Sahraii, Safura Fadaii and Mohammad Mardi are the Iranian artists competing in the symposium.

 

MA/YAW

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Print works by Turkish artists on display at Tehran gallery

February 9, 2015, 12:02 pm

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TEHRAN – An exhibition of print works by a group of eight Turkish artists is currently underway at Tehran’s Hoom Gallery.

 

 

The artists are showcasing 14 prints of their latest works, which have been created on pieces of wood, the director of the gallery, Laleh Shamsi, told the Persian service of Honaronline on Monday. 

 

The exhibition has been organized in collaboration with the Izmir State Painting and Sculpture Museum, she said.

 

Ayten Mungan, Nilgun Koseoglu, Mualla Gurle, Nilgun Kilicaslan, Nilgun Altintig and Emine Ozdemir are among the eight printmakers who work under the supervision of the director of the museum, Faden Suzan Kudsioglu. 

 

The exhibition runs until February 12 at the gallery which can be found at No. 2, Fourth Alley, off Qaem-Maqam Farahani Street.

 

The group has previously displayed their works at several exhibitions across the world. 

 

Hoom Gallery put a collection of the works by the group on show during May and June 2014. 

 

MA/YAW

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Iran seeks advance in translation of Persian works

February 9, 2015, 12:05 pm

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Tehran -- Iran’s Islamic Culture and Relations Organization (ICRO) has prepared a plan to promote the translation of Persian books into other languages.

 

The plan entitled “Translation of Persia (TOP)” was announced by ICRO Director Abuzar Ebrahimi in a press release on Monday.

 

He called TOP “a national plan” and said, “TOP aims to promote foreign translators and publishers for translation and publication of Persian books in order to improve the knowledge of other nations about Islamic and Iranian culture.”

 

“The ICRO has prepared all the necessary preliminaries to implement the plan, which will be publicized by Iran’s cultural centers in over 60 countries across the world in the near future,” he added.

 

According the plan, the ICRO will provide part of the funds that foreign publishers will expend for publication of the translated works.

 

“Over the years, Iranian scholars and writers have created many invaluable books, which have failed to get into the world book markets due to a lack of a comprehensive plan to translate the works,” Ebrahimi stated.

 

He expressed his hope that the plan can help the works be offered at world book markets.     

 

MMS/YAW

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