Iranian films screened in Calcutta

November 17, 2013, 8:59 am

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TEHRAN – Two Iranian films were screened at the International Forum of New Cinema, which is held annually in Calcutta, India in November.

 

“Bear” by Khosro Masumi and “My Tribe” by Gholamreza Azadi are the Iranian lineup of the event, which was held from November 11 to 18 at the Metro Cinema in Calcutta. 

 

“Bear”, which was the Inaugural Film of the festival, went on screen on November 11.

 

The film is about Nureddin, who after having been missing in action during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war, returns home eight years later only to find his wife remarried and the mother of two children. Nureddin struggles to fight reality.

 

“My Tribe” narrates the life of a filmmaker from Isfahan in three different stages of his career.

 

SB/YAW

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Tehran university to host seminar on Iran and Kazakhstan cultural relationships

November 17, 2013, 7:58 am

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TEHRAN – Tehran’s Shahid Beheshti University will be hosting a two-day seminar on Iran and Kazakhstan cultural and civilization relationships on November 24 and 25.

 

Several topics are due to be discussed in the seminar including “Language and Literature”, “Common Heritage”, “Tourism and Communication Development”, and “Historical and Civilization Connections”.

 

Iranian and Kazakh cultural figures are expected to attend the seminar. 

 

RM/YAW

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Tehran center exhibiting paintings by children with Down syndrome

November 17, 2013, 8:00 am

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TEHRAN -- Tehran’s Ibn Sina Cultural Center is holding a charity exhibition of paintings created by children with Down syndrome.

 

The exhibit, which opened on Saturday, has been arranged to raise funds for children with Down syndrome. 

 

The exhibit will be running for one week at the center located on Iran-Zamin St., in the Shahrak-e Gharb neighborhood.

 

RM/YAW

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Moscow library hosting Iranian and Russian children’s friendship week

November 17, 2013, 9:02 am

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TEHRAN -- The Russian State Library for Children in Moscow will be hosting the first Iranian and Russian children’s friendship week beginning today.

 

The event has been organized by the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization (ICRO) in collaboration with Maria Vedenyapina, the Director of the Russian State Library for Children.

 

Several officials from Iran’s Institute for Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults (IIDCYA) are attending the event to hold workshops during the week, IIDCYA reported in a press release on Sunday.

 

IIDCYA expert Narges Jafari and teachers Jafar Golmohammadi and Parastu Vahidi will be holding workshops on making puppets, collage and origami for Russian children. 

 

An exhibition of books produced by IIDCYA, a selection of Iranian animations, and a collection of Iran’s national doll Sara clad in Iranian traditional costumes will also be set up in the library.

 

In addition, a selection of children’s paintings, IIDCYA book illustrations, and works by winners of IIDCYA photo festival will go on display in the exhibit.

 

RM/YAW

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“Acrid” cast honored at Rome festival

November 17, 2013, 9:07 am

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TEHRAN – The entire cast of the Iranian film “Acrid” received the best emerging actor and actress honor at the 8th Rome International Film Festival.

 

Directed by Kiarash Asadzadeh, the film competed at the festival, which was held from November 7 to 18 in Italy.

 

Actor Mohammadreza Ghaffari, along with the actress Shabnam Moqaddami and Roya Javidnia attended the award ceremony of the festival on Saturday.

 

“Acrid” depicts the inner feelings of different couples experiencing marital difficulties ranging from disharmonies to disloyalties. 

 

Pantea Panahiha, Saber Abar, Ehsan Amani, Shabnam Moqaddami, Sadaf Ahmadi and Siamak Safari starred in the film.

 

“Tir”, a documentary about the unlikely career path of a Bosnian truck driver directed by Albert Fasulo, won the Golden Marcus Aurelius award of the festival.

 

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Archaeologists discover traces of BMAC in northeastern Iran

November 17, 2013, 9:14 am

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TEHRAN -- Traces of an international culture that is similar to the BMAC – the Bactria–Margiana Archaeological Complex – have been discovered during an archaeological excavation in the prehistoric site of Chalo near the town of Sankhast in North Khorasan Province, Iran.

 

The excavation has been carried out by a team of Iranian and Italian archaeologists, the Iranian director of the team, Ali-Akbar Vahdati, told the Persian service of CHN on Saturday.

 

This is the second time the team has worked at the site. The first season of excavation was carried out in 2011. The team also includes experts from Italy’s Institute for Aegean and Near Eastern Studies – ICEVO.

 

The BMAC, also known as the Oxus civilization, is the modern archaeological designation for a Bronze Age civilization of Central Asia. The civilization, which dates to ca. 2300–1700 BC, was located in present day northern Afghanistan, eastern Turkmenistan, southern Uzbekistan and western Tajikistan, centered on the upper Amu Darya (Oxus River). 

 

Its sites were discovered and named by the Soviet archaeologist Viktor Sarianidi in 1976. Bactria was the Greek name for the area of Bactra (modern Balkh), in what is now northern Afghanistan, and Margiana was the Greek name for the Persian satrapy of Margu, the capital of which was Merv, in modern-day southeastern Turkmenistan.

 

Sarianidi’s excavations from the late 1970s onward revealed numerous monumental structures at many sites, fortified by impressive walls and gates. 

 

“In the first season of excavation, we found some ornamental artifacts that had surfaced as a result of agricultural activities by the locals,” Vahdati said.

 

“Based on previous studies, the BMAC was only limited to the sites located in Central Asia: in present day northern Afghanistan, eastern Turkmenistan, and some regions in Tajikistan, but the first season of excavation showed that the Chalo site is also part of this great culture,” he added.

 

The team identified residential areas, a storage space, and a cemetery during the second season of excavation.

 

To gather more information about the culture, the archaeologists dug 14 trenches in the cemetery.

 

“In most of the trenches, we discovered graves exhibiting signs of the BMAC. Environmental factors have caused serious damage to the graves, which have been discovered in upper layers of the ground,” Vahdati stated.

 

All the skeletons that were unearthed lay on their right sides in an east-west position.

 

“A variety of stoneware, earthenware, stone and metal ornaments has been discovered in the graves. All bodies had been buried with metal bracelets and bonze pins, which were used to fasten clothing. Most of them were buried with necklaces and earrings made of stone and bone,” he said.

 

“All the artifacts unearthed from the graves have the same characteristics identified for the BMAC in Central Asia,” he added.

 

The artifacts bear designs of dragons, snakes, scorpions, and other animal motifs.

 

Vahdati said people had inhabited the area before it was converted into a cemetery. 

 

“Storage spaces dating back to 3700 BC have been discovered at the site. Large pots which were used for storing grains and other agricultural products have been dug out in the spaces,” he added.

 

“We have found seeds of grain, barley and grapes. The grapes were likely used for production of vinegar or a special drink,” he stated.

 

Vahdati said, “Chalo reveals details of the BMAC in Iran. Maybe it is better to call it the Greater Khorasan culture, because parts of Merv, Samarkand, and Bukhara were under the influence of Greater Khorasan.” 

 

MMS/YAW

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English readers to enjoy Iran’s “Democracy or DemoCrazy”

November 18, 2013, 8:39 am

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TEHRAN – The Iranian satirical novel “Democracy or DemoCrazy” by Seyyed Mehdi Shojaei has been translated into English.

 

The book was translated into English by the American Iranologist Caroline Croskery and Candle and Fog Publishing House, will release the book in April 2014, the London-based Iranian publisher has announced on its website.

 

The book is a narration told by a historical researcher about a nowhere land in an ancient time, in which according to the king’s testimony, each one of his 25 sons succeed to the throne for two years. However the order of the succession is according to the people’s vote not their age.

 

The English version of the book will be offered at the London Book Fair and the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books in April 2014.

 

The Persian version of the book, which came out in Iran in 2008, will be republished for the Tehran International Book Fair for May 2014.

 

SB/YAW

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Tehran exhibit hangs Qajar era photos

November 18, 2013, 8:39 am

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TEHRAN -- The Iran Photo Museum, which is also known as Axkhaneh Shahr, is playing host to an exhibition of photos of several of Iran’s Qajar kings and shots of the everyday life of the ordinary people living under these rulers.

 

Over 30 photos selected from the private collection of Iranian collector Leila Zandi for the exhibition. Portraits of Nasser ad-Din Shah Qajar (reigned 1848–96) and several of his successors are among the photos.

 

The collection reflects part of Iran’s history through the lens of several Iranian and foreign photographers, Zandi said in a press release published on Monday.

 

The photos also reveal the styles of the costumes worn by the kings and ordinary people in those years, the pose taken by each individual in front of the camera, as well as the characteristics of a photo taken in an atelier, Zandi added.

 

Zandi, who has been working in the Iran Photo Museum for the past six years, continued that she found an interest in photography, and later was motivated to purchase and collect old photos for her private collection.

 

The exhibition, which opened on Monday, will run until November 30 at Axkhaneh Shahr, which is located on Bahar Shiraz St. near Haft-e Tir Square.

 

RM/YAW

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What’s in art galleries

November 18, 2013, 8:40 am

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Art clay silver jewelry 

 

A collection of art clay silver jewelry will be put on display in an exhibition at the Mess-Negar Gallery from November 22 to 27.

 

The collection entitled “The Silvers of the Imagination” has been created by a group of 24 young artisans.

 

The gallery is located at No. 5 in the Park Prince Building on Molla Sadra Highway.

 

Art clay silver is a metallic clay made of pure metal powder mixed with non-toxic binders and water. When kiln or torch fired, the binders burn away, leaving pure 99.9% silver.

 

 

Painting

 

* “My Galaxy”, a collection of paintings by Behnush Forutan, will be showcased in exhibit at the Shokuh Gallery from November 22 to 27.

 

Light is the central theme of the collection.

 

The gallery can be found at 19 Amir Nuri Alley, North Salimi St., Andarzgu Blvd.

 

 

Calligraphic painting

 

* Ahmad Mohammadpur will put a collection of his latest calligraphic paintings on display in an exhibition at the Vaali Gallery from November 22 to December 3.

 

He was inspired by poems by Hafez, Sadi and Rumi for creating the collection entitled “The Practice of the Mind”.

 

The gallery is located at 72 Khoddami St. off Vanak Square.

 

MMS/YAW

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IRIB production “Barekat” wins Chinese Gold Panda Award

November 18, 2013, 8:40 am

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TEHRAN -- “Barekat”, a production of Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), has won a Gold Panda Award for Best Short Documentary at the 2013 Sichuan TV Festival, which ran from November 16 to 18 in Chengdu, China.

 

The Gold Panda was handed to director Ali-Akbar Kazemi during the closing ceremony, IRIB announced in a press release on Monday.

 

“Barekat” is a non-verbal documentary featuring the historical process of producing bread from farm to bakery, examining the traditional method of baking in Iran.

 

The documentary reflects the importance of bread and its high position as a baraka (blessing) among the Iranian people.

 

“Barekat” had previously won the Silver Blueberry at the Jahorina Film Festival in Bosnia and 

Herzegovina.

 

In addition, “Bald Pigeon Fancier”, a production of Iran’s Institute for Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults, was nominated for the Gold Panda Award for Animation.

 

RM/YAW

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Iranian, Iraqi artists team up for “Asinine Stories”

November 18, 2013, 8:42 am

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TEHRAN – A number of Iranian and Iraqi Kurdish animators plans to make an animation series entitled “Asinine Stories” based on common parables from the two countries about the donkey.

 

The Iranian author Mohammad Borumand will write the screenplay for the thirty-episode series and Ebrahim Karimi will direct it.

 

“Each part has different stories about a naughty donkey, which tries to achieve a goal with its silly tricks but it never succeeds,” Borumand said in a press release on Monday.

 

In the world of literature, a donkey is a silly animal and in common culture the foolish behavior of a person is associated to manner of this animal, he said.

 

“Asinine Song”, “Asinine Plan” and “Asinine Rescue” are some episodes of the series, he added.

 

Sangar Abubakr, Abubakr Rashid, and Hazhar Mohammad are the Iraqi Kurdish members of the team of animators and their compatriots Mohammad Rashid, Ranjdar Abdullah, Saman Mahmud and Mohammad Rashid will work as the model makers of this project. 

 

The series will be produced by Iraqi Kurdistan’s NRT2 TV and Plus Million Advertising Company. 

 

 

SB/YAW

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Cinéma Vérité announces foreign lineup

November 19, 2013, 10:04 am

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TEHRAN – The 7th edition of Cinéma Vérité, the Iranian international festival for documentary films, announced its international lineup on Tuesday.

 

A total of 42 documentaries were selected from 670 submissions.

 

“Mr. Siebzehnruebl” by Tuna Kaptan from Turkey, “For Me the Sun Never Sets” by Mina Rad from France, “In Guns We Trust” by Nicolas Lévesque from Canada and 15 other films will be screened in the Short Documentary section.

 

Twelve documentaries will compete at the Semi-Feature Length Documentary section of the event, among which are “Father and Son” by Pawel Lozinski from Poland, “The Bosnian Identity” by Matteo Bastianelli from Italy, and “The Subtext of Anger” by Vandana Kohli from India. 

 

The Feature-length Documentary section will screen twelve documentaries including “The Act of Killing” by Joshua Oppenheimer from Denmark, “Gulabi Gang” by Nishtha Jain from India, and “A Sporting Dynasty” by Amit Tyagi from Kenya.

 

The 7th Cinéma Vérité will be held in Tehran from December 10 to 17.

 

SB/YAW

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Culture Ministry mulling publication of “The Colonel” in Iran

November 19, 2013, 10:06 am

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TEHRAN – Iranian Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance is mulling over publication of the Persian version of Mahmud Dowlatabadi’s acclaimed novel “The Colonel”, Deputy Culture Minister for Cultural Affairs Seyyed Abbas Salehi announced on Monday.

 

Cheshmeh, a Tehran-based publishing company, submitted the book to the Culture Ministry in 2008 to apply for permission to publish.

 

Former officials at the ministry refused to authorize publication, asking Dowlatabadi to make some modifications to the book, which is known in Persian as “The Downfall of the Colonel”. However, they declined to approve the book after it was revised.

 

“The Colonel” is about the life of an Iranian colonel who recalls his memories of families and friends in solitude.   

 

The German version of the book, which was published by Haus in Germany in 2009, received Switzerland’s Jan Michalski Prize last week. 

 

The English version of the novel was among the finalists of the U.S. 2013 Best Translated Book Award in April 2013.

 

“I’ve read the book; I read all the books written by Dowlatabadi since I was a young man. He is the pride of Iran’s literature and the Khorasan region, so the publication of his book in Iran would be an honor for the country,” Salehi said.

 

Salehi stated that he respects the regulations governing the publication of books in Iran and added the book should not be exempted from regulations.  

 

Born in 1940, short-story writer and novelist Dowlatabadi was the most prominent Iranian novelist of the 1980s. Self-educated and forced to work from childhood, he spent part of his younger adult years as a stage actor in Tehran.

 

“Kalidar”, “Desert Strata”, “The Trip”, “The Legend of Baba Sobhan”, “The Cowherd”, “Aqil”, “Man” and “Missing Soluch” are among Dowlatabadi’s credits.

 

SB/YAW

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Culture Ministry mulling publication of “The Colonel” in Iran

November 19, 2013, 10:06 am

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TEHRAN – Iranian Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance is mulling over publication of the Persian version of Mahmud Dowlatabadi’s acclaimed novel “The Colonel”, Deputy Culture Minister for Cultural Affairs Seyyed Abbas Salehi announced on Monday.

 

Cheshmeh, a Tehran-based publishing company, submitted the book to the Culture Ministry in 2008 to apply for permission to publish.

 

Former officials at the ministry refused to authorize publication, asking Dowlatabadi to make some modifications to the book, which is known in Persian as “The Downfall of the Colonel”. However, they declined to approve the book after it was revised.

 

“The Colonel” is about the life of an Iranian colonel who recalls his memories of families and friends in solitude.   

 

The German version of the book, which was published by Haus in Germany in 2009, received Switzerland’s Jan Michalski Prize last week. 

 

The English version of the novel was among the finalists of the U.S. 2013 Best Translated Book Award in April 2013.

 

“I’ve read the book; I read all the books written by Dowlatabadi since I was a young man. He is the pride of Iran’s literature and the Khorasan region, so the publication of his book in Iran would be an honor for the country,” Salehi said.

 

Salehi stated that he respects the regulations governing the publication of books in Iran and added the book should not be exempted from regulations.  

 

Born in 1940, short-story writer and novelist Dowlatabadi was the most prominent Iranian novelist of the 1980s. Self-educated and forced to work from childhood, he spent part of his younger adult years as a stage actor in Tehran.

 

“Kalidar”, “Desert Strata”, “The Trip”, “The Legend of Baba Sobhan”, “The Cowherd”, “Aqil”, “Man” and “Missing Soluch” are among Dowlatabadi’s credits.

 

SB/YAW

END

Culture Ministry mulling publication of “The Colonel” in Iran

November 19, 2013, 10:06 am

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TEHRAN – Iranian Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance is mulling over publication of the Persian version of Mahmud Dowlatabadi’s acclaimed novel “The Colonel”, Deputy Culture Minister for Cultural Affairs Seyyed Abbas Salehi announced on Monday.

 

Cheshmeh, a Tehran-based publishing company, submitted the book to the Culture Ministry in 2008 to apply for permission to publish.

 

Former officials at the ministry refused to authorize publication, asking Dowlatabadi to make some modifications to the book, which is known in Persian as “The Downfall of the Colonel”. However, they declined to approve the book after it was revised.

 

“The Colonel” is about the life of an Iranian colonel who recalls his memories of families and friends in solitude.   

 

The German version of the book, which was published by Haus in Germany in 2009, received Switzerland’s Jan Michalski Prize last week. 

 

The English version of the novel was among the finalists of the U.S. 2013 Best Translated Book Award in April 2013.

 

“I’ve read the book; I read all the books written by Dowlatabadi since I was a young man. He is the pride of Iran’s literature and the Khorasan region, so the publication of his book in Iran would be an honor for the country,” Salehi said.

 

Salehi stated that he respects the regulations governing the publication of books in Iran and added the book should not be exempted from regulations.  

 

Born in 1940, short-story writer and novelist Dowlatabadi was the most prominent Iranian novelist of the 1980s. Self-educated and forced to work from childhood, he spent part of his younger adult years as a stage actor in Tehran.

 

“Kalidar”, “Desert Strata”, “The Trip”, “The Legend of Baba Sobhan”, “The Cowherd”, “Aqil”, “Man” and “Missing Soluch” are among Dowlatabadi’s credits.

 

SB/YAW

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Iranian artists complete tableau inscription of Ayat al-Kursi

November 19, 2013, 10:09 am

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TEHRAN – A team of Iranian artists has recently completed a rare precious tableau bearing the inscription of Ayat al-Kursi (The Throne Verse), the 255th verse of the second surah of the Holy Quran, Surah Baqarah.

 

Entitled “Treasure of Safety”, the artwork was commissioned and purchased by an Arab-Iranian private collector (whose name was not given in the report), the designer of the tableau Mehran Rahbaran told the Persian service of MNA on Tuesday.

 

The verse is believed to be the most famous verse of the Quran and that Prophet Mohammad (S) has called it one of the greatest verses of Quran, Rahbaran added.

 

A team of 25 artists has created the artwork, Rahbaran said, adding that the holy verse has been inscribed in nastaliq style of calligraphy.

 

Elements such as silver, gold, agate and emerald, which have been used in creating the artwork, refer to the four major elements of life including water, wind, earth and fire, he said.

 

The holy verse has been inscribed on a circular plate, which resembles the form of a shield, highlighting the protection it gives to the individual who recites it.

 

The 107x75cm artwork weighs 20kg and will be unveiled in Tehran’s Milad Tower during a ceremony in the near future and will later be transferred to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by the private collector.

 

RM/YAW

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New findings show Bronze Age people also ate kaleh pacheh

November 19, 2013, 10:08 am

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TEHRAN – The latest findings at the Bronze Age site of Chalo in northeastern Iran show that people ate kaleh pacheh, a traditional Iranian dish that is prepared with sheep’s head and trotters, in their diet.

 

A team of Iranian and Italian archaeologists has found bones of sheep’s head and trotters in two bowls buried into two graves unearthed during the latest excavation at the site located near the town of Sankhast in North Khorasan Province, Iranian director of the team, Ali-Akbar Vahdati, told the Persian service of CHN on Monday.

 

“Remains of a sheep’s head and four trotters have been found in two bowl-shaped containers buried in the graves with the bodies of two persons,” he stated.

 

“This discovery shows that kaleh pacheh was likely their favorite food that was presented to them after their deaths,” he added 

 

This is the second season of excavation the team has carried out at the site. The first season was completed in 2011. The team includes Italian archaeologist Rafael Bichone and his colleagues from Italy’s Institute for Aegean and Near Eastern Studies – ICEVO.

 

They have discovered 14 graves in 14 trenches, which have been dug at the site.

 

“Earthenware dishes, which had been filled with foods, have been discovered in the graves. The archaeologists have also found remains of goat and sheep meat in some of the dishes,” Vahdati said.

 

During this season of excavation, the archaeologists have said that they have found traces of an international culture, which is similar to the BMAC – the Bactria–Margiana Archaeological Complex.

 

The BMAC, also known as the Oxus civilization, is the modern archaeological designation for a Bronze Age civilization of Central Asia. The civilization, which dates to ca. 2300–1700 BC, was located in present day northern Afghanistan, eastern Turkmenistan, southern Uzbekistan and western Tajikistan, centered on the upper Amu Darya (Oxus River).

 

“All the artifacts unearthed from the graves have the same characteristics identified with the BMAC in Central Asia,” Vahdati previously said.

 

However he added, “Chalo reveals details of the BMAC in Iran. Maybe it is better to call it the Greater Khorasan culture, because parts of Merv, Samarkand and Bukhara were under the influence of Greater Khorasan.”

 

MMS/YAW

END

“Fish and Cat” named best film at Portuguese festival

November 19, 2013, 10:04 am

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TEHRAN -- The Iranian movie “Fish and Cat” won the Best Film Award at the 13th Lisbon and Estoril Film Festival in Portugal, organizers announced on Monday.

 

Director Shahram Mokri received the award Monday during the closing ceremony of the event in Lisbon.

 

The Kazakh-German drama “Harmony Lessons” by Emir Baigazin won the festival’s Special Jury Award and “Primaria” by Hugo Pedro from Portugal won the MEO Award for Best Short Film.

 

“Fish and Cat” is the story of a group of students who decide to camp in a desolate Caspian region where a kite flying competition is held during the winter solstice. 

 

Not far from the camp live Babak and Saeid, two grimly practical cooks. Armed with sharp knives, they roam the forest in search of meat to serve in the decrepit restaurant they run nearby. 

 

“Fish and Cat” is inspired by the true story of a restaurant that served human flesh. Its aesthetic proposal is a tour de force: a film shot in a single take (by the director of photography, Mahmud Kalari), combining formal experimentation and suspense horror filmed with a sense of humor that is rare in Iranian cinema.

 

The movie had already received the Special Orizzonti Award for Innovative Content at the 70th Venice International Film Festival in September.
 

RM/YAW

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Iran, Tajikistan to celebrate 700th birthday of Persian scholar

November 20, 2013, 9:46 am

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TEHRAN -- Iran and Tajikistan will jointly celebrate the 700th birth anniversary of the Persian Sufi and scholar Mir Seyyed Ali bin Shahab-ud-Din Hamadani in 2014.

 

The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has registered the occasion on its celebration list of anniversaries for 2014, the Secretary-General of Tajikistan National Commission for UNESCO Abdurahimova Shahlo Rustamovna said in a press release published by the Persian service of IRNA on Wednesday.

 

Early this year Iran and Tajikistan, with the support of India and Pakistan, submitted the proposal to UNESCO for holding the 700th birth anniversary of Hamadani.

 

Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani (1314-1385), mystic and poet and a prominent Muslim scholar, was born in the central Iranian city of Hamadan and died in Tajikistan’s city of Kunar and was buried in Khatlan.

 

He was very influential in spreading Islam in Kashmir and had a major hand in shaping the culture of the Kashmir valley. 

 

SB/YAW

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Shahnameh’s female characters inspire art collection

November 20, 2013, 8:33 am

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TEHRAN – Hengameh Sadri will be displaying a series of her paintings inspired by female characters in Shahnameh, the epic masterpiece of Persian poet Ferdowsi, in an exhibition opening late December in Tehran’s Sareban Gallery.

 

“The central theme of the paintings is the personal image I have about the female figures in Shahnameh,” Sadri told the Persian service of IRNA on Wednesday.

 

Ferdowsi has described the women of his historical epic as brave, influential and selective, those who have had major roles in life, she said, adding, “My paintings depict images of these women in epic backgrounds with bows and arrows.”

 

She referred to Rudabeh, Manijeh, Farangis and Tahmineh as some of the female characters in Shahnameh she has portrayed in her paintings, “The paintings are a combination of epic and history with my personal images of these women.”

 

In addition, a female naqqal (Iranian traditional storyteller) will be invited to recite a part of Shahnameh based on the paintings at the opening ceremony. 

 

Sadri has so far held several exhibits in Iran and other countries.

 

RM/YAW

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