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“Last Winter” to compete in two more intl. events

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TEHRAN -- Iranian director Salem Salavati’s “Last Winter” will go on screen at two more international festivals in 2014.
 
The movie, which was screened in various international festivals previously, will be shown at the 24th Tromso International Film Festival, which will be held from January 13 to 19 in Tromso city, Norway.   
 
In addition, it will compete in the 6th Jaipur International Film Festival that will take place in the northwestern Indian city from February 1 to 5. 
 
“Last Winter” is about a former mayor who still feels responsible for the depopulated village he once served. Many of his neighbors have left since they dammed the valley, and he takes care of their property. 
 
His cheerful wife Baji, on the other hand, spends her time embroidering, although her eyes aren’t so good, and sometimes she reads a letter from their son Barzan, sent while he was serving in the military years before.
 
The movie received the FIPRESCI Award at the 10th Golden Apricot International Film Festival in Yerevan, Armenia this year in July.
 
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Doc satirizing relationships between Chavez, Ahmadinejad and Bush screened in Tehran

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TEHRAN -- “The Alphabet of Politics”, a controversial documentary satirizing relationships between former Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and former U.S. president George Bush, was screened during the first day of the Cinéma Vérité festival on Tuesday.
 
Iranian filmmaker Mohammadreza Akbari directed the documentary in 2008, but the Iranian cultural officials refused to authorize the release of the film.
 
“This film is about Ahmadinejad, Chavez and Bush through the language of satire,” Akbari told the Persian service of ILNA on Monday.
 
“This film was banned for five years, but the Iran Cinema Organization allowed the documentary to have a screening only at the Cinéma Vérité festival,” he added.
 
However, “The Alphabet of Politics” was allowed to premiere at the Avini Documentary Film Festival in 2009 and won the Audience Favorite Film Award.
 
“Today, fortunately, a new arena has opened for screening such films in Iran under the new administration,” Akbari stated.
 
The 7th edition of Cinéma Vérité, which is Iran’s most important international festival for documentary films, opened on Tuesday and will continue until December 17.
 
The festival is held annually by the Experimental and Documentary Film Center, which is affiliated with the Iran Cinema Organization. 
 
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Iranian artist making ceramic tableau portrait of Nelson Mandela

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TEHRAN – An Iranian artist is currently working on a ceramic tableau
portrait of former South African president Nelson Mandela.
 
The 50x80-centimeter artwork entitled “The White Africa” will be sent to Johannesburg to be placed on Mandela’s tomb, artist Reza Nuri told the Persian service of ISNA on Wednesday. 
 
The artwork will be completed within the next 10 days and will be presented to South African Ambassador R.G. Whitehead in Tehran, he added.
 
“The gold-inlaid portrait of Mandela is highlighted on a background, which has been divided in several sections. Each section depicts part of the life of the African people,” he added.
 
Nuri also said that the South African ambassador was informed about the tableau in a letter sent to the embassy.
 
Nuri, who previously made a tableau about the dark history of Africa, said that this is a new image of the history of Africa reflecting a happy atmosphere.
 
All the expenses have been covered by Nuri and his wife. 
 
Nelson Mandela died on December 5, 2013 at the age of 95 after months of struggling with an illness.  
 
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Iranian short film “More than Two Hours” to compete in Sundance festival

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TEHRAN – The Iranian short film “More than Two Hours” by filmmaker Ali Asgari will be screened in the competition section of the Sundance Film Festival, which will run from January 16 to 26 in Park City, Utah, the United States.
 
The 2014 Short Film program is comprised of 66 short films selected from over 8000 submissions, organizers have announced on the festival website.
 
“More than Two Hours” by screenwriters Asgari and Farnush Samadi narrates the story of a boy and a girl wandering in the city at 3:00 a.m., looking for a hospital to treat the girl, but it’s much harder to find one than they thought.
 
American short films including “The Bravest, the Boldest” by Moon Molson, “Dawn” by Rose McGowan and “Dig” by Toby Halbrooks, as well as “Mystery” by Chema Garcia Ibarra from Spain and “Wakening” by Tony Elliott from Canada are some of the short films competing in the festival.
 
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Calligraphy artworks by Iranian artists on display at Malaysian museum

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TEHRAN – Calligraphy artworks by artists from Iran and seven other countries are on display in an exhibition at the Malaysia Islamic Arts Museum in Kuala Lumpur.
 
Entitled “Nun wa Al Qalam Contemporary Muslim Calligraphy”, the exhibition will run until May 10, 2014.
 
Ozra Aqiqi-Bakhshayeshi, Nasrollah Afjeii, Golnaz Fathi, Fereidun Yaqubi and Maryam Qanbarian are among Iranian artists whose works are on display at the showcase.
 
“Calligraphy unified the Arts of Islam from around the world, and contributed to the splendor of its cultural heritage. 
 
“The exhibition presents the enigmatic and mystical artworks of 36 artists from 8 different countries, where every artwork stands to become a dialogue of ideas, reflecting a changing world,” the musuem’s website described the showcase.
 
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Iranian Artists Forum to hold poster exhibition on Mandela

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TEHRAN – The Iranian Artists Forum (IAF) plans to organize an international poster exhibition on the liberation struggle icon Nelson Mandela.
 
In a press release published on Wednesday, the IAF called upon artists from around the world to participate in this exhibition entitled “Nelson Mandela: The Bird of Freedom”.
 
Mandela, South Africa’s first black president, passed away peacefully in the company of his family on Thursday after a long battle with a lung infection.
 
Since his death, South Africa has been gripped by an outpouring of emotion unrivalled since Mandela’s release in 1990 after 27 years in apartheid prisons, and his victory in the first all-race elections four years later.
 
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House of Cinema to establish art center for East Azarbaijan quake victims

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TEHRAN -- The Iranian House of Cinema (IHC) plans to establish an art house in Heris, one of the towns that was almost destroyed by an earthquake in East Azarbaijan Province in August 2012.
 
The architectural design for the Heris Art House was unveiled during a ceremony at the IHC on Tuesday evening.
 
Actor Parviz Parastuii, directors Kamal Tabrizi and Reza Mirkarimi visited the quake-stricken regions and afterwards they organized fundraising events to establish the art house for the devastated area.
 
All the fundraisers were held under the auspices of the IHC, which was disbanded by the former minister of culture and Islamic guidance, who claimed that the guild of Iranian cineastes intervened in political issues.
 
However, the IHC was reopened by the new director of the Iran Cinema Organization after President Hassan Rouhani came to power.
 
“We began this charity work while we are under attack by the former officials who called the Iranian House of Cinema the house of corruption and politics,” Parastuii said during the ceremony.
 
“I feel happy that the design is being unveiled among a number of charitable groups,” he added.
 
The Heris Art House will be constructed in an area of 2000 square meters, architect Faramarz Parsi said.
 
The art house will contain a cinema, a gallery, a theater and an educational space.
 
“We intend to prepare an area, which will change into a haunt for cultural dialogues,” Parsi stated.
 
Two large quakes hit the towns of Ahar, Haris and Varzaqan in the northwestern Iranian province of East Azarbaijan on August 11, 2012.
 
At least 12 villages were totally leveled by the quakes, which killed over 300 people. 425 other villages also sustained damage ranging from 50 to 80 percent.
  
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Iranian films line up for Indian festival

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TEHRAN – A selection of Iranian films are competing in the 11th Chennai International Film Festival, which opened in India on Thursday.
 
The lineup includes “Hush! Girls Don’t Scream” directed by Puran Derakhshandeh, “The Restitution” by Ali Ghaffari, “Trapped” by Parviz Shahbazi, “Parviz” by Majid Barzegar, “The Green Umbrella” by Nasser Refaii, “Berlin -7” by Ramtin Lavafipur and “Sunlight, Moonlight, Earth” by Ali Qavitan, organizers announced.
 
Films from Iran and Taiwan are scheduled to be screened in the Country Focus section of the festival, which will run until December 20.  
 
Movies acclaimed at the festivals of Cannes, Berlin, and Venice will be screened during the event.
 
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What’s in art galleries

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Painting 
 
* An exhibition of paintings by Adak Jamshidzadeh is currently underway at Gallery 1 of the Niavaran Cultural Center.
Jamshidzadeh used coffee to create the paintings on canvas.
 
The exhibit will continue until December 21 at the center located at the end of Pasdaran Ave. in the Niavaran neighborhood.
 
* Gallery 2 of the cultural center is also playing host to an exhibition of paintings by Farahnaz Javadian. 
The exhibit will run until December 21.
 
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Another Persian translation of “And the Mountains Echoed” published

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TEHRAN – Another Persian translation of Khaled Hosseini’s latest novel “And the Mountains Echoed” has appeared in Iran.
 
Translated by Shabnam Sa’adat, the book was released by Afraz Publications.
 
The book had previously been translated into Persian by Mohsen Oqbaii, Mahguneh Ghahreman and Maryam Meftahi. These versions were released respectively by Behzad, Peykan and Alma publishing companies.
 
Published in 2013 by Riverhead Books, “And the Mountains Echoed” deviates from Hosseini’s style in his first two works by his choice to avoid focusing on any one character. 
 
The book’s foundation is built on the relationship between ten-year-old Abdullah and his three-year-old sister Pari and their father’s decision to sell her to a childless couple in Kabul, an event that ties the various narratives together. 
 
The Persian version of Hosseini’s previous books “The Kite Runner” and “A Thousand Splendid Suns” were among the bestsellers in Iran.
 
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Iran’s “Painting Pool” wins UNESCO Award at APSA 2013

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TEHRAN – The Iranian family drama “The Painting Pool” has won the UNESCO Award at the seventh annual Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA).
 
Directed by Maziar Miri, the film received the award for “outstanding contribution to the promotion and preservation of cultural diversity through film,” the organizers announced on Thursday.  
 
The award was accepted by the film’s star, Negar Javaherian, during the award presentation ceremony at the City Hall of Brisbane, Australia.
 
Javaherian was also a nominee for the award for Best Performance by an Actress.
 
“The Painting Pool” is about physically challenged parents who face a problem with their only son.
 
The Best Feature Film Award went to the Palestinian film “Omar”. Produced, written, and directed by Hany Abu-Assad, the film is the first to be fully funded by the Palestinian film industry.
 
Bangladeshi producer Mostofa Sarwar Farooki was awarded a Jury Grand Prize for his “Television” and the Singaporean filmmaker Anthony Chen won the Achievement in Directing award for his touching debut feature film “Ilo, Ilo”.
 
The award for Best Performance by an Actor was presented to Lee Byung-hun for his role in “Masquerade” from South Korea, and the award for Best Performance by an Actress went to Zhang Ziyi for her role in “The Grandmaster” from Hong Kong.
 
APSA is endorsed by UNESCO, with which it shares a common goal -– to foster cultural diversity and promote mutual understanding, dialogue and peace. 
 
APSA also has the endorsement of the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF), which regulates the world’s most important film festivals and events.
 
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Golden Globes look to “The Past” in Best Foreign Language Film category

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TEHRAN -- Iranian director Asghar Farhadi’s drama “The Past” has been nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2014.
 
French filmmaker Abdellatif Kechiche’s “Blue is the Warmest Color”, Italian director Paolo Sorrentino’s “The Great Beauty”, Danish director Thomas Vinterberg’s “The Hunt”, and Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki’s “The Wind Rises” are also contending for the award in this category, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced on Thursday.
 
Starring Berenice Bejo, “The Past” is Farhadi’s first project done outside of his homeland.
 
The French-language film is about an Iranian man named Ahmad who returns to Paris from Tehran after a four-year separation upon his French wife Marie’s request in order to finalize their divorce.
 
Bejo won the Palme d’Or for best actress at the 66th annual Cannes Film Festival for her portrayal of the French woman.
 
Farhadi’s “A Separation” won an Oscar, a Golden Globe and a French César for best language foreign film earlier in 2012 as well as Berlin’s Golden Bear in 2011.
 
“12 Years a Slave”, a slavery drama directed by Steve McQueen, “American Hustle”, a crime comedy drama directed by David O. Russell, led the Golden Globe Awards nominations with seven nods.
 
Both films were nominated in their respective best picture categories. The films also earned directing nods and acting nominations for Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Lupita Nyong'o, Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence, Christian Bale and Bradley Cooper.
 
The 71st Golden Globe Awards will be held in Beverly Hills on January 12, 2014.
 
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Iran, Turkey to hold seminars on Abdurrahim Karakoç, Shahriar

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TEHRAN -- Iranian poet Mohammad-Hossein Shahriar and Turkish poet Abdurrahim Karakoç will be discussed during two separate seminars in Ankara and Tehran.
 
The first seminar will be held at the University of Tehran on December 28 and the Ankara University will host the second in March 2014.
 
The seminars have been organized by the Shahriar International Research Foundation and Turkey’s Yunus Emre Cultural Center in Tehran, the Shahriar foundation announced in a press release on Saturday.
 
Four professors from Ankara University have been invited to the seminar, which will be held in Tehran. The names of the professors were not mentioned in the report.
 
Karakoç (1932-2012) was also a renowned journalist. He composed many poem collections including “Hassan Letters” (1964), “Wisdom Wash Ashore” (1965), and “To the Friend” (1994).
 
Seyyed Mohammad Hossein Behjat-Tabrizi (1906-1988), mainly known by his pen name Shahriar, was a legendary Iranian poet wrote in the Azerbaijani and Persian languages.
 
Shahriar was the first Iranian to write significant poetry in Azerbaijani. He published his first book of poems in 1929.
 
His most famous Azerbaijani work “Heidar Babaya Salam”, published in 1954, won the immense affection of the Azerbaijani-speakers in Iran and other countries. 
 
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Iranian author studying children and childhood in Sadi’s works

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TEHRAN – Iranian author Manuchehr Alipur is currently working on a research project that will reflect the image of children and childhood in works of the Persian poet Sadi (c. 1213-1291
 
He plans to publish the results of his study in a book entitled “Image of Child and childhood in Sadi’s Works”.
 
One of the greatest figures in classical Persian literature, Sadi is the author of Gulistan and Bustan. 
 
“I carefully studied Sadi’s works and noticed that children and young adults and childhood and adulthood have prominent positions in his works,” Alipur told the Persian service of Fars News Agency on Saturday.
 
“I believe Sadi has written more about children in his works compared to other Iranian authors and poets,” he added.
 
Alipur has previously written biographies of a number of Persian writers and poets including Sohrab Sepehri, Nima Yushij and Jalal Al-e Ahmad for children and young adults. The books have recently been republished by the Tirgan Company.
 
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Pictorial book on Iran’s religious minorities to be unveiled at IAF

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TEHRAN – Leaders and representatives of different religions in Iran will come together at the Iranian Artists Forum (IAF) on Tuesday to attend the unveiling ceremony of a pictorial book about the life of religious minorities in Iran.
 
“Iran, the Land of Religions in Peace” contains five chapters, which have been published in 304 pages, publisher Ramin Ahmadi said in a press release on Saturday.
 
Daily lives, ceremonies, anniversaries, traditions and history of Zoroastrians, Assyrians, Armenians, Jews, and Mandaeans are included in the book.
 
Photos have been taken by Abbas Tahvildar, and Masud Foruzandeh has written the brief explanations of the book. 
 
The unveiling ceremony will take place at the Shahnaz Hall of the forum at 6 p.m.
 
 
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“Parviz” takes home top honor at Kerala filmfest

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TEHRAN -- Iranian director Majid Barzegar’s dark comedy drama “Parviz” has won the Golden Crow Pheasant Award for the Best Film at the 18th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK).
 
The film is about Parviz, a man in his fifties who has lived his entire life in his father’s home and has never had a job. His quiet routine suddenly comes apart when his father decides to remarry and tells him to move out.
 
Starring Levon Haftvan, Homeira Nonahali and Mahmud Behruzian, “Parviz” has previously been screened at several international events. 
 
It won the Silver Apricot, the runner-up award, at the 10th Golden Apricot International Film Festival in Yerevan, Armenia this year in July.
 
The closing ceremony of the IFFK was held on December 12.
 
Bangladeshi director Kamaleswar Mukherjee received the Silver Crow Pheasant Award for the Best Director for “Meghe Dhaka Taara”
 
“Errata” by Argentinean director Ivan Vescovo won the Silver Crow Pheasant Award for Best Debut Film and the Audience Award for Best Film went to “101 Questions” by Malayalam director Sidhartha Siva.
 
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Iranian vocalists to commemorate Rumi with concerts in Konya

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TEHRAN – Two Iranian vocalists, Shahram Nazeri and Abdolhossein Mokhtabad, will honor Persian poet and mystic Molana Jalal ad-Din Rumi (1207-1273) with their performances in the Turkish city of Konya.
 
The two left for Konya on Saturday and will give their performances tonight and tomorrow night for thousands of Rumi devotees, who have flocked to Konya to commemorate the anniversary of the poet’s death on December 17.
 
Shahram Nazeri was presented with the Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur medal in Paris on September 29 for the scholarly interest he has taken in the musical interpretation and vocalization of the transcendent lyrics of Rumi.
 
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Lian to give concert in Sweden

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TEHRAN – Lian, a celebrated band from the southern Iranian city of Bushehr, will be giving a concert at Gothenburg’s Concert Hall in Sweden on December 28.
 
This will be the third time the band has performed in Sweden, band leader Mohsen Sharifian told the Persian service of ISNA on Sunday.
 
The band is famous for performing with the ney-anban (Iranian bagpipe).
 
Hossein Sangsar, Mahmud Bardaknia, Hadi Manuchehri, Morteza Palizdan and Akka Safavi will accompany the band.
 
The band will later give a performance at Tehran’s Vahdat Hall for several nights in early January.
 
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Iranian Artists Forum to screen animated short Oscar winners and nominees

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TEHRAN – Twelve short animated movies, which were nominated for an Oscar or won the award in the years between 2007 and 2012, will be screened at the cinematheque of the Iranian Artists Forum (IAF) on Monday.
 
Among the movies are “Paperman” (2012) by U.S. director John Kahrs Paperman, “The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore” (2011) by U.S. directors William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg, “The Lost Thing” (2010) jointly  directed by Andrew Ruhemann from England and Shaun Tan from Australia, “Logorama” (2009) by French director François Alaux and Hervé de Crécy, “The House of Small Cubes” (2008) by Japanese director Kunio Kato, and “Peter & the Wolf”, a joint production of Poland, Britain and Norway by  British director Suzie Templeton.
 
A panel of critics including Ahmad Arabani and Bahram Azimi will review the animations after screening.

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Tehran institute to host French book fair

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TEHRAN – The latest offerings from a number of French publishers will be on sale in an exhibition, which opens at Tehran’s Book City Institute today.
 
The books are mostly in the field of philosophy, and classical and modern literature.
 
The institute is located on Shariati St. near Mo’allam intersection on the corner of Kalateh Alley.
 
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