Iran
Iranian Director Dariush Mehrjui and Wife Killed in Stabbing Attack (Reports)
Famed Iranian film director Dariush Mehrjui (The Cow, The Pear Tree) was murdered, along with his wife, in a stabbing attack by an unknown assailant at their home in Iran, Iranian state media reported on Sunday. The official IRNA news agency quoted Hossein Fazeli, a judiciary official, as saying that Mehrjhi and his wife, Vahideh […]
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Iranian Director Saeed Roustayi Imprisoned for Screening Film ‘Leila’s Brothers’ in Cannes
Iranian director and screenwriter Saeed Roustayi has been sentenced to six months in prison for screening his film Leila’s Brothers at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival without necessary authorization, according to local reports. The filmmaker — alongside his producer Javad Noruzbegi — were on Tuesday found guilty of “contributing to propaganda of the opposition against the Islamic […]
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Dissident Iran Drama ‘Critical Zone,’ Ken Loach’s ‘The Old Oak’ Take Top Prizes at Locarno Film Festival
Critical Zone, an Iranian drama shot in secret by dissident director Ali Ahmadzadeh, has won the Golden Leopard honor for best film at the 2023 Locarno Film Festival. Ahmadzadeh, who has been banned from leaving Iran, was unable to attend the awards ceremony, held at the Swiss city Saturday night. The Iranian government pressured the […]
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‘Empty Nets’ Review: Impressive Feature Debut Is a Gritty Iranian Gut Punch About a Financially Desperate Man
A young Iranian gets involved in black market caviar smuggling to earn the cash he needs for his marriage in Behrooz Karamizade's searing drama, premiering in Karlovy Vary.
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Cannes: Mohammad Rasoulof Banned From Leaving Iran to Join Un Certain Regard Jury
Acclaimed Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof has been prevented from leaving the country to attend the Cannes Film Festival to serve on the Un Certain Regard jury. As first reported in the Farsi-language news service of Radio France Internationale (RFI), Rasoulof had hoped to attend Cannes this year after Iranian authorities, in February, granted him a […]
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Dissident Filmmaker Jafar Panahi Reportedly Leaves Iran for First Time in 14 Years
The long travel ban against dissident Iranian director Jafar Panahi, in place for the past 14 years, has apparently been lifted. Panahi’s wife Tahereh Saeedi, in a post on Instagram late Tuesday night, said the Iranian government has “canceled” the travel ban, first imposed in 2009. Accompanying the post was a posted of Saeedi and […]
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2023 Karlovy Vary Festival Celebrates Indie Iranian Cinema, Japanese Director Yasuzo Masumura
The 57th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival will focus on independent Iranian cinema this year, with a selection of recent works by directors working outside the Tehran regime. The nine features, all made in the past four years, and most from young directors at the start of their careers, “offer an insightful testimony of the […]
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Oscars: Shohreh Aghdashloo, Designer Break Down Dress Honoring Iranian Women Fighting for Freedom (Exclusive)
When Shohreh Aghdashloo received her invitation to attend the 2023 Oscars, she quickly realized this high-wattage moment could be an opportunity to highlight an issue close to her heart. “I was so happy to be invited, but what crossed my mind is that this was a chance to take the case of the Iranian freedom […]
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Kristen Stewart Joins Iran Protest in Berlin as Politics Seizes the Spotlight at 2023 Festival
At this year’s Berlin Film Festival, politics and protests, not cinema and celebrities, have gotten top billing. The activist uproar, whether its protesting environmentalists, demonstrations on the rights of women in Iran, or shows of solidarity with the embattled people of Ukraine, has created a media echo that has often overpowered what has been happening […]
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Berlin: Independents Plan a New Future for Iranian Cinema
Iranian cinema got a rare bit of good news recently. Earlier this month, two of the country’s most famous dissident directors —Jafar Panahi (Taxi, No Bears) and Mohammad Rasoulof (Berlin Golden Bear winner There Is No Evil) were released from prison after months behind bars. The elation surrounding their release was short lived: Rasoulof was […]
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Iranian Director Mohammad Rasoulof Faces New Charges, 8-Year Prison Sentence
Dissident Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof, who was recently released from prison on medical grounds, now faces new charges that could land him back in jail. Iranian authorities have brought three fresh charges against the director, accusing him of illegalassembly and collusion against national security, of insulting the regime leadership, and of spreading propaganda against the […]
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Berlin Golden Bear Winner Mohammad Rasoulof Temporarily Released From Prison in Iran
Dissident director Mohammad Rasoulof, whose There Is No Evil won the 2020 Berlinale Golden Bear for best film, has been temporarily released from prison in Iran on medical grounds. There Is No Evil producer Farzad Pak confirmed Rasoulof’s release to The Hollywood Reporter. “Mohammad was released on bail for medical reasons [but] there are still […]
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