“The Seed of the Sacred Fig” is an anguished cry from the heart of Mohammad Rasoulof, the Iranian filmmaker who just fled his home country for Europe after an eight-year prison sentence from the Islamic Republic. This is not the first brush with theocratic law for the dissident director, who’s been working steadily out of Iran for two decades.
So while Iran will never, ever submit his deeply unsettling latest masterwork for the Best International Feature Oscar — often the only harbinger of anti-establishment Middle Eastern films making their way to the U.S. — this searing domestic thriller deserves the widest audience possible. With the brutal 2022 killing of Mahsa Amini by government hands as his launching point, Rasoulof crafts an extraordinarily gripping allegory about the corrupting costs of power and the suppression of women under a religious patriarchy that crushes the very people it claims to protect.
“Sacred Fig” arose...
So while Iran will never, ever submit his deeply unsettling latest masterwork for the Best International Feature Oscar — often the only harbinger of anti-establishment Middle Eastern films making their way to the U.S. — this searing domestic thriller deserves the widest audience possible. With the brutal 2022 killing of Mahsa Amini by government hands as his launching point, Rasoulof crafts an extraordinarily gripping allegory about the corrupting costs of power and the suppression of women under a religious patriarchy that crushes the very people it claims to protect.
“Sacred Fig” arose...
- 5/24/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Out of all the major filmmakers to emerge from Iran over the past decades, Mohammad Rasoulof has certainly grown into the most overtly political. His finely crafted dramas, including the superb 2020 Berlin Golden Bear Winner There Is No Evil, make no qualms about tackling his country’s oppressive regime and religious theocracy head-on, pulling few punches in their depictions of a nation under siege.
This clearly explains why the director has been targeted by the Iranian authorities since 2010, when he was first arrested along with Jafar Panahi for shooting a movie in secret. After receiving a six-year prison sentence, he eventually got out on bail — only to be officially banned from leaving the country in 2017. He was arrested again in 2022, spent months in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison, received an eight-year sentence in 2024 and finally decided to flee the country earlier this month, arriving just in time to premiere his latest film in Cannes.
This clearly explains why the director has been targeted by the Iranian authorities since 2010, when he was first arrested along with Jafar Panahi for shooting a movie in secret. After receiving a six-year prison sentence, he eventually got out on bail — only to be officially banned from leaving the country in 2017. He was arrested again in 2022, spent months in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison, received an eight-year sentence in 2024 and finally decided to flee the country earlier this month, arriving just in time to premiere his latest film in Cannes.
- 5/24/2024
- by Jordan Mintzer
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Mohammad Rasoulof has arrived. The dissident Iranian director is at the Cannes Film Festival to present his new film, The Seed of the Sacred Fig, in competition, just weeks after he dramatically escaped Iran on foot, fleeing an eight-year prison sentence.
Details of the director’s harrowing escape were made public last week after he was safely away, ensconced in an undisclosed location in Germany. He made the decision to leave, to abandon his homeland and walk across the mountainous borderland after the authorities sentenced him to a lengthy prison term.
His sentence also included a fine, the confiscation of property, and a flogging as punishment for bottles of wine the police discovered during a raid on his apartment.
Rasoulof had been arrested and imprisoned in Tehran’s notorious Evin jail in July 2022 for signing a petition calling on security forces to “Lay Down Your Arms” and exercise restraint in response to street protests.
Details of the director’s harrowing escape were made public last week after he was safely away, ensconced in an undisclosed location in Germany. He made the decision to leave, to abandon his homeland and walk across the mountainous borderland after the authorities sentenced him to a lengthy prison term.
His sentence also included a fine, the confiscation of property, and a flogging as punishment for bottles of wine the police discovered during a raid on his apartment.
Rasoulof had been arrested and imprisoned in Tehran’s notorious Evin jail in July 2022 for signing a petition calling on security forces to “Lay Down Your Arms” and exercise restraint in response to street protests.
- 5/24/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
After a perilous 28-day journey fleeing Iran and setting foot in Germany, Mohammad Rasoulof has finally made it to Cannes, safe for now and cautiously eager for the premiere of his fourth Cannes feature, “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” announced by the festival a month ago as a late addition to the Competition.
The last images he takes away from his home — after just having two hours to make the monumental decision whether to be re-incarcerated for a harsh sentence that might still be extended, or to join the constellation of Iranian artists in potentially permanent exile — are the plants and flowers in his apartment, which he worried would have no caretaker. There was also a certain imposing mountain that he can view from his window. It’s there he can see the wall of Evin Prison, where he was last incarcerated in 2022 after speaking out against the government...
The last images he takes away from his home — after just having two hours to make the monumental decision whether to be re-incarcerated for a harsh sentence that might still be extended, or to join the constellation of Iranian artists in potentially permanent exile — are the plants and flowers in his apartment, which he worried would have no caretaker. There was also a certain imposing mountain that he can view from his window. It’s there he can see the wall of Evin Prison, where he was last incarcerated in 2022 after speaking out against the government...
- 5/23/2024
- by Ritesh Mehta
- Indiewire
Dissident Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof a few days ago absconded from his country with a heavy heart after being sentenced to eight years in prison and flogging by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Court for making his latest film, “The Seed of the Sacred Fig.”
Ironically, the groundbreaking drama is centered on an investigating judge operating within the same judicial system that has been heavily harassing the film’s producers and actors, and that intended to put Rasoulof behind bars.
Having made the tough decision of escaping his beloved homeland, Rasoulof – who is among Iran’s most prominent directors – prepares to attend the film’s world premiere at Cannes on Friday.
Prior to the timely drama’s bow, Rasoulof spoke to Variety about his drive to keep making movies about Iran that speak truth to power — regardless of the consequences — and expressed his firm conviction that the fiercely repressive Iranian regime is on its last legs.
Ironically, the groundbreaking drama is centered on an investigating judge operating within the same judicial system that has been heavily harassing the film’s producers and actors, and that intended to put Rasoulof behind bars.
Having made the tough decision of escaping his beloved homeland, Rasoulof – who is among Iran’s most prominent directors – prepares to attend the film’s world premiere at Cannes on Friday.
Prior to the timely drama’s bow, Rasoulof spoke to Variety about his drive to keep making movies about Iran that speak truth to power — regardless of the consequences — and expressed his firm conviction that the fiercely repressive Iranian regime is on its last legs.
- 5/23/2024
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
“Woman Life Freedom” is making its debut in Cannes, which is bustling with activity thanks to the Cannes Film Festival 2024. The photo exhibition created by Fedra Fateh aims to celebrate the creativity and courage of 15 Iranian artists.
They include artists who have faced censorship, bans, and imprisonment. The only fault of these people – the exhibition reminds us – was to fight for freedom of expression and equality.
Born in Iran after the murder of Mahsa Amini by the morality police, the Women Life Freedom movement bears witness to the indomitable spirit of Iranian women. Each participating artist has faced various forms of repression for daring to demand freedom and dignity for the Iranian people.
“The Woman Life Freedom movement emerged from a specific time and place, yet its message is timeless and universal,” says Fateh. “The struggle for women’s rights and human rights impacts each one of us. Only if...
They include artists who have faced censorship, bans, and imprisonment. The only fault of these people – the exhibition reminds us – was to fight for freedom of expression and equality.
Born in Iran after the murder of Mahsa Amini by the morality police, the Women Life Freedom movement bears witness to the indomitable spirit of Iranian women. Each participating artist has faced various forms of repression for daring to demand freedom and dignity for the Iranian people.
“The Woman Life Freedom movement emerged from a specific time and place, yet its message is timeless and universal,” says Fateh. “The struggle for women’s rights and human rights impacts each one of us. Only if...
- 5/19/2024
- by Chiara Scipiotti
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Mohammad Rasoulof has fled Iran less than a week after his home country sentenced him to eight years in prison and flogging. The Iranian filmmaker, who won the Golden Bear at the 2020 Berlin Film Festival for “There Is No Evil,” has a film in competition at Cannes this year for the first time: “The Seed of the Sacred Fig.” It’s set to premiere next week toward the end of the festival, with the director’s attendance still unknown. The film, made in secret, was added to the lineup last month. Rasoulof’s fleeing raises the question of whether he will actually be able to attend the festival after all.
In a press statement issued from an undisclosed location, Rasoulof described the repression of his team in Iran while asking the international film community for “effective support.” See the full statement, dated May 12, below.
In addition to the eight-year prison sentence and flogging,...
In a press statement issued from an undisclosed location, Rasoulof described the repression of his team in Iran while asking the international film community for “effective support.” See the full statement, dated May 12, below.
In addition to the eight-year prison sentence and flogging,...
- 5/13/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Isobel Yeung is joining CNN as an international correspondent in the network’s London bureau.
Yeung previously worked at Vice News as senior correspondent and producer, creating content for the brand’s platforms as well as HBO, Showtime and Hulu. In nearly a decade with Vice, she reported around the globe and in numerous conflict zones. She won 10 Emmy Awards, a Peabody and the Foreign Press Association’s Journalist of the Year Award.
She was recently in the occupied West Bank for an investigation for the BBC on Israeli security forces. Her other recent stories have included one in which she went undercover to report on Chinese gangsters who laundered drug proceeds for Mexican cartels. She also went to Iran to cover the uprising following the death of Mahsa Amini, and to a Russian summer camp holding Ukrainian children.
Deborah Rayner, senior vice president of international newsgathering for TV and digital,...
Yeung previously worked at Vice News as senior correspondent and producer, creating content for the brand’s platforms as well as HBO, Showtime and Hulu. In nearly a decade with Vice, she reported around the globe and in numerous conflict zones. She won 10 Emmy Awards, a Peabody and the Foreign Press Association’s Journalist of the Year Award.
She was recently in the occupied West Bank for an investigation for the BBC on Israeli security forces. Her other recent stories have included one in which she went undercover to report on Chinese gangsters who laundered drug proceeds for Mexican cartels. She also went to Iran to cover the uprising following the death of Mahsa Amini, and to a Russian summer camp holding Ukrainian children.
Deborah Rayner, senior vice president of international newsgathering for TV and digital,...
- 5/8/2024
- by Ted Johnson
- Deadline Film + TV
Multi-hyphenate Nicole Ansari-Cox has a lot going on.
The London-based actor, producer, writer and activist just shot Southern Italy-set rom-com “Under the Stars” directed by Michelle Danner where she stars alongside Toni Colette, Andy Garcia and Alex Pettyfer. In addition, she appears in Austrian director Kat Rohrer’s “What a Feeling” that premiered recently at the BFI Flare: London Lgbtqia+ Film Festival. And Ansari-Cox is on the production team for “Glenrothan,” the upcoming directorial debut of her husband Brian Cox.
She’s also in young Lebanese director Shireen Khaled’s short “In the Night,” about a long-married couple who, amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, realize they have suddenly fallen out of love and spend a night trying to rekindle the flame. “In the Night,” in which Ansari-Cox stars opposite actor-singer-songwriter Jack O’Neill, premiered last month at the Beirut International Women Film Festival where it scored the audience award.
A graduate of...
The London-based actor, producer, writer and activist just shot Southern Italy-set rom-com “Under the Stars” directed by Michelle Danner where she stars alongside Toni Colette, Andy Garcia and Alex Pettyfer. In addition, she appears in Austrian director Kat Rohrer’s “What a Feeling” that premiered recently at the BFI Flare: London Lgbtqia+ Film Festival. And Ansari-Cox is on the production team for “Glenrothan,” the upcoming directorial debut of her husband Brian Cox.
She’s also in young Lebanese director Shireen Khaled’s short “In the Night,” about a long-married couple who, amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, realize they have suddenly fallen out of love and spend a night trying to rekindle the flame. “In the Night,” in which Ansari-Cox stars opposite actor-singer-songwriter Jack O’Neill, premiered last month at the Beirut International Women Film Festival where it scored the audience award.
A graduate of...
- 5/6/2024
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Toomaj Salehi, a dissident Iranian rapper, was sentenced to death earlier this week for releasing music critical of the government and in support of the 2022 protests in Iran.
Salehi’s lawyer, Amir Raesian, confirmed the sentence on Twitter, writing, “An order for the execution of Toomaj Salehi has been issued.” Raesian plans to appeal the sentence, which could lead to it being reduced.
As The New York Times reports, Salehi was arrested in Oct. 2022 in the midst of the uprising sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old who...
Salehi’s lawyer, Amir Raesian, confirmed the sentence on Twitter, writing, “An order for the execution of Toomaj Salehi has been issued.” Raesian plans to appeal the sentence, which could lead to it being reduced.
As The New York Times reports, Salehi was arrested in Oct. 2022 in the midst of the uprising sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old who...
- 4/26/2024
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
Iran continues to be a site of unrest among dissident filmmakers protesting leadership and government under the country’s current president, Ebrahim Raisi. In 2022, Iranian filmmakers such as Jafar Panahi, Mohammad Rasoulof, and Mostafa Al-Ahmad were arrested over their responses to Iran’s censorship of events including a building collapse that killed at least 41, and later the death of Mahsa Amini, killed by Islamic police for allegedly not wearing her hijab.
The only Iranian film to premiere at Cannes 2023, the omnibus satire “Terrestrial Verses” also saw one of its directors, Ali Asgari, banned from leaving his country. You can understand why after you see this probing film about life under the eye of a controlling government.
IndieWire understands the travel ban on Asgari has since been lifted, though freedom of expression remains an issue in Iran for filmmakers querying the status quo. “Terrestrial Verses,” the film Asgari co-directed with Alireza Khatami,...
The only Iranian film to premiere at Cannes 2023, the omnibus satire “Terrestrial Verses” also saw one of its directors, Ali Asgari, banned from leaving his country. You can understand why after you see this probing film about life under the eye of a controlling government.
IndieWire understands the travel ban on Asgari has since been lifted, though freedom of expression remains an issue in Iran for filmmakers querying the status quo. “Terrestrial Verses,” the film Asgari co-directed with Alireza Khatami,...
- 3/28/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Two-time Oscar-winning director Asghar Farhadi has been fully cleared by an Iranian court of allegations of plagiarism pertaining to his film “A Hero” that launched from the 2021 Cannes Film Festival.
Farhadi’s former student Azadeh Masihzadeh had accused the filmmaker of stealing the idea for “A Hero” from a documentary she made during a filmmaking workshop held by Farhadi in 2014 in Tehran. Her allegations of plagiarism led an Iranian court to open preliminary trial proceedings in March 2022.
The court has now issued a verdict according to which several Tehran University copyright law experts and other experts have rejected the accusations as baseless, clearing Farhadi of all blame and putting an end to Masihzadeh’s legal action, according to a statement issued by Farhadi’s French producer Alexandre-Mallet Guy corroborated by Iranian reports.
“A Hero” is about an earnest-looking man named Rahim who, while on furlough after being imprisoned for debt,...
Farhadi’s former student Azadeh Masihzadeh had accused the filmmaker of stealing the idea for “A Hero” from a documentary she made during a filmmaking workshop held by Farhadi in 2014 in Tehran. Her allegations of plagiarism led an Iranian court to open preliminary trial proceedings in March 2022.
The court has now issued a verdict according to which several Tehran University copyright law experts and other experts have rejected the accusations as baseless, clearing Farhadi of all blame and putting an end to Masihzadeh’s legal action, according to a statement issued by Farhadi’s French producer Alexandre-Mallet Guy corroborated by Iranian reports.
“A Hero” is about an earnest-looking man named Rahim who, while on furlough after being imprisoned for debt,...
- 3/13/2024
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Italy, where debate over violence against women is currently raging, is celebrating International Women’s Day by becoming the first country to theatrically release “Tatami,” a female empowerment thriller about an Iranian judo fighter that made a splash in Venice and marks the first collaboration by Iranian and Israeli filmmakers.
Italy’s Bim Distribuzione is bowing “Tatami” – which is co-helmed by Iranian actress Zar Amir Ebrahimi (“Holy Spider) and Israeli director Guy Nattiv – on 90 local movie screens on Friday as an International Women’s Day special preview at a discounted €3.50 ($3.80) ticket price. The film will officially release locally on April 4.
“Tatami” reconstructs the tale of a young judo champion named Leila, played by Arienne Mandi, who Iranian authorities wanted to force to withdraw from a competition in order to keep her from competing against an Israeli athlete.
In an interview with Variety, Ebrahimi, who also stars, said that depicting the...
Italy’s Bim Distribuzione is bowing “Tatami” – which is co-helmed by Iranian actress Zar Amir Ebrahimi (“Holy Spider) and Israeli director Guy Nattiv – on 90 local movie screens on Friday as an International Women’s Day special preview at a discounted €3.50 ($3.80) ticket price. The film will officially release locally on April 4.
“Tatami” reconstructs the tale of a young judo champion named Leila, played by Arienne Mandi, who Iranian authorities wanted to force to withdraw from a competition in order to keep her from competing against an Israeli athlete.
In an interview with Variety, Ebrahimi, who also stars, said that depicting the...
- 3/8/2024
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Women dancing, women singing, women burning their hijab: these acts of defiance shape Iranian filmmaker Farahnaz Sharifi’s feature-length debut, “My Stolen Planet.” After premiering in Berlinale’s Panorama section and winning a second place Audience Award, the film now competes for the Golden Alexander at Thessaloniki International Doc Fest.
Prior to her feature, Sharifi made eight shorts while working as an editor for documentaries, including Firouzeh Khosrovani’s IDFA winning “Radiograph of a Family.”
Using the essayistic style of a diary, “My Stolen Planet” presents the joy and vivaciousness in contrast with the regimented oppression in Tehran using both the director’s personal archives and 8mm recordings of strangers’ lives. The film is produced by Anke Petersen and Lilian Tietjen of Jyoti Film and co-produced by Farzad Pak of PakFilm, who was behind the Golden Bear winner “There Is No Evil,” directed by Mohammad Rasoulof. Cat&Docs is in charge...
Prior to her feature, Sharifi made eight shorts while working as an editor for documentaries, including Firouzeh Khosrovani’s IDFA winning “Radiograph of a Family.”
Using the essayistic style of a diary, “My Stolen Planet” presents the joy and vivaciousness in contrast with the regimented oppression in Tehran using both the director’s personal archives and 8mm recordings of strangers’ lives. The film is produced by Anke Petersen and Lilian Tietjen of Jyoti Film and co-produced by Farzad Pak of PakFilm, who was behind the Golden Bear winner “There Is No Evil,” directed by Mohammad Rasoulof. Cat&Docs is in charge...
- 3/6/2024
- by Savina Petkova
- Variety Film + TV
Noora Niasari was editing “Shayda” when the world changed — again — for Iranians.
It was September 2022, and Mahsa Amini had just died in police custody, igniting the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement in Iran. Halfway around the world, Iranian-born filmmaker Niasari struggled to concentrate on completing her film, which she hoped would offer a portrait of female defiance very much in line with the burgeoning movement. She would finish the film that fall and dedicate it to “my mother and the brave women of Iran.”
Since its Sundance 2023 premiere (where it won an audience award and was picked up by Sony Pictures Classics), it has screened at roughly 50 festivals and earned a DGA Award nomination. Last year, Australia picked it as its Best International Feature Film submission.
Set in 1995 during the lead-up to the Persian New Year, “Shayda” marks Niasari’s feature debut. She previously directed a string of shorts films that,...
It was September 2022, and Mahsa Amini had just died in police custody, igniting the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement in Iran. Halfway around the world, Iranian-born filmmaker Niasari struggled to concentrate on completing her film, which she hoped would offer a portrait of female defiance very much in line with the burgeoning movement. She would finish the film that fall and dedicate it to “my mother and the brave women of Iran.”
Since its Sundance 2023 premiere (where it won an audience award and was picked up by Sony Pictures Classics), it has screened at roughly 50 festivals and earned a DGA Award nomination. Last year, Australia picked it as its Best International Feature Film submission.
Set in 1995 during the lead-up to the Persian New Year, “Shayda” marks Niasari’s feature debut. She previously directed a string of shorts films that,...
- 2/28/2024
- by Soheil Rezayazdi
- Indiewire
The director Noora Niasari deeply understands the personal struggles of people who often go unnoticed by the mainstream flow of life. Her last short film, the 2020 thriller Tâm, about a Vietnamese woman trapped in a cataclysmic sexual encounter, is a haunting gut punch.
Noora and I are from different generations and cultures. Yet she lived in the same suburb of Melbourne that I grew up in, and we were both raised by isolated single mothers in predominantly female environments. So the moment I read Shayda — Noora’s first feature script...
Noora and I are from different generations and cultures. Yet she lived in the same suburb of Melbourne that I grew up in, and we were both raised by isolated single mothers in predominantly female environments. So the moment I read Shayda — Noora’s first feature script...
- 2/26/2024
- by Cate Blanchett
- Rollingstone.com
A cross-country journey in search of a mysterious treasure puts the nature of faith to the test in “The Great Yawn of History,” the feature debut of Iranian director Aliyar Rasti, which premieres Feb. 22 in the competitive Encounters section of the Berlin Film Festival.
The film tells the story of a man of wavering religious conviction who dreams of a box of gold hidden in a cave. Convinced he’s forbidden by Islamic law to claim the treasure himself, he turns to a non-believer to assist him, setting into motion an arduous journey of both physical and spiritual dimensions as the two men grapple with notions of faith in their pursuit of a miracle.
Written and directed by Rasti, “The Great Yawn of History” stars Mohammad Aghebati and Amirhossein Hosseini and is produced by Tehran-based Para-Doxa. Heretic is handling world sales.
A visual artist with no formal film schooling, Rasti...
The film tells the story of a man of wavering religious conviction who dreams of a box of gold hidden in a cave. Convinced he’s forbidden by Islamic law to claim the treasure himself, he turns to a non-believer to assist him, setting into motion an arduous journey of both physical and spiritual dimensions as the two men grapple with notions of faith in their pursuit of a miracle.
Written and directed by Rasti, “The Great Yawn of History” stars Mohammad Aghebati and Amirhossein Hosseini and is produced by Tehran-based Para-Doxa. Heretic is handling world sales.
A visual artist with no formal film schooling, Rasti...
- 2/19/2024
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Like taxis on a rainy night, you wait for ages for a great, bittersweet film about love in late middle age with a side helping of gastronomic lusciousness — and then two come along at once. Tehran-set but internationally-produced comedy-drama My Favourite Cake premiered at the Berlin Film Festival a day after Valentine’s Day. That day just so happened to overlap with the release of French drama The Taste of Things in several key territories. (Taste opened in the U.S. on Feb. 9.)
Of course, writer-directors Maryam Moghaddam and Behtash Sanaeeha‘s Berlinale competitor is very different from Tran Anh Hung’s period study starring Juliette Binoche and Benoit Magimel, but the two films overlap in fascinating ways. Both remind viewers of the ephemeral nature of all things. Both are sublime portraits of complicated, older souls, one of whom is an excellent cook who expresses love through food. And in both,...
Of course, writer-directors Maryam Moghaddam and Behtash Sanaeeha‘s Berlinale competitor is very different from Tran Anh Hung’s period study starring Juliette Binoche and Benoit Magimel, but the two films overlap in fascinating ways. Both remind viewers of the ephemeral nature of all things. Both are sublime portraits of complicated, older souls, one of whom is an excellent cook who expresses love through food. And in both,...
- 2/17/2024
- by Leslie Felperin
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Iranian filmmakers Behtash Sanaeeha and Maryam Moghadam’s new feature My Favourite Cake world premieres at the Berlinale on Friday but the directors are not at the festival having been slapped with a travel ban by Iran’s authoritarian Islamic Republic regime.
Their absence was marked at the press conference by two empty seats and a joint portrait, while lead actress Lily Farhadpour, who has been allowed to make the journey, read out a statement on their behalf.
“We feel like parents who are forbidden from even looking at their new-born child,” it read. “We’re sad and we’re tired, but we’re not alone. This is the magic of cinema. Cinema brings us together. It is a window which opens up a time and a place where we can meet.”
Their quirky comedy-drama stars Farhadpour as a lonely widow who seizes the moment and invites a taxi driver...
Their absence was marked at the press conference by two empty seats and a joint portrait, while lead actress Lily Farhadpour, who has been allowed to make the journey, read out a statement on their behalf.
“We feel like parents who are forbidden from even looking at their new-born child,” it read. “We’re sad and we’re tired, but we’re not alone. This is the magic of cinema. Cinema brings us together. It is a window which opens up a time and a place where we can meet.”
Their quirky comedy-drama stars Farhadpour as a lonely widow who seizes the moment and invites a taxi driver...
- 2/16/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
The Iranian directors of Keyke Mahboobe Man (My Favourite Cake) have pledged to push back against censorship back home after they were stopped by authorities in Tehran from traveling to Berlin in time for their world premiere Friday night.
“We’ve have decided to cross all of the restrictive red lines and accept the consequences of our choice to paint a real picture of Iranian women,” Maryam Moghaddam and Behtash Sanaeeha said in a statement read to a press conference in Berlin on Friday. The directors were barred from leaving Iran to discuss their film about an elderly woman who wants a normal life.
“We feel like parents who are forbidden from even looking at their newborn child. We have not been allowed today to enjoy watching the film with you, a discerning audience at this film festival. We are sad and tired, but we are not alone,” the directors...
“We’ve have decided to cross all of the restrictive red lines and accept the consequences of our choice to paint a real picture of Iranian women,” Maryam Moghaddam and Behtash Sanaeeha said in a statement read to a press conference in Berlin on Friday. The directors were barred from leaving Iran to discuss their film about an elderly woman who wants a normal life.
“We feel like parents who are forbidden from even looking at their newborn child. We have not been allowed today to enjoy watching the film with you, a discerning audience at this film festival. We are sad and tired, but we are not alone,” the directors...
- 2/16/2024
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Some 30 film organizations, festivals and professionals as well as freedom of speech NGOs have signed an open letter calling on Iranian authorities to immediately drop all charges against directors Maryam Moghadam and Behtash Sanaeeha as well as lift a travel ban.
The signatories include the Berlinale, the Amsterdam-based International Coalition for Filmmakers at Risk, and Pen America in New York.
The filmmakers, whose last collaboration Ballad Of A White Cow made waves on the festival circuit, have become caught in the crosshairs of their country’s hardline Islamist regime in relation to their upcoming film My Favourite Cake.
The pair were due to fly to Paris in September to complete post-production on the feature, exploring “life behind closed doors of an aging woman who dares to live her desires in a country where women’s rights are heavily restricted.”
Their passports were confiscated at Tehran airport, however, and they were...
The signatories include the Berlinale, the Amsterdam-based International Coalition for Filmmakers at Risk, and Pen America in New York.
The filmmakers, whose last collaboration Ballad Of A White Cow made waves on the festival circuit, have become caught in the crosshairs of their country’s hardline Islamist regime in relation to their upcoming film My Favourite Cake.
The pair were due to fly to Paris in September to complete post-production on the feature, exploring “life behind closed doors of an aging woman who dares to live her desires in a country where women’s rights are heavily restricted.”
Their passports were confiscated at Tehran airport, however, and they were...
- 12/20/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Updated November 2… Fears are growing for the health of detained Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh following fresh details of the violent circumstances of her arrest and current physical condition.
Sotoudeh was among several women who were arrested at the funeral in Tehran on Sunday of teenager Armita Geravand, who died after allegedly being assaulted as they arrested her for not wearing Iran’s obligatory veil.
Sotoudeh’s husband, Reza Khandan has revealed that a group of some 50 police and security personnel charged at the mourners gathered at the funeral, beating some and dragging others across gravestones as they were arrested.
Following a subsequent prison visit, Khandan reported that Sotoudeh had said that she was covered in bruises, that the back of her head remained swollen, and that she was experiencing a prolonged headache.
New York-based freedom of expression champion Pen called on the Iranian authorities to transfer Sotoudeh access to hospital withou delay.
Sotoudeh was among several women who were arrested at the funeral in Tehran on Sunday of teenager Armita Geravand, who died after allegedly being assaulted as they arrested her for not wearing Iran’s obligatory veil.
Sotoudeh’s husband, Reza Khandan has revealed that a group of some 50 police and security personnel charged at the mourners gathered at the funeral, beating some and dragging others across gravestones as they were arrested.
Following a subsequent prison visit, Khandan reported that Sotoudeh had said that she was covered in bruises, that the back of her head remained swollen, and that she was experiencing a prolonged headache.
New York-based freedom of expression champion Pen called on the Iranian authorities to transfer Sotoudeh access to hospital withou delay.
- 11/2/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Iranian producer Elaheh Nobakht, whose credits include “Dream’s Gate,” the doc depicting an all-female Kurdish militia that launched earlier this year from Berlin, has been banned by Iranian authorities from traveling outside the country.
Nobakht – who is a board member of the Iranian Producers Association (Ipa) and of the Iranian Documentary Producer Association (Aoidp) – was stopped by security guards in early August upon re-entering Iran from a film presentation in Portugal at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini airport. The guards confiscated her passport, laptop and mobile phone, according to a knowledgeable source. No reason has been given for this action.
Due to the travel ban Nobakht has been unable to travel from Iran to Armenia’s Apricot Tree Film Festival, where she had been selected to serve as a member of the jury, and to Spain’s San Sebastian fest. Nobakht, who is a fixture on the international film festival circuit,...
Nobakht – who is a board member of the Iranian Producers Association (Ipa) and of the Iranian Documentary Producer Association (Aoidp) – was stopped by security guards in early August upon re-entering Iran from a film presentation in Portugal at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini airport. The guards confiscated her passport, laptop and mobile phone, according to a knowledgeable source. No reason has been given for this action.
Due to the travel ban Nobakht has been unable to travel from Iran to Armenia’s Apricot Tree Film Festival, where she had been selected to serve as a member of the jury, and to Spain’s San Sebastian fest. Nobakht, who is a fixture on the international film festival circuit,...
- 10/6/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Naghdipari was detained during street protests marking the anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death in police custody.
The International Coalition for Filmmakers and at Risk (Icfr) and leading Iranian director Jafar Panahi have demanded the release of Iranian set and costume designer Leila Naghdipari.
Naghdipari was one of hundreds of Iranians detained earlier this month amid street protests in the country marking the anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death in police custody.
Her credits include Panahi’s Cannes competition film 3 Faces and Abbas Amini’s Valderrama.
The Ifcr and its founding institutions, the International Film Festival Rotterdam, International Documentary...
The International Coalition for Filmmakers and at Risk (Icfr) and leading Iranian director Jafar Panahi have demanded the release of Iranian set and costume designer Leila Naghdipari.
Naghdipari was one of hundreds of Iranians detained earlier this month amid street protests in the country marking the anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death in police custody.
Her credits include Panahi’s Cannes competition film 3 Faces and Abbas Amini’s Valderrama.
The Ifcr and its founding institutions, the International Film Festival Rotterdam, International Documentary...
- 9/27/2023
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
Dissident Iranian director Jafar Panahi has launched an impassioned appeal for production designer Leila Naghdipari to be released from jail following her recent arrest during demonstrations marking the one year anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death.
Naghdipari was one of hundreds of Iranians arrested on Sept. 16 during widespread protests marking the anniversary of Amini’s death while being detained for allegedly violating the country’s hijab law that mandates covered hair.
“Today, Iranian independent cinema is more that ever struggling to breathe under the boots of the security forces,” Panahi said in his appeal.
Panahi added that it’s been more than 10 days since the arrest of Naghdipari, who was the production designer on his 2018 film “Three Faces,” a road trip through the repressive territory of patriarchal rural Iran. Panahi shot the film, which screened at the Cannes Film Festival, in violation of his 20-year filmmaking ban.
“All the efforts of her husband Majid Barzegar,...
Naghdipari was one of hundreds of Iranians arrested on Sept. 16 during widespread protests marking the anniversary of Amini’s death while being detained for allegedly violating the country’s hijab law that mandates covered hair.
“Today, Iranian independent cinema is more that ever struggling to breathe under the boots of the security forces,” Panahi said in his appeal.
Panahi added that it’s been more than 10 days since the arrest of Naghdipari, who was the production designer on his 2018 film “Three Faces,” a road trip through the repressive territory of patriarchal rural Iran. Panahi shot the film, which screened at the Cannes Film Festival, in violation of his 20-year filmmaking ban.
“All the efforts of her husband Majid Barzegar,...
- 9/27/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Dissident Iranian film professionals are calling on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to consider an alternative film to represent Iran in 2024 Oscars’ Best International Feature Film category rather than the one submitted this week as the country’s official entry.
Iran’s government-controlled Farabi Cinema Foundation said Tuesday that it had selected Reza Mirkarimi’s The Night Guardian as the country’s submission to the 96th Academy Awards.
The announcement comes just days after the first anniversary of the beginning of the Woman Life Freedom protests, provoked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini on September 16, 2022, after her police detention for not wearing her veil correctly.
More than 500 protestors have been killed by Iranian security forces over the past year and thousands have been injured. A number of directors including Jafar Panahi, Mohammad Rasoulof and most recently Saeed Roustayi have wound up in jail in a related...
Iran’s government-controlled Farabi Cinema Foundation said Tuesday that it had selected Reza Mirkarimi’s The Night Guardian as the country’s submission to the 96th Academy Awards.
The announcement comes just days after the first anniversary of the beginning of the Woman Life Freedom protests, provoked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini on September 16, 2022, after her police detention for not wearing her veil correctly.
More than 500 protestors have been killed by Iranian security forces over the past year and thousands have been injured. A number of directors including Jafar Panahi, Mohammad Rasoulof and most recently Saeed Roustayi have wound up in jail in a related...
- 9/20/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Iran has submitted Reza Mirkarimi’s The Night Guardian for Best International Film category at the 96th Academy Awards, in a move that will likely prompt pushback from the country’s dissident film community.
A press release announcing the selection said the film had been selected by the government-controlled Farabi Cinema Foundation from three short-listed titles which also included Omid Shams’s Conjugal Visit and Ali Hazrati’s The Town.
The drama stars Touraj Alvand as the story of a rural worker forced to move to the city where he ekes out a living on the streets.
The announcement coincides with the first anniversary of the Woman Life Freedom protests provoked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini on September 16, 2022 after being held in police custody for not wearing her veil correctly.
The country’s hardline Islamist regime ratcheted up a crackdown on the country’s creative community as well...
A press release announcing the selection said the film had been selected by the government-controlled Farabi Cinema Foundation from three short-listed titles which also included Omid Shams’s Conjugal Visit and Ali Hazrati’s The Town.
The drama stars Touraj Alvand as the story of a rural worker forced to move to the city where he ekes out a living on the streets.
The announcement coincides with the first anniversary of the Woman Life Freedom protests provoked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini on September 16, 2022 after being held in police custody for not wearing her veil correctly.
The country’s hardline Islamist regime ratcheted up a crackdown on the country’s creative community as well...
- 9/20/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Iranian director Farhad Delaram was in the midst of shooting his subversive road movie “Achilles” when Mahsa Amini died in Tehran on Sept. 16, 2022, while being detained for allegedly violating the country’s hijab law that mandates covered hair.
Amini’s death triggered months of nationwide demonstrations and riots under the slogan “Woman, Life, Freedom.” The ongoing protests mark the most serious challenge to the country’s regime since the Islamic Republic was founded in 1979.
The fallout from Amini’s death came crashing onto the Iranian set of “Achilles,” in which a former filmmaker turned medic nicknamed Achilles decides to help a female political prisoner named Hedieh escape from a psych ward. Due to the nationwide protests “Everyone on set was having trouble concentrating,” Delaram recounts.
Roughly a year later, the director is in Toronto launching his timely drama that will now segue to San Sebastian and other European fests. Visit Films is selling “Achilles” internationally.
Amini’s death triggered months of nationwide demonstrations and riots under the slogan “Woman, Life, Freedom.” The ongoing protests mark the most serious challenge to the country’s regime since the Islamic Republic was founded in 1979.
The fallout from Amini’s death came crashing onto the Iranian set of “Achilles,” in which a former filmmaker turned medic nicknamed Achilles decides to help a female political prisoner named Hedieh escape from a psych ward. Due to the nationwide protests “Everyone on set was having trouble concentrating,” Delaram recounts.
Roughly a year later, the director is in Toronto launching his timely drama that will now segue to San Sebastian and other European fests. Visit Films is selling “Achilles” internationally.
- 9/15/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Venice Film Festival’s red carpet swapped glamour for politics on Saturday, hosting a flash mob in solidarity with the Iranian people, fighting against repression, as well as filmmakers who are being oppressed – and arrested – because of their work.
Such as “Leila’s Brothers” director Saeed Roustaee, recently sentenced to six months in prison for showing the film in Cannes. He has also been banned from making movies.
“Born in 1989, Roustaee represents a new generation of Iranian auteurs, and one who’s sly enough to embed his complex social critiques so deep into the fabric of sprawling modern stories that he hasn’t upset the regime. Not yet, at least,” ominously wrote Variety’s Peter Debruge following its premiere at the French fest.
Roustaee also made “Life and a Day” and thriller “Just 6.5,” which was shown in Venice.
Elham Erfani, Zahra Amir Ebrahimi and guests attend the Flash Mob in Solidarity With Iranian People.
Such as “Leila’s Brothers” director Saeed Roustaee, recently sentenced to six months in prison for showing the film in Cannes. He has also been banned from making movies.
“Born in 1989, Roustaee represents a new generation of Iranian auteurs, and one who’s sly enough to embed his complex social critiques so deep into the fabric of sprawling modern stories that he hasn’t upset the regime. Not yet, at least,” ominously wrote Variety’s Peter Debruge following its premiere at the French fest.
Roustaee also made “Life and a Day” and thriller “Just 6.5,” which was shown in Venice.
Elham Erfani, Zahra Amir Ebrahimi and guests attend the Flash Mob in Solidarity With Iranian People.
- 9/2/2023
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
Jane Campion, Damien Chazelle, Zar Amir Ebrahimi and Guy Nattiv joined a flash mob on the Venice Film Festival’s red carpet on Saturday in support of the Woman, Life, Freedom protests in Iran.
They were among around 100 filmmakers, artists and pro-democracy activists joining the flashmob, which took place ahead of tonight’s gala screening of Maestro.
The group carried placards with portraits of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, whose death in police custody last September, after she was arrested for not wearing her veil correctly, sparked the protests.
There were also banners for Leila’s Brothers director Roustayi, who it emerged last month had been sentenced to six months in prison on charges of “anti-regime propaganda activity” for screening the family drama in Cannes in 2022.
Saeed Roustee had previously participated at the Venice Film Festival in 2019 in the Orizzonti section with Just 6.5 (Metri Shesho Nim).
The arrests are believed to...
They were among around 100 filmmakers, artists and pro-democracy activists joining the flashmob, which took place ahead of tonight’s gala screening of Maestro.
The group carried placards with portraits of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, whose death in police custody last September, after she was arrested for not wearing her veil correctly, sparked the protests.
There were also banners for Leila’s Brothers director Roustayi, who it emerged last month had been sentenced to six months in prison on charges of “anti-regime propaganda activity” for screening the family drama in Cannes in 2022.
Saeed Roustee had previously participated at the Venice Film Festival in 2019 in the Orizzonti section with Just 6.5 (Metri Shesho Nim).
The arrests are believed to...
- 9/2/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
The death of Mahsa Amini on Sept. 16, 2022, would shake Iran to its core. In what proved to be a tinder box moment and led to what experts have asserted was the greatest challenge to the hard-line Iranian government since the 1979 revolution, the 22-year-old died in Tehran, having allegedly been beaten by the police after she’d been arrested for not wearing the mandatory hijab.
The news sparked widespread protests across the country as thousands took to the streets over the following weeks and months to demand an end to the hijab rule and for wider social freedoms, particularly for women. The brutal crackdown by authorities that followed resulted in more than 500 reportedly killed by security forces and tens of thousands detained.
Amini’s death would also shake up the production of Tatami, then underway in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, just over 200 miles from the Iranian border. The film, receiving...
The news sparked widespread protests across the country as thousands took to the streets over the following weeks and months to demand an end to the hijab rule and for wider social freedoms, particularly for women. The brutal crackdown by authorities that followed resulted in more than 500 reportedly killed by security forces and tens of thousands detained.
Amini’s death would also shake up the production of Tatami, then underway in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, just over 200 miles from the Iranian border. The film, receiving...
- 8/31/2023
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Iranian documentary filmmaker and female rights activist Mojgan Ilanlou was arrested in Tehran on Sunday and then held for 24 hours, to be freed late Monday.
The detention follows news last week that Leila’s Brothers filmmakers Saeed Roustayi and Javad Noruzbegi had been sentenced to six months in prison on charges of “anti-regime propaganda activity” for screening the family drama in Cannes in 2022.
Ilanlou’s detention and the sentence for the Leila’s Brothers filmmakers are seen as signs that Iran’s Islamic Regime is upping its efforts to smother the “Woman Life Freedom” uprising as it approaches its one-year anniversary.
The protests were originally prompted by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody last September, after she was arrested for not wearing her veil correctly.
Ilanlou was previously arrested in October 2022 for removing her veil and sharing the photos on social media in the early days of the protests.
The detention follows news last week that Leila’s Brothers filmmakers Saeed Roustayi and Javad Noruzbegi had been sentenced to six months in prison on charges of “anti-regime propaganda activity” for screening the family drama in Cannes in 2022.
Ilanlou’s detention and the sentence for the Leila’s Brothers filmmakers are seen as signs that Iran’s Islamic Regime is upping its efforts to smother the “Woman Life Freedom” uprising as it approaches its one-year anniversary.
The protests were originally prompted by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody last September, after she was arrested for not wearing her veil correctly.
Ilanlou was previously arrested in October 2022 for removing her veil and sharing the photos on social media in the early days of the protests.
- 8/21/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
An Iranian filmmaker and his producer reportedly face prison time and being barred from filmmaking after they showcased a movie at the Cannes Film Festival without government approval, drawing immediate criticism internationally from leading American director Martin Scorsese and others.
Director Saeed Roustayi and producer Javad Norouzbeigi traveled to Cannes last year to show “Leila’s Brothers,” competing for the festival’s grand Palme d’Or prize. The film focuses on a family struggling to make ends meet as Iran faces international sanctions and includes sequences showing protests in the Islamic Republic as a series of nationwide demonstrations shook the nation.
The film also depicts security forces beating demonstrators protesting Iran’s ailing economy, which has already sparked mass protests and bloody security force crackdowns killing hundreds. The family in it loses all its savings over the rapid depreciation of Iran’s rial currency, something Iranians across the country have lived with for years.
Director Saeed Roustayi and producer Javad Norouzbeigi traveled to Cannes last year to show “Leila’s Brothers,” competing for the festival’s grand Palme d’Or prize. The film focuses on a family struggling to make ends meet as Iran faces international sanctions and includes sequences showing protests in the Islamic Republic as a series of nationwide demonstrations shook the nation.
The film also depicts security forces beating demonstrators protesting Iran’s ailing economy, which has already sparked mass protests and bloody security force crackdowns killing hundreds. The family in it loses all its savings over the rapid depreciation of Iran’s rial currency, something Iranians across the country have lived with for years.
- 8/17/2023
- by Corey Atad
- ET Canada
International sellers talked about how they work to engage critics, buyers and then audiences.
The clock is always ticking and sales agents representing indie films at major festivals have as little as two days to close the key deals before the opportunity vanishes. This was one of the insights provided at Sarajevo’s Cinelink Industry Days panel ‘Perspectives on Independent Cinema and Global Content’ this week.
Sébastien Chesneau, founder of Dubai-based sales outfit Cercamon, emphasised the need to act quickly at film markets. “There is a window of maybe two days when the distributors are still at the festival and...
The clock is always ticking and sales agents representing indie films at major festivals have as little as two days to close the key deals before the opportunity vanishes. This was one of the insights provided at Sarajevo’s Cinelink Industry Days panel ‘Perspectives on Independent Cinema and Global Content’ this week.
Sébastien Chesneau, founder of Dubai-based sales outfit Cercamon, emphasised the need to act quickly at film markets. “There is a window of maybe two days when the distributors are still at the festival and...
- 8/17/2023
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- ScreenDaily
The Golden Leopard Winner
In case of emergency call the ambulance, for it might bring you a different type of medical aid in the time of need neatly packed in bags, even if it comes with side-effects. One of such ambulance cars is “tunneling” its way through the opening scene of Ali Ahmadzadeh’s shockingly daring adrenaline- & drug infused Locarno contender “Critical Zone”, one of this year’s strongest international competition titles. A good deal of the film’s narrative is happening in a moving car which is the formative model adopted from some of the finest works of Abbas Kiarostami or Jafar Panahi, but almost everything else in it, visually- and content-wise writes a new chapter in the Iranian cinema.
The making of this movie heavily loaded with taboo-breaking content, and likewise its way to the world premiere was made possible only through the meticulous planning: development of different...
In case of emergency call the ambulance, for it might bring you a different type of medical aid in the time of need neatly packed in bags, even if it comes with side-effects. One of such ambulance cars is “tunneling” its way through the opening scene of Ali Ahmadzadeh’s shockingly daring adrenaline- & drug infused Locarno contender “Critical Zone”, one of this year’s strongest international competition titles. A good deal of the film’s narrative is happening in a moving car which is the formative model adopted from some of the finest works of Abbas Kiarostami or Jafar Panahi, but almost everything else in it, visually- and content-wise writes a new chapter in the Iranian cinema.
The making of this movie heavily loaded with taboo-breaking content, and likewise its way to the world premiere was made possible only through the meticulous planning: development of different...
- 8/12/2023
- by Marina D. Richter
- AsianMoviePulse
Locarno’s artistic director calls for Iranian director to be able to travel to the festival with his film.
The Locarno Film Festival has expressed concern about the treatment by Iranian authorities of director Ali Ahmadzadeh, whose film Critical Zone plays in main competition at this year’s festival.
According to the film’s producer Sina Ataeian Dena and sales company Luxbox Films, Ahmadzadeh has faced pressure to pull the film from the festival, is being investigated by the security ministry and prevented from travelling to Locarno.
Luxbox Paris and Dena have also received threatening emails and messages demanding that...
The Locarno Film Festival has expressed concern about the treatment by Iranian authorities of director Ali Ahmadzadeh, whose film Critical Zone plays in main competition at this year’s festival.
According to the film’s producer Sina Ataeian Dena and sales company Luxbox Films, Ahmadzadeh has faced pressure to pull the film from the festival, is being investigated by the security ministry and prevented from travelling to Locarno.
Luxbox Paris and Dena have also received threatening emails and messages demanding that...
- 7/24/2023
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
The 2023 Karlovy Vary Film Festival is dedicating a decent chunk of its programming to Iranian cinema, a special retrospective section entitled ‘Another Birth: Iranian Cinema Here and Now’ showcasing nine films from the country made over the last four years.
While Iran’s recent nationwide protests, sparked in September 2022 when Mahsa Amini died in police custody after being arrested for violating Iran’s hijab law, and the brutal and widely condemned government crackdown that followed weren’t explicitly mentioned by the festival, it did say the films selected offered an “insightful testimony of the burning creativity of Iran’s artists in face of the challenging reality.”
Interestingly, outside of this retrospective and among the features screening in the Karlovy Vary’s Proxima Competition, is a film from an Iranian director that directly challenges the reality in his country, and one that was, in part, was borne out of the calls...
While Iran’s recent nationwide protests, sparked in September 2022 when Mahsa Amini died in police custody after being arrested for violating Iran’s hijab law, and the brutal and widely condemned government crackdown that followed weren’t explicitly mentioned by the festival, it did say the films selected offered an “insightful testimony of the burning creativity of Iran’s artists in face of the challenging reality.”
Interestingly, outside of this retrospective and among the features screening in the Karlovy Vary’s Proxima Competition, is a film from an Iranian director that directly challenges the reality in his country, and one that was, in part, was borne out of the calls...
- 7/5/2023
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A behind-closed-doors trial is being held in Tehran for an Iranian journalist on charges resulting from her coverage of Mahsa Amini, whose 2022 death in custody by Iran’s morality police sparked months of protest.
Elaheh Mohammadi, a reporter for the pro-reform Hammihan newspaper who is on trial in Tehran, as well as Sharq newspaper journalist, Niloofar Hamedi, have been accused of “colluding with hostile powers” for their coverage of Amini’s death, Reuters reports. The two journalists have been held in Iran’s notorious Evin prison since last September.
In October, Iran’s intelligence ministry and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps accused Mohammadi and Hamedi of being CIA agents.
Mohammadi’s trial began on Monday and Hamedi’s is scheduled to start Tuesday, judiciary spokesman Massoud Setayeshi told the Times of Israel. Each is being tried separately by the revolutionary courts and could face the death penalty under Islamic law if convicted.
Elaheh Mohammadi, a reporter for the pro-reform Hammihan newspaper who is on trial in Tehran, as well as Sharq newspaper journalist, Niloofar Hamedi, have been accused of “colluding with hostile powers” for their coverage of Amini’s death, Reuters reports. The two journalists have been held in Iran’s notorious Evin prison since last September.
In October, Iran’s intelligence ministry and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps accused Mohammadi and Hamedi of being CIA agents.
Mohammadi’s trial began on Monday and Hamedi’s is scheduled to start Tuesday, judiciary spokesman Massoud Setayeshi told the Times of Israel. Each is being tried separately by the revolutionary courts and could face the death penalty under Islamic law if convicted.
- 5/29/2023
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Roger Waters is reportedly under criminal investigation by German police for “suspected incitement” following his concerts in Berlin on May 17th and 18th.
As Stereogum points out, Waters came under fire for wearing a uniform of a leather jacket, gloves, armband, and rifle that appeared to resemble that of a Nazi SS soldier. His stage design also featured an inflatable pig covered in Third Reich-esque imagery and a Star of David, a prop Waters has been using since 2010. Per The Jerusalem Post, Waters began the show with a message on a screen announcing: “I condemn antisemitism unreservedly.”
“The context of the clothing worn is deemed capable of approving, glorifying or justifying the violent and arbitrary rule of the Nazi regime in a manner that violates the dignity of the victims and thereby disrupts public peace,” police chief inspector Martin Halweg told the Jewish News. “After the conclusion of the investigation,...
As Stereogum points out, Waters came under fire for wearing a uniform of a leather jacket, gloves, armband, and rifle that appeared to resemble that of a Nazi SS soldier. His stage design also featured an inflatable pig covered in Third Reich-esque imagery and a Star of David, a prop Waters has been using since 2010. Per The Jerusalem Post, Waters began the show with a message on a screen announcing: “I condemn antisemitism unreservedly.”
“The context of the clothing worn is deemed capable of approving, glorifying or justifying the violent and arbitrary rule of the Nazi regime in a manner that violates the dignity of the victims and thereby disrupts public peace,” police chief inspector Martin Halweg told the Jewish News. “After the conclusion of the investigation,...
- 5/26/2023
- by Abby Jones
- Consequence - Music
Persian helmers Ali Asgari and Alireza Khatami have teamed again to make a movie about what they call “one step forward”. Built in the form of 12 short, completely separated stories that bare the names of their main protagonists, “Terrestrial Verses” shows different situations of oppression, some of them completely absurd and some uncomfortable, with most of them handled with a great dose of deadpan humor.
At the international premiere of their movie in the Uncertain Regard competition program of the festival, Alireza Kathami addressed the packed Debussy theatre with words about the current situation in Iran.
Asian Movie Pulse met the directors to ask them about their idea to make a film out of twelve tableaux, about the inspiration found in old Persian form of poetry, about the importance of humor to battle one's rights and taking that actual one step forward.
Terrestrial Verses is screening at Cannes Official poster...
At the international premiere of their movie in the Uncertain Regard competition program of the festival, Alireza Kathami addressed the packed Debussy theatre with words about the current situation in Iran.
Asian Movie Pulse met the directors to ask them about their idea to make a film out of twelve tableaux, about the inspiration found in old Persian form of poetry, about the importance of humor to battle one's rights and taking that actual one step forward.
Terrestrial Verses is screening at Cannes Official poster...
- 5/26/2023
- by Marina D. Richter
- AsianMoviePulse
Leading lights of contemporary Iranian cinema, including “Holy Spider” actor Zar Amir Ebrahimi, “The Siren” director Sepideh Farsi, “The Opponent” helmer Milad Alami and producer Kaveh Farnam, turned up at the Cannes Film Festival to raise the alarm on the repression faced by Iranian cinema during a session hosted by Amazon Prime Video’s Sahar Baghery.
Iran has been the centerstage of widespread protests driven by women against the Islamic regime since Mahsa Amini died in police custody for for wearing her hijab too loosely in September 2022. Although the rebellion has garnered vocal support outside of Iran, it hasn’t succeeded in dethroning the Iranian regime. A number of dissident Iranian filmmakers and talent have been jailed over the last six months, notably Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof who was recently released from prison. Rasoulof was nevertheless banned from leaving Iran to serve on the jury of Un Certain Regard at Cannes.
Iran has been the centerstage of widespread protests driven by women against the Islamic regime since Mahsa Amini died in police custody for for wearing her hijab too loosely in September 2022. Although the rebellion has garnered vocal support outside of Iran, it hasn’t succeeded in dethroning the Iranian regime. A number of dissident Iranian filmmakers and talent have been jailed over the last six months, notably Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof who was recently released from prison. Rasoulof was nevertheless banned from leaving Iran to serve on the jury of Un Certain Regard at Cannes.
- 5/25/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
A daunting task faces the protagonists in Terrestrial Verses (Ayeh haye zamini): Each of them is trying to reason with a government bureaucrat or other self-important authority figure. They’re all residents of Tehran, and there’s something specific to Iran in the oppressive regulations and catch-22s that hinder them, but there’s universal resonance, too, in the escalating lunacy and bleak implications.
In 10 of the feature’s 11 subtly interlocking segments, a single character faces an offscreen interlocutor. The fixed camera holds each one in an unwavering embrace as they try to make sense of arbitrary rules and demands. Inspired by the intricate rhymes of ghazal, a classic form of Persian poetry, writer-directors Ali Asgari and Alireza Khatami have constructed a thoroughly modern work of bracing concision, elegance and blistering deadpan humor, one that pulses with sorrow and outrage over the absurdity of authoritarian dictates that aim to crush souls.
In 10 of the feature’s 11 subtly interlocking segments, a single character faces an offscreen interlocutor. The fixed camera holds each one in an unwavering embrace as they try to make sense of arbitrary rules and demands. Inspired by the intricate rhymes of ghazal, a classic form of Persian poetry, writer-directors Ali Asgari and Alireza Khatami have constructed a thoroughly modern work of bracing concision, elegance and blistering deadpan humor, one that pulses with sorrow and outrage over the absurdity of authoritarian dictates that aim to crush souls.
- 5/23/2023
- by Sheri Linden
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
This year at Cannes Iran is being repped by just one film, the timely underground drama “Terrestrial Verses,” co-directed by Canada-based Alireza Khatami and Iran-based Ali Asgari, premiering in Un Certain Regard. Shot after the Mahsa Amini movement started, “Verses” consists of 12 tableaus depicting the increasingly absurd and tragic plight that Iranians face in their everyday life with a scathingly ironic deadpan tone.
Variety spoke to the directors about how they teamed up and decided to capture the zeitgeist in turbulent Tehran.
How did the project germinate?
Alireza Khatami
Well, I was in Iran trying to shoot a film and Ali was by my side every day helping me. And then my film was shut down. In Iran you have to get shooting permission in order to shoot, and I was shut down. And at night we were going on this long walk through the alleys and reading classic Iranian poetry.
Variety spoke to the directors about how they teamed up and decided to capture the zeitgeist in turbulent Tehran.
How did the project germinate?
Alireza Khatami
Well, I was in Iran trying to shoot a film and Ali was by my side every day helping me. And then my film was shut down. In Iran you have to get shooting permission in order to shoot, and I was shut down. And at night we were going on this long walk through the alleys and reading classic Iranian poetry.
- 5/21/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
The winds of change are sweeping Iran as the ‘Woman Life Freedom’ protests, provoked by the killing of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini last September, continue. Here, four Iranian disruptors talk about their struggles, their acts of solidarity for the pro-democracy movement, and their hopes for the future of their country.
Marjane Satrapi Marjane Satrapi
Marjane Satrapi, who was 9 years old when Ayatollah Khomeini came to power in 1979, recalls taking to the streets with her politically active parents to protest against the imposition of the hijab. “My mum went to demonstrate, and I went too, and so did my dad,” recalls the graphic novelist and filmmaker. “He was one of the very few men; they didn’t understand at the time that women’s rights are society’s rights.”
Satrapi’s parents sent her to Europe to study as a teenager and encouraged her to make her permanent home there. Satrapi captured...
Marjane Satrapi Marjane Satrapi
Marjane Satrapi, who was 9 years old when Ayatollah Khomeini came to power in 1979, recalls taking to the streets with her politically active parents to protest against the imposition of the hijab. “My mum went to demonstrate, and I went too, and so did my dad,” recalls the graphic novelist and filmmaker. “He was one of the very few men; they didn’t understand at the time that women’s rights are society’s rights.”
Satrapi’s parents sent her to Europe to study as a teenager and encouraged her to make her permanent home there. Satrapi captured...
- 5/18/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
It also won the prizes for best director, screenwiting, lead actress and editing.
Ilker Çatak’s The Teachers’ Lounge was the surprise winner of the German Film Awards’ top prize of the Golden Lola for best film, ahead of the Silver Lola for Edward Berger’s All Quiet On The Western Front and the Bronze Lola for Ali Abbasi’s thriller Holy Spider.
The fourth feature from Çatak stars Benesch as a teacher struggling to keep a situation under control in a secondary school also won best director for Çatak, best screenplay for Çatak and Johannes Duncker, best lead actress...
Ilker Çatak’s The Teachers’ Lounge was the surprise winner of the German Film Awards’ top prize of the Golden Lola for best film, ahead of the Silver Lola for Edward Berger’s All Quiet On The Western Front and the Bronze Lola for Ali Abbasi’s thriller Holy Spider.
The fourth feature from Çatak stars Benesch as a teacher struggling to keep a situation under control in a secondary school also won best director for Çatak, best screenplay for Çatak and Johannes Duncker, best lead actress...
- 5/13/2023
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
The award-winning auteur was released from prison in February.
Iranian auteur Jafar Panahi has reportedly left Iran for the first time since 2009 after his travel ban was lifted, according to his wife Tahereh Saeedi.
A post by Saeedi on Instagram appeared to show her and Panahi at an undisclosed airport with a stack of suitcases. The caption read: “After 14 years, Jafar’s ban was cancelled and finally we are going to travel together for a few days.”
Observers on social media speculate that he is in France, based on the background of the image.
View this post on Instagram
A...
Iranian auteur Jafar Panahi has reportedly left Iran for the first time since 2009 after his travel ban was lifted, according to his wife Tahereh Saeedi.
A post by Saeedi on Instagram appeared to show her and Panahi at an undisclosed airport with a stack of suitcases. The caption read: “After 14 years, Jafar’s ban was cancelled and finally we are going to travel together for a few days.”
Observers on social media speculate that he is in France, based on the background of the image.
View this post on Instagram
A...
- 4/26/2023
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Dissident Iranian director Jafar Panahi’s travel ban has suddenly been lifted after 14 years, allowing the acclaimed auteur and his wife Tahereh Saeedi to reportedly leave Iran for an undisclosed location.
Saeedi on Tuesday night posted a picture on Instagram showing her arriving with her husband at an undisclosed airport.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Tahereh saeedi (@taherehsaidii)
It is captioned: “After 14 years, Jafar’s ban was cancelled and finally we are going to travel together for a few days…”
Panahi, 62, was temporarily released from prison last month after going on a hunger strike to protest “the illegal and inhumane behavior” of Iran’s judiciary. He was out on bail.
The director was arrested last July in Tehran in the wake of the country’s conservative government crackdown. Panahi had gone to the Tehran’s prosecutor’s office to follow up on the situation of fellow dissident filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulov,...
Saeedi on Tuesday night posted a picture on Instagram showing her arriving with her husband at an undisclosed airport.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Tahereh saeedi (@taherehsaidii)
It is captioned: “After 14 years, Jafar’s ban was cancelled and finally we are going to travel together for a few days…”
Panahi, 62, was temporarily released from prison last month after going on a hunger strike to protest “the illegal and inhumane behavior” of Iran’s judiciary. He was out on bail.
The director was arrested last July in Tehran in the wake of the country’s conservative government crackdown. Panahi had gone to the Tehran’s prosecutor’s office to follow up on the situation of fellow dissident filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulov,...
- 4/26/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
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 Panahi arriving at an unidentified airport.
“After 14 years, Jafar’s ban was canceled and finally we are going to travel together for a few days…” she wrote.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Tahereh saeedi (@taherehsaidii)
The photo shows Panahi smiling, waving, and pushing a baggage cart piled high with three large suitcases. There is not information on where the photo was taken, though online speculation has pointed to signage in the background that suggests it could be at a French airport.
The award-winning director of Taxi, The White Ballon, The Circle, and...
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 Panahi arriving at an unidentified airport.
“After 14 years, Jafar’s ban was canceled and finally we are going to travel together for a few days…” she wrote.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Tahereh saeedi (@taherehsaidii)
The photo shows Panahi smiling, waving, and pushing a baggage cart piled high with three large suitcases. There is not information on where the photo was taken, though online speculation has pointed to signage in the background that suggests it could be at a French airport.
The award-winning director of Taxi, The White Ballon, The Circle, and...
- 4/26/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Dissident Iranian director Jafar Panahi is reported to have left Iran for the first time in 14 years following the lifting of a travel ban imposed on him in 2009.
Panahi’s wife Tahereh Saeedi posted a picture on Instagram on Tuesday night showing her arriving with her husband at an undisclosed airport.
It was cryptically captioned: “After 14 years, Jafar’s ban was cancelled and finally we are going to travel together for a few days…”
Panahi is seen waving and pushing a luggage trolley laden with three large suitcases.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Tahereh saeedi (@taherehsaidii)
There is no information on where the picture was taken although there have been suggestions on social media that the backdrop is a French airport.
Panahi – whose credits include The White Balloon, The Circle and Taxi – has spent most of his filmmaking career in the crosshairs of Iran’s authoritarian Islamic Republic government.
Panahi’s wife Tahereh Saeedi posted a picture on Instagram on Tuesday night showing her arriving with her husband at an undisclosed airport.
It was cryptically captioned: “After 14 years, Jafar’s ban was cancelled and finally we are going to travel together for a few days…”
Panahi is seen waving and pushing a luggage trolley laden with three large suitcases.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Tahereh saeedi (@taherehsaidii)
There is no information on where the picture was taken although there have been suggestions on social media that the backdrop is a French airport.
Panahi – whose credits include The White Balloon, The Circle and Taxi – has spent most of his filmmaking career in the crosshairs of Iran’s authoritarian Islamic Republic government.
- 4/26/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Two-time Oscar winner Asghar Farhadi, Iran’s best-known director, was at the Zurich Film Festival last September when protests following the death of Mahsa Amini erupted in his home country.
Since then, the auteur of “A Separation,” “The Salesman” and “A Hero” has not returned to Iran. He’s been working on a new film in Los Angeles and Europe. Interestingly, he says he plans to go back to his country before he shoots this film, even though he is not 100% sure they will let him out again. It’s clearly a risk that the enigmatic Farhadi is willing to take.
Farhadi was in Turin on Monday to give a masterclass at Italy’s National Museum of Cinema, where he also received a lifetime achievement award. In a rare interview, he took questions via e-mail from Variety.
Where are you living these days? I read that you are working on...
Since then, the auteur of “A Separation,” “The Salesman” and “A Hero” has not returned to Iran. He’s been working on a new film in Los Angeles and Europe. Interestingly, he says he plans to go back to his country before he shoots this film, even though he is not 100% sure they will let him out again. It’s clearly a risk that the enigmatic Farhadi is willing to take.
Farhadi was in Turin on Monday to give a masterclass at Italy’s National Museum of Cinema, where he also received a lifetime achievement award. In a rare interview, he took questions via e-mail from Variety.
Where are you living these days? I read that you are working on...
- 4/19/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
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