Culture

Payvandnews – “Sun Children“, directed by Majid Majidi, has been selected to represent Iran in the upcoming 93rd Academy Awards. Sun Children (2020)Khorshid (original title) Spokesman of Iranian Cinema Selection Committee Raed Faridzadeh said that after having reviewed 12 films shortlisted as the country’s preliminary nominees for this year’s Academy Awards, this committee finally decided to select ‘Sun Children’ as Iran’s …

VOA – An Iranian filmmaker jailed since 2018 for her work and criticism of the government has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after going on a hunger strike and attempting suicide in recent months in response to her predicament, according to a knowledgeable source. Speaking to VOA Persian from Iran on Monday, a source close to the family …

theguardian.com – Coup 53 was heralded by critics this summer as a “powerful and authoritative” documentary “as gripping as any thriller”, and judged by historians as crucial to understanding Britain’s relationship with the Middle East. Made over 10 years by Walter Murch, the celebrated editor of Apocalypse Now and The English Patient, in collaboration with the Anglo-Iranian director Taghi Amirani, it tells the story of …

CBC.ca – More than 850 sign petition for Tirgan to cut ties with Aydin Aghdashloo after allegations of sexual assault Shanifa Nasser · CBC News · Posted: Nov 02, 2020 4:00 AM ET | Last Updated: November 2 Last month, The New York Times released a report detailing multiple allegations of sexual harassment, assault and misconduct against prominent 80-year-old Iranian contemporary painter Aydin Aghdashloo. (Dave …

Radiofarda – The life story of a man who built his entire life and world on dancing in women’s clothing is getting the cinematic treatment. Although it is not illegal to dance in Iran the vague laws around “indecent” acts can get a person into serious trouble. “Khoraman,” screened at this year’s Sheffield Documentary Film Festival as “Gracefully,” is a …

Shabtabnews – Today in accordance with an unofficial holiday in Iran that takes place on 7th of Aban, the eighth month on the Iranian calendar – usually occurring on 29 October on the Gregorian calendar many Iranians have celebrated this day. As Cyrus the Great is remembered for his contributions to human rights during his reign. On #CyrusTheGreatDay we remind ourselves of such leaders who …

Radiofarda – The trunk of a tree in Mashhad Mellat Park, on which a young artist had carved a portrait of the late legendary vocalist, Mohammad Reza Shajarian, has been cut down. A local journalist, Farzaneh Ebrahimzadeh, posted photos of the trunk on her Twitter account before and after being cut down. She tweeted, “the artist says he had created the piece …

latimes.com – My first taste of American greatness was peanut butter. It was in 1965 or so, in Urmia, my hometown in northwest Iran. I was around 3 years old. The peanut butter was a gift from Penny and Richard, two of a handful of Peace Corps volunteers who worked in Urmia in the 1960s. Since President Trump was elected, …

theguardian.com I vividly remember the first time I met Mohammad Reza Shajarian on a summer afternoon in Berlin in 2011. He was touring Europe, along with his daughter Mojgan and an ensemble of young musicians. For Iranians, this was – along with North America – the only place they could experience their great idol on stage, given that the outspoken …

Mohammad Reza Shajarian, a master of traditional Iranian music hailed as one of NPR’s 50 Great Voices of all Time, died at age 80 on Thursday afternoon in Tehran. Four years earlier, he had appeared in front of the cameras for the last time, announcing that he had had kidney cancer for 15 years. Minutes after his death was “announced outside …