Culture

iranintl – Iranian authorities have ramped up an effort to control female singers, blocking Instagram accounts belonging to multiple artists in recent days under judiciary orders. The latest to be affected is Golsa Rahim-Zamani, an Iranian singer known for sharing her performances online. The Islamic Republic is a theocracy which bans women from singing in public and enforces the Islamic …

VOA – Reports from various Iranian cities indicate an economic downturn and market recession, with shopkeepers in bazaars lamenting that “no business is happening,” the markets are in “winter hibernation mode,” and the usual festive atmosphere of Nowruz, the Persian new year, is absent. Click here for the full story in Persian.

iranintl – As Iranians prepare to celebrate the ancient Persian New Year, which predates Islam, the IRGC commander in Ilam has announced that official Nowruz celebrations in the province will not be granted permits. His remarks come as Ramadan coincides with Nowruz this year, a point he highlighted while stressing that celebrations must adhere to religious principles. “These kinds of …

Iranwire – Iranian directors Hossein Molayemi and Shirin Sohani won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for “In the Shadow of the Cypress.” They arrived in Los Angeles just three hours before the ceremony due to visa complications. The 20-minute animated film follows a retired sea captain struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder while caring for his daughter. “Believe it …

iranintl – The Berlinale has joined the International Coalition for Filmmakers at Risk (ICFR), urging Iran to drop charges against filmmakers Maryam Moghadam and Behtash Sanaeeha, who face court on Saturday. The two directors are being prosecuted over their Berlinale-awarded film My Favorite Cake, which was part of the festival’s 2024 lineup. The Berlin International Film Festival, commonly known as …

iranintl – The Iranian makers of My Favorite Cake, a critically-acclaimed film about a widow’s search for companionship, have been summoned to a revolutionary court in Tehran over multiple charges including violation of public morality and ethics. The film tells the story of a woman striving to live out her desires, including for intimacy, in a country where women’s rights …

iranintl – An Iranian actress featured in a film recently nominated for an Academy Award has been barred from leaving Iran and faces propaganda and immorality charges, according to US entertainment news site Deadline. Soheila Golestani faces charges of propaganda against the Iranian government and promoting immorality due to her role in the film The Seed of the Sacred Fig, …

iranintl – Two Achaemenid era artefacts that were smuggled out of Iran have been sold on the black market in Dubai for a fraction of their true value. According to SedayeMiras, a website specializing in Iranian cultural heritage, the gold artifacts, originally priced at $3 million, were sold for just $1.1m to two Afghan men. “The two brothers named Davoodshah …

Iranwire – Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof’s film “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” has been nominated for Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards. The film, submitted by Germany, follows an investigative judge in Tehran’s Revolutionary Court amid the 2022 protests. Filmed secretly and including real demonstration footage, the movie explores themes of distrust and political tension. Rasoulof previously won the …

iranintl – After a cleric attributed the lack of rain to concerts, the Islamic Republic’s local religious-ideological department canceled all music events in southwest Iran. The Friday Prayer Imam of Abadan, a city known for housing the Middle East’s oldest oil refinery, recently criticized the granting of concert permits, calling them sinful and claiming that music events anger God, leading …