Culture

Radiofarda – Several movies screened at the Fajr Film Festival that marked the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran are found to have been funded by the Islamic Republic’s notorious Intelligence Organizations, Radio Farda’s investigation has found. In one of the latest cases of Iranian intelligence organization’s increasing activities in the area of film production, the Intelligence Ministry …

RFL/RE – Eighteen movies are set to compete for the top prize next week as the Berlin Film Festival celebrates its 70th anniversary. One of the most highly anticipated films for the Golden Bear award for the competition – which runs February 20-March 1 — is German-Afghan director Burhan Qurbani’s Berlin Alexanderplatz, which transforms Alfred Doeblin’s 1929 German classic into …

PayvandNews – Farhang Foundation announces the winner of the 2020 Nowruz Banner Design Competition and the musical artist selected for the headlining Royce Hall concert as part of Farhang’s 12th Annual Celebration of Nowruz at UCLA! Farhang Foundation’s 2020 Winning Nowruz Banner Design by Setareh Feylizadeh LOS ANGELES, January 21, 2020 – With great anticipation, Farhang Foundation is preparing for its …

radiofarda – In a statement on Saturday, the Management Center of Iranian Seminaries condemned a cleric who was shown in a video burning Harrison’s Manual of Medicine claiming that “Islamic medicine” has made such books “irrelevant”. The video of the book-burning went viral on Thursday and many outraged social media users strongly reacted to it. Since then several prominent clerics, …

MENAFN – It’s simply not possible to do justice to the value of Iran’s cultural heritage – it’s a rich and noble history that has had a fundamental impact on the world through art, architecture, poetry, in science and technology, medicine, philosophy and engineering. The Iranian people are intensely aware – and rightly proud of – their Persian heritage. The …

Al-Monitor – Confronting a boycott by Iranian artists, the Fajr International Film Festival announced the cancellation of its opening ceremony, originally scheduled for Feb. 1. In a statement released Jan. 15, festival organizers cited the “public atmosphere of the community” in sympathy with the grieving families of those killed in Iran’s accidental downing of Ukrainian International Airlines Flight 752 on Jan. 8.  The cancellation marks a rare occurrence, as the festival’s traditional opening in February …

Radiofarda – Two prominent Italian stage directors have decided not to participate in the Islamic Republic’s annual Fajr Theater Festival, after Iranian artists urged them to stay away. A poster of FAJR international theater festival showcasing Romeo Castellucci (L) and Eugenio Barba Italian stage directors. FILE photo The organizers of the 38th Fajr Festival confirmed Sunday, January 19, that the …

PayvandNews – An increasing number of Iranian filmmakers, performing artists, and musicians have been boycotting an annual state sponsored festival as Iran is overwhelmed by a new wave of protests during the past days. Meanwhile several presenters and actors have left the state TV in protest to the downing of a civilian passenger aircraft that claimed 176 lives and the …

PayvandNews – Anniversaries are important; they celebrate legacies and signify presence and continuity. This year, 2020, marks the 1000th anniversary of Ferdowsi’s death. This renowned Persian poet died at age 81 in 1020, more than five centuries before Shakespeare was born. Ferdowsi has not only endured for a thousand years but has also defined the very identity and language of his …

RFL/RE – U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper has strongly indicated that the U.S. military will not fire on Iranian cultural sites, targets that President Donald Trump had threatened to strike.“We will follow the laws of armed conflict,” Esper said during a briefing at the Pentagon. When asked if that ruled out targeting cultural sites, Esper said pointedly, “That’s the laws …