Other

Fathe Shab

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Attack on Cinema

In his introduction Kiarostami said, “cinema has been attacked, which is why I am intervening.” He further stated that on his way to the Palais, he got a message from Panahi’s wife, to call her as soon as he possibly could.” Kiarostami interpreted this as being positive news, interestingly enough since it could be negative, too. Kiarostami said, “the fact that a filmmaker has been jailed is intolerable … an entire art form has been jailed.” The Iranian filmmaker also mentioned the March letter which appeared in the New York Times and told us he had brought a stack of them along in case any of the journalists present needed a take-home copy>>>

Moving appeal

This year, two great figures are absent at the International Film Festival of Cannes. The first is Roman Polanski, and the readers of Huffington Post know that I have spared no effort to plead and defend his cause over the past seven months. (Moreover, the pathetic declarations of Ms. Charlotte Lewis haven't made the slightest dent in my determination.) But the name of the second is Jafar Panahi; he is Iranian. Tim Burton chose him to be a member of his jury, and if he is unable to be there, it is because he is incarcerated in the terrible Evin prison, near Tehran, where he was thrown by the obtuse and criminal fanaticism of Ahmadinejad's police>>>

Art & Opposition

The first thing you notice about Farahani is her eyes. Big, intense, and a gaze that is at times uneasy. She wears almost no make-up—her only whim, a pair of fashionable sunglasses which she quickly removes after sitting down. I ask if she’s had time to enjoy the vibrant French cultural life, and she raves about a new play by Ariane Mnouchkine. But she also mentions being constantly on the road, working on a new film, her music or doing press meets. The conversation soon turns to the repression back in Tehran>>>

Art for Free

what music or musicians are worth for people! And in specific; for Iranians! Are Iranians art lovers or are they art owners? In order to answer this question, let’s study the generations. The generation that has grown up with Internet and is familiar with the accessibility it brought with itself, is generally unfamiliar with the concept of paying for music. It is not only not paying attitude for music that is important but also the culture this generation brought with itself>>>

The Hurt Locker’s Missing Disclaimer

I just saw The Hurt Locker on DVD. Movies about the psychological travails of professional killers are not exactly my cup of tea, but I have to admit that this one richly deserved the Oscars for Film Editing, Sound Mixing and Sound Effects. Its explosions jolted even my supremely blasé Maine Coon out of her slumber and favorite perch. I don’t even begrudge Katherine Bigelow and Mark Boal their Oscars for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay>>>

Sokoot

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روزها بلند بود و دیوارها کوتاه

مدرسه که تعطیل میشد و تابستانِ زودرس نَفَس بهار را می گرفت دیگه ول بودیم توی «لین» (کوچه) تا اول مهر و باز شدن دوباره مدرسه. روزها بلند بود و گرما کافر و مسلمون نمی شناخت! پدر و مادرها نهار را که میخوردند دراز می کشیدند توی اتاق نیمه تاریک زیر پنکه سقفی. بادبزن حصیری هم کنار دستشان بود و تنگ پلاستیکی آب یخ بالای سرشان. میخوابیدند تا کمر روز بشکند و زهر گرما گرفته شود. سکوتِ در و دیوار، دین آدم را درمیآورد! >>>

Complete without men

Women, given enough time, get to a point where they realize they are complete even without men. On Friday night I went to see the LA premier of Women without Men by Shireen Neshat. The treat was that she was there with us, and at the end of the film took some questions from the audience. A diminutive and soft spoken woman, Shireen Neshat is incredibly articulate and unmistakably passionate about her beliefs, her art and her cause. Her art resonates as globally well as it does because it is a representation of what she firmly believes and has a burning desire to share with the world>>>

حاج خانوم

آمد آهسته نشست روی صندلی، پشت میزی که توی آشپز خانه است. نفس عمیقی کشید و خدا را شکر کرد. با نگاهی آمیخته به کمی تمسخر،هر چند برای لحظه ای کوتاه، به او نگاه کردم. پیش خود سؤال کردم که "برای چه از خدا تشکر میکنه؟" پشت خمیده؟ نفسی که به سختی بالا میاد؟ توی این سن کار کردن و خونه ای نداشتن؟ ولی زود به خودم گفتم که، "ولش کن، بذار با خدای خودش حرف میزنه، به تو چه؟" >>>

Why Do Some Iranians Hate “Soraya”?

When a Middle Eastern cultural center announced a special cast-and-crew screening of a film about stoning in Iran, coming up on April 15, 2010, local members in Los Angeles began a Facebook firestorm. “Crap propaganda!” screamed one irate Iranian FBer. “The film has zero artistic value!” wrote another. Some Iranians love to hate anything that can be reasonably criticized, and “The Stoning of Soraya M.” has plenty to hate. It’s anti-Iran propaganda, some say; others insist the stoning never happened—journalist Freidoune Sahehjam made it up, which is why he wouldn’t name names in his book of the same title>>>