Iran attends Beijing book fair

TEHRAN – Iran Cultural Fairs Institute (ICFI) is attending the 26th edition of the Beijing International Book Fair, which is currently underway in the Chinese capital. 

Four cineastes receive lifetime achievement awards at Iran Cinema Celebration

TEHRAN -- The organizers of the 21st Iran Cinema Celebration honored four influential figures in Iranian cinema for their lifetime achievements in a special ceremony on Tuesday night.

U.S. sanctions’ deadly effects under spotlight in Tehran photo exhibit 

TEHRAN – “Silent War”, an exhibition of photos putting a spotlight on U.S. sanctions and their deadly effect on medical treatment in Iran, will open in the Iranian Artists Forum on Friday.

Film Museum of Iran to screen Iran’s submission to 2020 Oscars “Finding Farideh”

TEHRAN – The Film Museum of Iran will be screening Iran’s submission to the 2020 Oscars, “Finding Farideh”, this evening.

Isfahan children’s film festival kicks off

TEHRAN -- The 32nd International Film Festival for Children and Youth opened at Ghadir Park in the central Iranian city of Isfahan on Monday evening.

Composer Hushang Kamkar receives lifetime achievement award

TEHRAN – Celebrated Iranian composer Hushang Kamkar, who is the leader of the Kamkars ensemble, was honored with a lifetime achievement award during a ceremony at Tehran’s Eyvan Shams Hall on Sunday.

Traditional and Ritual Theater Festival honors four veterans 

TEHRAN – Four Iranian veteran theater artists including prominent tazieh performers Gholam-Ali Ayyubi and Abolfazl Kababian have been honored with lifetime achievement awards during the closing ceremony of the 19th edition of the Traditional and Ritual Theater Festival. 

“23 Individuals” to come to Iranian theaters in November

TEHRAN – Mehdi Jafari’s acclaimed movie “23 Individuals”, about 23 young Iranian volunteers who were captives during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war, is scheduled to go on screen at Iranian theaters during November. 

Iranian documentary “Finding Farideh” to represent Iran at Oscars

TEHRAN -- Iranian documentary “Finding Farideh” has been selected as Iran’s submission to the 92nd Academy Awards in the best foreign-language film category.

Four cultural figures to receive Ghadir Artistic Awards

TEHRAN – Four cultural figures will be honored during the Sixth Ghadir Artistic Awards, which will be presented during a special ceremony at the Imam Ali (AS) Religious Arts Museum in Tehran tomorrow.

Love is Folly festival to screen movies from Iran 

TEHRAN – “Yeva” and “Dayan” will be competing in the 27th Love is Folly International Film Festival, which will take place in Varna, Bulgaria from August 23 to September 1.

Navaye Rahmat Intl. Daf Festival wraps up

TEHRAN – The 9th edition of the Navaye Rahmat International Daf Festival came to an end on Friday during a ceremony at Bahman Cineplex in Sanandaj, the capital of the western Iranian province of Kordestan.

Shams and Rumi festival opens in Khoy

TEHRAN – The 2nd National Festival of Shams and Molana opened on Thursday in the northwestern Iranian city of Khoy, which is home to the tomb of Shams, the mentor of the Persian mystic and poet Molana Jalal ad-Din Rumi.

Show of Hands Festival puts focus on solo woodwind instruments improvisation

TEHRAN – The third edition of the Show of Hands Festival has put its spotlight on solo woodwind instruments improvisation, the organizers announced on Thursday.

Critics honor “The House of Bernarda Alba” director Ali Rafiei

TEHRAN – Iran’s Critic and Theatrical Writers Society of the Theater Forum picked “The House of Bernarda Alba” by director Ali Rafiei as the best play of the year.

Tehran Provincial Government says it will back street performers   

TEHRAN – Governor-General of Tehran Province Anushiravan Mohseni Bandpey said on Tuesday that the Tehran Provincial Government will support street performers by granting the necessary permissions.

“Karun” wins Green Planet Award at Rhode Island festival

TEHRAN – Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Ehsani’s short documentary “Karun” about the environmental threats to Iran’s limited water resources over the long term has won the Green Planet Award at the Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF) in the United States, the organizers have announced.

Navaye Rahmat Intl. Daf Festival opens in Sanandaj

TEHRAN – The 9th Navaye Rahmat International Daf Festival opened on Tuesday during an open-air ceremony in the Shano Park of the city of Sanandaj, which is considered as the birthplace of the daf instrument.

“The Star-Spangled Girl” on stage in Tehran

TEHRAN – Iranian director Ashkan Zare staged American playwright Neil Simon’s “The Star-Spangled Girl” at Tehran’s Simorq Theater on Tuesday. 

Amir Naderi’s classics “Waiting”, “Harmonica” to hit Iranian theaters again 

TEHRAN – New York-based Iranian filmmaker Amir Naderi’s 1974 movies “Waiting” and “Harmonica” will go on screen at the Art and Experience Cinema halls in Tehran, Shiraz and Isfahan on Wednesday.

Syrian star of “Damascus Time” to do standup comedy for Al-Kawthar

TEHRAN – Samer Khalili, the Syrian star of Iranian filmmaker Ebrahim Hatamikia’s “Damascus Time” on the atrocities of the Daesh war in Syria, is scheduled to do standup comedies for Al-Kawthar TV, a Tehran-based Arabic-language television channel.

Leader’s memoirs released in Iraq

TEHRAN – Iran’s Islamic Culture and Relations Organization (ICRO) announced on Sunday that the memoirs of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, have been released in Iraq.

Set, costume designer Edna Zeinalian to get lifetime achievement award 

TEHRAN – The Iranian-Armenian set and costume designer Edna Zeinalian will be honored for her lifetime achievements on Wednesday.

By Samaneh Aboutalebi

“Sheeple” crowned best at Cinema Cinema Academy Awards

TEHRAN – Iranian director Hooman Seyyedi’s acclaimed drama “Sheeple” was named best picture at the 2nd Cinema Cinema Academy Awards on Saturday.

“Crypt” on ancient Iranian tradition picked to compete in Seoul festival

TEHRAN – Iranian filmmaker Vahid Zarrabinasab’s drama “The Crypt” on the ancient tradition of Qanat Bride common in Iran’s central rural regions has been selected to be screened in the official completion of the Seoul International Film Festival during September.

Pediatric patients’ painting festival to turn top works into toys

TEHRAN – The director of the 5th International Festival of Pediatric Patients’ Painting (IFPPP), Nima Rezai, has said that they plan to turn images from a collection of top entries into dolls and toys.

By Seyyed Mostafa Mousavi Sabet

Italian filmmaker Diego Vida: Iranian minorities live in sympathy with each other

Italian producer, director and writer Diego Vida, who has collaborated in numerous Hollywood productions such as “Fast & Furious” and “Mission Impossible”, as well as in videogame projects like “Bomberman”, and “AdventureQuest”, has chosen to live in Iran.  His studio is located on Kish Island as he visits other cities to raise his level of knowledge of Iranian culture and lifestyle. Diego has shared his views about many issues in Iran and the world in an e-mail interview with the Tehran Times.

Italian, Afghan experts to attend seminar on traditional theater in Kashan

TEHRAN – Experts from Italy and Afghanistan are scheduled to attend a seminar, which will be organized on the sidelines of the 19th International Traditional and Ritual Theater Festival in Kashan. 

Iranian films receive nominations at American festival 

TEHRAN – Iranian movies “Katyusha” and “There Is Sea” have been nominated in several categories at the Love International Film Festival (LIFF) in Santa Monica, the U.S., the organizers have announced.

Kayhan Kalhor wins WOMEX Artist Award

TEHRAN – Four-time Iranian Grammy Award nominee Kayhan Kalhor has won the Artist Award at the WOMEX Awards in Finland, the organizers have announced.