War literature under spotlight at Jalal Al-e Ahmad Literary Awards

TEHRAN – The organizers of the 13th edition of the Jalal Al-e Ahmad Literary Awards, Iran’s most lucrative literary prize, announced on Monday that books written on the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war, which is known as the Sacred Defense in Iran, will be reviewed this year to honor top works of the past four decades.

Kayhan Kalhor to perform with Amsterdam Sinfonietta “On the Road to Iran”

TEHRAN – The celebrated Iranian kamancheh virtuoso Kayhan Kalhor will be giving performances with the Dutch professional string orchestra Amsterdam Sinfonietta in a project named “On the Road to Iran”, beginning on October 29.

By Seyyed Mostafa Mousavi Sabet

Non-actor to play Leader’s role in TV series “Unfinished Mystery”

TEHRAN – IRIB Deputy Director in Provincial Affairs Abbas Fatemi said on Monday that a non-actor will portray the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, in the TV series “Unfinished Mystery”.

“Mokhtarnameh” producer Mahmud Fallah dies at 75 

TEHRAN – Mahmud Fallah, the producer of Iranian TV series “Mokhtarnameh” and “The Charged Rifle”, died from a lung disease in a Tehran hospital on Thursday. He was 75.

By Seyyed Mostafa Mousavi Sabet

Iranian photographers honored at Siena Intl. Photo Awards

TEHRAN – Several Iranian photographers have been honored at the Siena International Photo Awards.

By Manijeh Rezapoor

“Sun Children” shines at Isfahan film festival 

TEHRAN – Iranian film “Sun Children” by Majid Majidi was named best film in the international competition of the 33rd International Film Festival for Children and Youth during the closing ceremony held in Tehran on Friday.

Isfahan festival pays tribute to critic Zaven Qukasian

TEHRAN – The 33rd International Film Festival for Children and Youth organized an online program Tuesday evening to pay tribute to Zaven Qukasian, veteran critic and filmmaker whose hometown Isfahan is currently hosting the festival.

New book on moral principles of Commander Qassem Soleimani published 

TEHRAN – A new book studying the moral principles of Commander Qassem Soleimani has recently been published by the University of Imam Hussein (AS) in Tehran.

Ahmadreza Shojaei picked as Iran’s Still Photographer of the Year

TEHRAN – Ahmadreza Shojaei was crowned Iran’s Still Photographer of the Year on Tuesday for his collection on director Mohammadreza Honarmand’s romance-fantasy “Symphony No. 9”.

Japanese scholar Emiko Okada calls Iran land of poetry, literature

TEHRAN – Prominent Japanese Iranologist Emiko Okada has called Iran the land of poetry and literature.

By Manijeh Rezapoor

“Sun Children”, “The Visit” competing in Rome film festival 

TEHRAN – Iranian films “Sun Children” by Majid Majidi and “The Visit” by Azadeh Musavi will go on screen at the 15th Rome Film Fest currently underway in the Italian capital, the organizers have announced.

Director Roqieh Tavakkoli says “Mehran” portrays Yazd people as hospitable in wartime

TEHRAN – Director Roqieh Tavakkoli who has made all her movies in Yazd has said that her latest film “Mehran” presents the people of the central Iranian city as hospitable during the 1980s when many Iranian people took shelter in the city from the Iran-Iraq war.

Sguardi Altrove Film Festival to screen movies from Iran

TEHRAN – Iranian movies “Believe”, “Elders” and “The American Bull” will be competing in the Sguardi Altrove Film Festival, an Italian women’s festival.

Resistance festival to pay tribute to film expert Akbar Alemi

TEHRAN – The organizers of the 16th Resistance International Film Festival will pay tribute to veteran Iranian film scholar Akbar Alemi who died of COVID-19 last week.

Persian litterateur translates Valerie Gonzalez’s “Beauty and Islam”

TEHRAN – Iranian scholar Hamidreza Bos’haq said on Monday that he has recently completed the translation of Islamic art history expert Valerie Gonzalez’s book “Beauty and Islam: Aesthetics in Islamic Art and Architecture”.

“Yalda” wins special commendation at Washington DC filmfest

TEHRAN – Iranian drama “Yalda: A Night for Forgiveness” has won a special commendation from the 34th Annual Washington DC International Film Festival.

By Manijeh Rezapoor

Isfahan children’s film festival kicks off

TEHRAN – The 33rd edition of the International Film Festival for Children and Youth opened on Sunday in Tehran and Isfahan, physically screening a number of Iranian movies for limited numbers of people in audiences due to an increase in the number of the COVID-19 cases.

Iranian sniper Zarrin subject of new film by “Reclamation” director Ali Ghaffari

TEHRAN – Ali Ghaffari, the director of the acclaimed 2012 historical thriller “Reclamation”, is making his new film on Abdorrasul Zarrin, one of the most lethal snipers of Iranian forces during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war.

By Manijeh Rezapoor

St. Louis festival picks four Iranian movies 

TEHRAN – A lineup of four Iranian films will be competing in the 29th Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival. 

Farshchian painting “Guarantor of Gazelle” depicts kindness to animals in Islam 

TEHRAN – Persian painter Mahmud Farshchian has portrayed the story of Imam Reza (AS) acting as a mediator between a gazelle and a hunter in his two masterpieces named “The Guarantor of the Gazelle” to represent kindness to animals in Islam.

Iranian doc reviews assassination of Imam Hassan (AS) based on study by Western scholars 

TEHRAN – Fotros Media, an Iranian center for Shia documentary films, has produced a short documentary reviewing the biological assassination of Imam Hassan (AS), second Imam of the Shias, based on a study carried out by a group of Western scholars. 

MK2 Films to hold retrospective of filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami in April 2021

TEHRAN – MK2 Films, a French film company that distributes a unique library of 800 films in France and around the world, plans to hold a retrospective on the work of late Iranian master Abbas Kiarostami during April 2021 at the Pompidou Center in Paris.

Iran cancels intl. competition of Fajr theater festival as global coronavirus cases grow 

TEHRAN – Director of the Fajr International Theater Festival said on Wednesday that the international competition of the 2021 edition of the event will not be held due to a spike in coronavirus cases around the globe.

“Cinema Donkey” crowned best at Spanish comedy film festival 

TEHRAN – Iranian comedy “Cinema Donkey” directed by Shahed Ahmadlu has won the Corall d’Or for best picture at the 6th Begur International Comedy Film Festival in the Costa Brava, a coastal region of Catalonia in northeastern Spain.

Top film expert Akbar Alemi dies of COVID-19

TEHRAN – Veteran Iranian film scholar Akbar Alemi died of COVID-19 on Tuesday morning. He was 75.

Iranian ebook store offers publications for non-native Persian learners

TEHRAN – An Iranian online book store has offered ebook copies of a collection of textbooks for non-native Persian learners.

“Sunless Shadows” named best in Italian festival’s competition for Iranian films

TEHRAN – “Sunless Shadows” directed by Iranian filmmaker Mehrdad Oskui was named best in a special section dedicated to Iranian cinema at Middle East Now, a film festival in the Italian city of Florence, on Sunday.

By Seyyed Mostafa Mousavi Sabet

Isfahan children’s filmfest announces lineups for intl. short, animation competition 

TEHRAN – The 33rd International Film Festival for Children and Youth has announced the lineups for the international short and animation competition.