“When the Moon Was Full” named best film at 37th Fajr festival

TEHRAN – “The Night When the Moon Was Full”, a true love story produced by Mohammad-Hossein Qasemi, has won the Crystal Simorgh for best movie at the 37th edition of the Fajr Film Festival.

37th Fajr Film Festival wraps up

TEHRAN – The 37th edition of the Fajr Film Festival came to an end today by honoring winners at Tehran’s Milad Tower.

“When the Moon Was Full” depicts how extremism frustrates ambitions: actor

TEHRAN – Fereshteh Sadr-Orafai, the actor of “The Night When the Moon Was Full”, has said the drama shows how extremism frustrates human ambitions.

National hero Gholamreza Takhti biopic premieres at Fajr festival

TEHRAN – The 37th edition of the Fajr Film Festival premiered “Gholamreza Takhti”, a movie about the life story of Iranian Olympic gold-medalist wrestler Gholamreza Takhti whose manly virtue and social activities during the 1960s made him a national hero.

Fajr Film Festival opens with big nostalgia for “days of snow and coldness”

TEHRAN – The 37th edition of the Fajr Film Festival, Iran’s major film event, opened at the Tehran Theater Complex on Tuesday night during a ceremony blended with filmmaker Masud Kimiai’s nostalgia for “the days of snow, coldness and SAVAK.”   

Fajr festival sparks criticism with import of Crystal Simorghs from Dubai

TEHRAN – The organizers of the 37th Fajr Film Festival, Iran’s most film event, have come under fierce criticism from several Persian media over the import of its Crystal Simorgh awards from Dubai.

Fajr Film Festival unveils official lineup  

TEHRAN – The 37th Fajr Film Festival announced on Friday that 22 movies will be screened in the official competition.

Nine debut films get Fajr festival premiere

TEHRAN – Nine directorial debut movies will premiere in the New Look section of the 37th edition of the Fajr Film Festival, the organizers announced on Saturday.

Fajr festival announces lineup for Special Screenings 

TEHRAN -- The 36th Fajr International Film Festival has announced the lineup for the Special Screenings, a section dedicated to screening the best films from several countries.

Farj unveils lineup for Retrospective of Georgian Cinema

TEHRAN – The 36th Fajr International Film Festival has announced the lineup for the Retrospective of Georgian Cinema, a program planned to review movies by Georgian filmmakers.

Fajr unveils lineup for 7th Hour 

TEHRAN – Eleven movies from Iran and world cinema will be screened in the 7th Hour, a new section at the Fajr International Film Festival that intends to heighten schoolchildren’s social awareness, the organizers announced on Tuesday.

Fajr unveils lineup for Docs in Focus

TEHRAN -- The 36th Fajr International Film Festival has announced the films for Docs in Focus, a section dedicated to documentaries.

Fajr unveils lineup of shorts for Eastern Vista 

TEHRAN – The organizers of the 36th Fajr International Film Festival have announced the lineup of short movies for the Eastern Vista, a section dedicated to Asian filmmakers.

“Taken” director Olivier Megaton to attend Fajr festival

TEHRAN – Olivier Megaton, director of the English language French action thriller films “Taken 2” and “Taken 3”, will attend the 36th edition of the Fajr International Film Festival in April, the organizers announced on Tuesday.

Fajr festival to review Italian cinema

TEHRAN -- The 36th Fajr International Film Festival is scheduled to organize the Retrospective of Italian Cinema this year.

“Woodpecker” leads Fajr ten most popular movies 

TEHRAN – “Woodpecker”, a drama that centers on the isolation of a female addict, topped the ten most popular movies at the 36th Fajr Film Festival, the organizer announced in a poll conducted online. 

Protagonists are always unconventional: “Lottery” director 

TEHRAN – Mohammad-Hossein Mahdavian, director of the sex trafficking drama “Lottery”, has said that protagonists in all film genres act unconventionally.

Journalists attend Fajr Film Festival 

Journalists queue at the Mellat Cineplex in Tehran on February 3, 2018 to get into a theater screening movies from the 36th Fajr Film Festival.  The festival opened last Thursday and will run until February 11.  (Honaronline/Seyyed Hatef Hosseini)

Sex trafficking drama “Lottery” gets extra screenings at Fajr

TEHRAN – The organizers of the 36th Fajr Film Festival have arranged three additional screenings for “Lottery” on Saturday night by popular demand.

My background in overseas projects helpful in making “Bomb”: Peyman Maadi

TEHRAN – Peyman Maadi, the actor of “Camp X-Ray” and “Last Knights”, has said that his previous experience in several big overseas projects has been helpful for him to direct his second movie, “Bomb, a Love Story”. 

“Truck” carrying story on Yazidi refugee arrives at Fajr

TEHRAN – Kambuzia Partovi, director of the acclaimed drama “Café Transit”, is competing in the 36th Fajr Film Festival with his latest movies “Truck” that recounts the story of a Yazidi woman who becomes homeless after the Iraqi ethnic and religious minority is attacked by Daesh forces in the summer of 2014.

By Seyyed Mostafa Mousavi Sabet

Fajr Film Festival to premiere two Daesh dramas

TEHRAN – The 36th edition of the Fajr Film Festival, Iran’s major annual event that celebrates the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, will premiere “At Damascus Time” and “Emperor of Hell” that both recount stories on Daesh extremism.   

Comedy king Akbar Abdi to receive Golden Simorgh 

TEHRAN – Akbar Abdi, the 57-year-old actor who played roles in over 100 movies and series, mostly are comedies, will receive a Golden Simorgh for his lifetime achievements at the 36th Fajr Film Festival, the organizers announced on Sunday.

Fajr Film Festival holds drawing to arrange schedule

Iranian filmmakers Manijeh Hekmat (L) and Sirus Alvand look at a slip they drew during the Fajr Film Festival drawing at Tehran’s Mellat Cineplex on January 10, 2018. 

Fajr festival announces short film lineup  

TEHRAN – Four short films have been selected to compete in the 36th Fajr Film Festival, the organizers announced on Wednesday.

Fajr film market opens 

TEHRAN – The 20th Iranian Film Market opened on Friday on the sidelines of the 35th Fajr International Film Festival.

Political drama “Midday Event” named best at Fajr Film Festival

TEHRAN – “The Midday Event”, a political drama that features the terrorist atrocity of the Mojahedin-e-Khalq Organization in Iran of the 1980s, has been crowned best at the 35th Fajr Film Festival.

“Hot Summer” leads nominations at Fajr festival

TEHRAN – “The Hot Summer”, Ebrahim Irajzad’s debut film on domestic issues, received thirteen nominations in various categories, including best film and best director, at the 35th Fajr Film Festival, the organizers announced on Tuesday. 

Picture of the day

Host Mahmud Gabarlu (R) records a video of director Masud Kimiai at a press conference for his movie “Domestic Murderer” during the 35th Fajr Film Festival at Tehran Milad Tower on February 4, 2017. (Mehr/Mohammadreza Abbasi)