Iranian Female Filmmaker Wins Venice Int'l Film Festival Top Award

Compiled By: Firouzeh Mirrazavi Deputy Editor of Iran Review

*Iran film nabs award at Venice Filmfest

Leading Iranian female filmmaker Rakhshan Bani-Etemad has garnered award at the 71st International Venice Film Festival in Italy.

Bani-Etemad received the Best Screenplay award for her film Tales during the awards ceremony on the closing day of the festival on September 6, 2014 at Venice Lido.

The film contended for the Golden Lion Award with some 20 other productions at the Main section of the festival.

Tales is composed of seven short episodes, in which Bani-Etemad reveals the fate of some of the main characters in her previous films like The Blue-Veiled, Under the Skin of the City and Mainline.

The film along with 18 other participants of the Main section experienced their international premiere at this year’s edition of the event.

Best-known for addressing social problems in her films, Bani-Etemad has directed numerous feature-length and short films as well as documentaries, which have garnered many international and national awards.

“The characters in my films are real, [from among] the people whom I might meet every day,” she had earlier stated.

Swedish director Roy Andersson's comedy A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence won the Golden Lion award for the best film at this year’s Venice Film Festival.

The movie was hailed by critics for its moving exploration of what it means to be human.

Andersson told the audience he had been inspired by Italian director Vittorio De Sica's 1948 film Bicycle Thieves.

Another Iranian film maker Nima Javidi’s debut feature-length film Melbourne received critical acclaim at the festival. The film opened Critics’ Week section of the event.

French film composer Alexandre Desplat was the head of the international jury at this year's Venice Film Festival.

The 71st annual Venice Film Festival took place in Venice, Italy from August 27 to September 6, 2014.

*Omar Khayyam’s statue to be set up in New York

A statue of the internationally celebrated Persian poet, astronomer and mathematician, Omar Khayyam Neishaburi is slated to be set up in Manhattan, New York City.

The officials of Manhattan municipality decided to install the statue of the classic Iranian poet as a Persian symbol in the city.

The two-meter tall statue along with two other copies was created by the Iranian sculptor Hossein Fakhimi.

“I have conducted two years of studies before starting the carving of the statues, since it was important for me to know different aspects of Khayyam’s character,” Fakhimi stated.

The two other copies are scheduled to stand in Khayyam’s hometown of Neishabur in Iran and in Florence, Italy.

In paying tribute to the poet Khayyam, the poet’s statue had been earlier unveiled in Complutense University in Madrid, Spain.

Born in Neishabur, May 18, 1048, Khayyam is recognized worldwide as one of the most wildly acclaimed Persian poets and astronomers.

He was popularized in the West through the translation of his magnum opus Rubaiyat.

Khayyam's fame as a poet has caused some to ignore his scientific achievements, which are significant.

His contributions to mathematical include his Treatise on Demonstration of Problems of Algebra, which gives a geometric method for solving cubic equations by allowing a hyperbola to intersect a circle.

Khayyam  was also the chief contributor to the Jalali calendar, an ancestor of the current Iranian calendar. It is believed to have been introduced on March 15, 1079 by Seljuk Sultan Jalal al-Din Malik Shah I, based on Khayyam's recommendations.

In Persian speaking countries, Khayyam has had an impact on literature and societies through the translation of his works and popularization by other scholars.

Among English-speaking countries Scholars; Edward FitzGerald (1809-83), who was the most influential, introduced Khayyam to the West through translation of his quatrains.

*‘Melbourne’ receives warm welcome at Venice film festival

Iranian drama Melbourne directed by Nima Javidi has received critical acclaim at the 71st Venice International Film Festival in Italy.

Javidi’s debut feature-length film opened Critics’ Week section of this year’s Venice film festival and had several screening programs, out of competition.

“Some international critics participated in the festival believe that Melbourne conjures up the mood and tone of the British film director Alfred Hitchcock’s works,” said Javidi.

“The renowned film distribution company Microcinema purchased the film’s world distributing right,” he also noted.

The movie has experienced its international premiere at this year’s Italian festival.

Melbourne chronicles the story of a young couple on their way to the eponymous Australian city to continue their education. But just a few hours before their departure, they become involved in a tragic event.

The festival’s officials became acquainted with the movie at the 2014 Cannes’s Film Market, the director said.

The 71st annual Venice Film Festival kicked off in Venice, Italy on August 27 and will run until September 6, 2014.

The aim of the Festival is to raise awareness and promote all the various aspects of international cinema in all its forms: as art, entertainment and as an industry, in a spirit of freedom and tolerance.

*Iran ‘The Pearl’ wins at Bucharest film festival

Iranian screen production The Pearl directed by Sirous Hassanpour has garnered award at the 2014 edition of Bucharest International Film Festival, Romania.

The award went to the film’s cinematography director Saed Nikzat for his particular way and gorgeous imagery used in the film.

Nikzat as a director of photography contributed to more than 20 short and feature films.

Produced by Iran’s Farabi Cinematic Foundation, The Pearl also competed in Damah Film Festival that took place in the Japanese city of Hiroshima on August 2 and 3, 2013.

The film chronicles the life of a pearl hunter, Karim, who is living in a little town of southern Iran. Karim who suffers from heart trouble, finds out that he needs an urgent surgery for the disease but he cannot afford it. His two children think that they have to grow up sooner than expected time to help their dad.

The movie won the UNICEF award at the 2012 International Film Festival for Children and Young Adults in Isfahan.

According to the UNICEF report on the film, The Pearl provides a realistic perspective of child labor and reflects situations where children are forced to distance themselves from their childhood.”

The report also says that the film portrays the finer aspects of human relationships and moral values with beautiful cinematic skills.

*Asghar Farhadi named Busan film festival jury president

Academy Award winning Iranian filmmaker has been selected to preside over the jury for the New Currents section at the 19th Busan International Film Festival in South Korea.

Farhadi will head the festival’s jury panel that is comprised of French philosopher Jacques Ranciere, Professor of film studies at the Scotland’s University of St. Andrews Dina Iordanova, Indian actress Suhasini Maniratnam, and Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho.

"New Currents is the main section of the festival which is for the first or the second feature films by up-and-coming Asian directors."

The Iranian director Mohammad Mehdi Asgarpour’s drama We Have a Guest is also scheduled to compete at the festival which will take place from October 2 to 11.

Born in 1972, Farhadi received his Bachelors in Theater from University of Tehran's School of Dramatic Arts in 1998 and his Masters in Stage Direction from Tarbiat Modarres University a few years later.

His 2011 family drama A Separation became a sensation and received rave reviews from numerous international film events and festivals.

The film won the award for the Best Foreign Language film at the Golden Globe Award and Academy Award in 2012.

“Farhadi is a filmmaker who makes one becomes familiar with the rich culture of Iran. His works remind us of Victor Hugo,” The mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoe had earlier said during an award ceremony during which the Grand Medal of Vermeil from the City went to Farhadi for his latest drama The Past (Le Passé).

The Past has scooped numerous awards so far such as two prizes at the 66th Cannes film festival including the Best Actress award and the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury (prix du Jury œcuménique).

Dancing in the Dust (2003), The Beautiful 2004), Fireworks Wednesday (2006) and About Elly (2009) are his other directorial works.

*Iran actor Peyman Moaadi stars in US film

The lead male role in Oscar-winning A Separation, Peyman Moaadi has made male lead again, this time in a US-produced movie, titled Camp X-Ray.

The flick sees Moaadi playing an eight-year-long Guantanamo Bay prisoner, who forges an uncanny friendship with the female lead, played by Kristen Stewart.

Pvt. Amy Cole, Stewart’s character in the film, which had originally been written for a male, has opted for the military over her suffocating small town life, only to find out she has to serve at Gitmo instead of Iraq.

The friendship leads to the private’s questioning the nature of the notorious prison.

The movie has been credited for moving performances by both of the stars.

Peter Sattler’s directorial debut, Camp X-Ray premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and is due for US screening on October 17.

New York-based American film distribution company IFC Films has released the first trailer for the movie.

Moaadi started his acting career in director Asghar Farhadi's About Elly (2009). Two years later, he received the Silver Bear award for Best Actor from the Berlin International Film Festival for his leading role in Farhadi’s A Separation. The latter flick saw him doing justice to the character of a father in a family faced with a difficult decision - to move to another country or to stay in Iran and look after a deteriorating parent.

*Iran architect builds rotating home in Tehran

An award-winning Iranian architect has designed and built a seven-story building with three revolving bedrooms in the capital, Tehran.

The house designed by contemporary Iranian architect Alireza Taghaboni is located in upscale north Tehran and includes rotating levels.

The three revolving bedrooms of the house allow its residents to always enjoy the sun and the best views over the city.

In order to change the view from the windows and enjoy the mid-afternoon sun, all you need to do is to push a button. Alternatively, the windows can tuck into the structure to provide a closed, more private environment.

    “Our design scenario was based on seasons. In winter, when balconies are not usually used, and the outside view is not very important, the structure gets closed, and all attention is shifted towards the void inside the house. In summer, the cubes are extended outwards, and balconies are activated. Now all attention is towards the outside,” Taghaboni said.

Privacy has always been a top priority for the Iranians and this was taken seriously in the design of the rotating home. Instead of providing large widows, a void or empty space has been used in the middle of the building to allow sunlight into the house.

The void also resembles ancient Iranian architecture.

“Our main reference for this project is ancient Iranian buildings, but with a complete revision based on a reading of our own, which obviously uses a modern design language,” Taghaboni said.

Around three million euros (USD 4 million) was spent on designing and building the house. Taghaboni says only one seventh of the money was used for building the rotating boxes.

The revolving home has been nominated for an international prize at an event called the World Architecture Festival which is to be held in Singapore in October, 2014.

*Two Iranian cartoonists nab award at Syria cartoon contest

Two Iranian cartoon artists Ali Reza Pakdel and Mahmoud Azadnia have scooped awards at the 10th International Cartoon Contest in Syria.

Pakdel received the third award of the main section of the competition while the first prize of the section went to Oleksy Kustovsky from Ukraine and the second prize presented to the Ukranian artist Vladimir Kazanevsky.

Mahmoud Azadnia was named one of the five artists who won the competition’s special prizes, the competition’s organizers announced on August 28.

Both Iranian cartoonists have been awarded in number of International competitions such as Asian Youth Animation and Comics Contest in China and Aydin Dogan Cartoon Competition in Turkey.

This year contest focused on the theme of Terrorism, (The Syrian armless eye resists blades of terror!)

Massoud Shojai Tabatabai from IRAN, Amir Taqi from Iraq, David Baldinger from the United States and Mohammad Kanaisi from Tunisia were among the jury members.