16TH ANNUAL CELEBRATION OF IRANIAN CINEMA IN U.S.A

[RedWine]

2006 brings a new edition of our annual celebration of recent films from Iran. Many of the films in this year's program exhibit a reflective quality perhaps influenced by the country's shifting political and social climate. The seven films in this series cover such diverse issues as spirituality (SO CLOSE, SO FAR; A PIECE OF BREAD), family relationships (WE ARE ALL FINE) and the human cost of war and natural catastrophes (WAKE UP, AREZOO!), while also looking at modern urban life and the fringes of Iranian society (PORTRAIT OF A LADY FAR AWAY).

One of Iran's best-known actresses, Niki Karimi, makes her feature film directorial debut with ONE NIGHT, the daring story of a young woman's nocturnal journey through the streets of Tehran. Our series commences with one of the strongest Iranian films of recent years: IRON ISLAND, a stunning depiction of an impoverished community living aboard a rusting ship off the coast of Iran. This array of new work by both emerging and established directors highlights the depth and breadth of filmmaking talent in Iran.

[RedWine]

Saturday January 14 2006, 7:30PM

http://www.persianmirror.com/images/edtorial/2006/wakeuparezoo.jpg

WE ARE ALL FINE
(Ma Hameh Khoubim)
(2005) Directed by Bijan Mirbagheri

Director Mirbagheri seems to have taken a cue from American independents in this tale of a dysfunctional middle-class family whose private animosities explode when a video camera comes into their midst. Oldest son Jamshid has been abroad for six years, leaving his parents, siblings, wife and young daughter adrift. When Jamshid sends word that he would like his family to prepare a video tape for him, their initial attempts at cheer soon devolve into bitter arguments and secret confessions. Dexterous cutting between video and 35mm as well as a powerful ensemble cast fuel this moving exploration of the consequences of emigration for the people left behind.

Producer: Mohammed Reza Takhtkeshian . Screenwriter: Mojgan Farah Avar Moghadam . Cinematographer: Mehdi Jafari . Editor: Saeed Shahsavari . Cast: Ahoo Kheradmand , Mohsen Ghazimorad , Parviz Shahinkhou , Leila Zare . 35mm, 91 min.

Saturday January 21 2006, 7:30PM


WAKE UP, AREZOO!
(Bidar Show, Arezoo!)
(2005) Directed by Kianoush Ayyari

In 2003, a 6.6 earthquake struck the ancient Iranian city of Bam, killing over 40,000 people. Eleven days after the first shock, filmmaker Ayari went to the site to shoot this eloquent and harrowing fictional feature about the utter grief and confusion that attend a major disaster. His spare, uninflected film follows the stories of two people who struggle to react to the incomprehensible: a woman who has lost her entire village under the rubble and a man who flees from the collapsed prison to search for his family. With only two professional actors and a large supporting cast of victims and rescue workers, WAKE UP, AREZOO! brings the unfathomable dimensions of natural catastrophe to an immediate, shocking human level.

Producer: Kianoush Ayyari . Screenwriter: Kianoush Ayyari . Cinematographer: Mansoor Azar-Gol . Editor: Kianoush Ayyari . Cast: Behnaz Jafari, Mehran Rajabi , Mohammad-Hossein Akbari , Mahdi Jafari . 35mm, 90 min.

Friday January 27 2006, 7:30PM


REATTACHMENT
(2002) Directed by Saeed Nouri

Director Saeed Nouri pays tribute to the early films of Jean-Luc Godard in this wry study of the complicated relationship between a young man and woman.

Producer: Saeed Nouri . Screenwriter: Saeed Nouri . Cinematographer: A. Jafari . Editor: F. Allkhani . Cast: S. Farshadjou , K. Anvari . Video, 12 min.

PORTRAIT OF A LADY FAR AWAY
(Sima-ye Zani Dar Doordast)
(2005) Directed by Ali Mosaffa

http://www.persianmirror.com/images/edtorial/2006/portraitofalady.jpg

Haunting, romantic and enigmatic, PORTRAIT OF A LADY FAR AWAY eschews the naturalism of much recent Iranian cinema for a dreamlike poetry that recalls Sadegh Hedayat's classic novel THE BLIND OWL. When a divorced, jaded architect (Homayoun Ershadi of A TASTE OF CHERRY) discovers a suicidal message on his answering machine from an unknown woman, the intoxicating sound of her voice leads him on an all-night odyssey through Tehran with another stranger, a beautiful actress who claims to be the first woman's friend. Richly burnished cinematography reveals an unfamiliar Tehran of midnight performance art gatherings, deserted theaters, and fortune telling parlors, while the architect begins to suspect that a third woman from his past may be orchestrating the whole pursuit.

Producer: Saghi Bagherina , Ruhollah Baradari . Screenwriter: Ali Mosaffa , Safi Yazdanian . Cinematographer: Homayoun Payvar . Editor: Hayadeh Safiyari . Cast: Leila Hatami , Homayoun Ershadi , Zahra Hatami , Zhila Sohrabi . 35mm, 98 min.

Friday February 3 2006, 7:30PM


ONE NIGHT
(Yek Shab)
(2005) Directed by Niki Karimi

In this first feature film by actress Niki Karimi (THE HIDDEN HALF), a teenaged girl's travels through Tehran after dark expose a crisis in Iranian sexual mores, as well as offering a tantalizing glimpse of the city's night people. When Negar's mother invites her married lover to spend the night, her daughter willfully sets out on foot at an hour where her only companions will be prostitutes, runaways and soldiers. Eventually, Negar accepts three rides from strange men, and the interior of each car provides the stage for an unsettling chamber drama. Karimi's arresting photography at the edge of the visible aptly complements this story of a girl whose chances for freedom are entwined with danger.

Producer: Hassan Rajabali Bana , Jahan Kosari .

Sunday February 5 2006, 7:00PM


ONE NIGHT
(Yek Shab)


(2005) Directed by Niki Karimi
See FRI 2/3 above.

Wednesday February 8 2006, 7:30PM


A PIECE OF BREAD
(Yek Teke Nan)
(2005) Directed by Kamal Tabrizi

Kamal Tabrizi came out of years of television work to make a name for himself with his feature film debut, THE LIZARD (2003), which was both a scandal and a success with its satirical comedy about an escaped convict disguised as a mullah. Here Tabrizi takes a more pensive approach to a similar subject: the roles of religion and spirituality (and the differences between the two) in contemporary Iran. A PIECE OF BREAD is an ensemble piece about the reaction to an apparent miracle in a small town. Sent to investigate are a respected local mullah, a rigid army officer and a naïve young recruit. Several story lines intertwine in the course of a journey to the site of the reputed miracle. As it progresses, the film quietly but steadily develops a touching sense of wonder at the beauty of the everyday.

Producer: Naser Onsori . Screenwriter: Mohammad-Reza Gohari . Cinematographer: Hossain Jafarian . Editor: Hossein Zandbaf . Cast: Esmaeel Khalaj , Ahmad Aghaloo , Hooman Seyedi , Payam Dehkordi . 35mm, 100 min.

Saturday February 11 2006, 7:30PM


SO CLOSE, SO FAR
(Kheili Dour, Kheili Nazdik)
(2005) Directed by Reza Mirkarimi

Masoud Rayegani (from last year's SILENCE OF THE SEA) plays a wealthy Tehran doctor who lives a life of luxury, surrounded by the latest in high-tech personal communication devices. This self-satisfied existence is rocked when he learns that his teenaged son has a brain tumor. SO CLOSE, SO FAR follows the doctor's journey as he takes to the road to catch up with his son, off on a New Year's holiday. This moving film is part male melodrama, part road movie, developing into a fable of renewal and transformation. Like A PIECE OF BREAD (with which it shares a screenwriter), SO CLOSE, SO FAR can be read as either religious parable or existential allegory. The film is Iran's submission for the 2005 Foreign-Language Film Oscar.

Producer: Reza Mirkarimi . Screenwriter: Reza Mirkarimi , Mohammad-Reza Gohari . Cinematographer: Hamid Khozolee Abyane . Editor: Bahram Denghani . Cast: Masoud Rayegani , Afshin Hashemi . 35mm, 121 min.

[nanakhafan]

oh thx redwine
kash inaro reza inja bezare

[RedWine]

oh thx redwine
kash inaro reza inja bezare

Ina copyright daran amigo ;) .

[nanakhafan]

yani nemishe gozasht
ahhh pas che fayde

[Parinaz_M]

khob hala nemishe ye joori bezanim too gooshe copy rightesh. j/k

[green_president2004]

RW in informationaro az koodom site migiri?

[Snow]

copyrightaro mizare to exclusive section

[nanakhafan]

ooooooooooof snow khodayish ende mokhiya

[Snow]

looool be khode bi savadetoo begin :D :D j/k

[nanakhafan]

eh man ke shooo'ooro savadam balast
hame migan 24 mizanam

[Snow]

looool bale sahih mifarmayin shoma :D j/k

[RedWine]

RW in informationaro az koodom site migiri?

In this case :
-I am a member of iranian culture club (Khaney-e Farhangi-e iraniha.London-Paris-L.A and NY persian community!).

-In information (ba'azihash!) misheh tooyeh internet ham did,vali moteasefaneh ma iraniha alaghe ziadi beh farhangeh khodemoon nadarim ziad va bishtar az internet beh khatereh chat va music va game estefadeh mikonim !

[khanoomi]

looooooooooool @ nane 24 sale

[Parinaz_M]

pas age nana 24 ke man 44

hala ma ye joori en copy righto mipichoonimesh j/k
hala mishe bezarimesh to exclusive ya na

[ali_shad]

nane to 13 saleteh, man fekr kardeh bodam 27 ina bashi?eh man ke shooo'ooro savadam balast
hame migan 24 mizanam

[Parinaz_M]

nana alan etemad be nafsesh balatar mire

[nanakhafan]

bale kamelan dorost vagoyin

vali baba man nemidoonam chera senam bala ezane.migam bozorg besham chandsaale mizanam?:confused:
vali in ye chiziye ke mige man be andazeye shomaha fekr mikonam pas yani man...........


dorost vagom khanoome ravanshenas ;)

[Parinaz_M]

lool, mano khanoom dr. seda kon
are jigaram, dorost gofti

[RedWine]

When we were hosting the 2nd Annual Persian Golden Lioness Awards® in Budapest in October 2006 we were all eager to meet with the Award Winner Bruce Bahmani. The real hero who turned Rostam of Shahnameh into a Comic Book.

Our very first meeting with him was during the briefing session in the Arto’tel Conference room where all the awardees were briefed on the actual event of the following day. During the session and initial meeting we found Mr. Bahmani as a focused and goal oriented person. Dr. Dorbayani, the founder of WAALM – Persian Golden Lioness Awards® and President of IFSI® Institute describes him as “a man with principle”.

Bruce Bahmani is a freelance writer and a marketing consultant who lives, writes, and works in the San Francisco Bay Area in US. Bruce was born in Texas in 1961 while his parents (Father a Persian Ghashghai, Mother German) were in University. At age 3, Bruce came to Persia with his parents and lived there until the revolution in 1979.

While in Persia, Bruce attended bi-lingual schools (Parthian and Iranzamin), and it was in Persia that Bruce became simultaneously exposed to American comic books and the “Shahnameh”.

It was in 2000 when the blending of the two became apparent and the idea to turn the Shahnameh and the tales of “Rostam” into an American comic book was formed. Bruce is an active Persian community volunteer in the Bay Area focusing on promoting and exposing the Persian tradition and culture to non-Persians.

Bruce Bahmani who could attain the award of excellence for the best comic book, expressed his emotional connections to Budapest and delivered the following message to the Academy and to his audience:


“Obviously I want to thank the Academy and Prof. Dorbayani for essentially being a hero in this world today. We don’t have many heroes.

Our comic book was trying to show one of the heroes in the folklore, but it’s nice to see that we still have heroes amongst us.

When I was informed that we had won this award and would be coming to Hungary to accept it, I was very happy. I had never been to Hungary and I wanted to come here. I had never been to either Buda or Pest before, and today we were given a short tour of this wonderful city. What made it especially memorable, I think, was seeing all the Hungarian flags flying in the balconies, in the parks and in the squares of this wonderful country.

As you know, the colours of the flag of Hungary and Iran are the same colours. So, in a way I felt very at home here because it felt like I was seeing my country’s flag flying everywhere I went. So, I made a very good connection I think to Hungary today and through this award.

Thank you very much.”


Find out more about WAALM – Persian Golden Lioness Awards®: www.waalm.com

Find out more about Rostam Comic Book here:

http://www.hyperwerks.com/series/rostam.html