Exclusive: Celluloid sets down at Efm with biggest slate in years, adding two new Italian productions.
Paris-based sales agent Celluloid Dreams, at the European Film Market (Efm) this week with one of its biggest slates in recent years, has boarded sales on two high-profile Italian titles, Silvio Soldini’s [pictured] Emma and Marco Tullio Giordana’s Nome Di Donna.
Soldini’s Emma stars Adriano Giannini as a womanising creative director at a trendy ad agency who falls under the spell of a beautiful, married and blind osteopath. It is now in post-production. Videa has acquired Italian rights.
Tullio Giordana’s Nome Di Donne stars Cristiana Capotondi as a single mother who works at an old people’s home, where she discovers that the manager is sexually abusing the staff and she sets out to bring him to justice.
Celluloid Dreams president and head of acquisitions Hengameh Panahi acquired the films through her long-time contact, Lionello Cerri at Lumière...
Paris-based sales agent Celluloid Dreams, at the European Film Market (Efm) this week with one of its biggest slates in recent years, has boarded sales on two high-profile Italian titles, Silvio Soldini’s [pictured] Emma and Marco Tullio Giordana’s Nome Di Donna.
Soldini’s Emma stars Adriano Giannini as a womanising creative director at a trendy ad agency who falls under the spell of a beautiful, married and blind osteopath. It is now in post-production. Videa has acquired Italian rights.
Tullio Giordana’s Nome Di Donne stars Cristiana Capotondi as a single mother who works at an old people’s home, where she discovers that the manager is sexually abusing the staff and she sets out to bring him to justice.
Celluloid Dreams president and head of acquisitions Hengameh Panahi acquired the films through her long-time contact, Lionello Cerri at Lumière...
- 2/10/2017
- ScreenDaily
In the political discourse, when a country addresses another, whether in positive or negative terms, such statements often fail to differentiate between said country’s government and its people, between the government’s policies and the people’s unheard sentiment towards these.
While useful in the theoretical realm in which politics take place, these generalizations create a distorted image of the foreign nation fed by assumptions and dangerously insensitive stereotypes. It’s much easier for rulers to justify their actions if the adversary is made out to look like an irredeemable villain. Sensationalism and ignorance are weapons far more destructive than missiles, because once the smoke dissipates hatred remains.
On that note, it should be clear that the Iranian people are not the Iranian government. Their rich cultural history is not reflected in the actions of those in power, but in the prevailing elegance and allure of their artwork. Remarkable poets, musicians, painters, and, what we are mostly concerned with here, filmmakers.
The history of Iranian cinema is vast and has survived the many transitions and troubling periods the country has experienced. Even more impressive is the fact that as masterfully as Iranian filmmakers and actors understand the medium, they have never watered down their individuality for the sake of mainstream international success. Instead, they’ve managed to create their unique cinematic language that aligns with their idiosyncrasies and that is not silenced despite the hardships they face, but finds a way around censorship or defies it altogether.
Certainly not a definitive list, the following collection of films aims to be an introduction to the compelling and diverse voices within this captivating national cinema and to encourage you to seek out other films in the future. There are films here that are concerned with rural and working class lifestyles, others that focus on the traditions of ethnic minorities, those that deal with the modern middle class, and also several works denouncing the country’s political situation and the oppression that comes with it.
There are also some films that are note worthy even if they don’t easily fit within the parameters of what an Iranian film is.
Special Mentions:
-Iranian-American director Ana Lily Amirpour and her outstanding Farsi-language debut “A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night,” a visually striking vampire story set in a fictional Iranian town.
-American filmmaker Till Schauder and his documentary “The Iran Job,” which follows Kevin Sheppard, an American professional basketball player in Iran, and uses his experience to build cultural bridges between the two countries.
-Farhadi’s “The Past,” which though is not precisely an Iranian story, continues to show the director’s specific talent for greatly written, puzzling narratives both in his home country and abroad.
-Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud's “Chicken with Plums,” a gorgeously whimsical and darkly comedic love story set in pre-revolutionary Tehran starring Mathieu Amalric.
Lastly, in honor of Nowruz or Persian New Year, which is a peaceful celebration of renewal and rebirth that takes place from March 20-24 in Iran and Iranian communities around the world, let’s remember the deeply moving and wise words that Asghar Farhadi gifted us during his acceptance speech on Oscar night a few years back. No one could have said it better than him.
“At this time many Iranians all over the world are watching us, and I imagine them to be very happy. They are happy not just because of an important award, or a film, or a filmmaker, but because at a time in which talk of war, intimidation, and aggression is exchanged between politicians, the name of their country, Iran, is spoken here through her glorious culture, a rich and ancient culture that has been hidden under the heavy dust of politics. I proudly offer this award to the people of my country, a people that respect all cultures and civilizations and despise hostility and resentment. Thank you so much.” –Director Asghar Farhadi after winning the Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award for “A Separation” on February 26, 2012
1. "About Elly" (2009)
Dir. Asghar Farhadi
In Farhadi's tense psychological drama a casual trip to the sea evolves into a subtly plotted mystery. The director's depiction of the Iranian middle class in such a fascinatingly unexpected story connected with both local and international audiences earning him awards at home and abroad, among them Berlin's Silver Bear.
*The Cinema Guild will release the film theatrically on April 17, 2015
2. "Baran" (2001)
Dir. Majid Majidi
Taking a look at the diverse ethnic groups that coexist in Iran, the film follows a love story between a man and a young Afghan woman who must pretend to be a man in order to work. Eliciting truly naturalistic performance from his cast Majidi gives voice to his almost silent protagonist, a woman caught up in a system designed by men.
*Available on Netflix Instant Watch
3. "Children of Heaven" (1997)
Dir. Majid Majidi
Iran's first ever Academy Award nominated film is also Majidi's most renowned work. Innocence permeates this sweet story about two siblings from a working class family trying to find a pair of missing shoes. Their adventure delivers valuable life lessons that are at once heartwarming and profound. Unquestionably a classic.
*Available on Netflix Instant Watch and on DVD from Lionsgate
4. "Closed Curtain" (2013)
Dir. Jafar Panahi & Kambuzia Partovi
In this enigmatic observation on repression and surveillance an anonymous screenwriter, played by co-director Kambuzia Partovi, hides with his dog in a secluded location. Eventually, as other surprising characters appear, the film becomes a complex dance between reality and fabrication. Both filmmakers had their passports confiscated by the Iranian government due to the subversive content of the film.
*Available on Amazon Instant Video
5. "Close-Up" (1990)
Dir. Abbas Kiarostami
In one of the greatest examples of reality and fiction blending in almost seamless ways, Abbas Kiarostami's masterwork poses complex questions about identity. When a film buff impersonates his favorite director, who happens to Mohsen Makhmalbaf , a series of events unravel as he plans his next, fake, film. Surreally enough the film is based on a true story and stars the actual people involved. It's all brilliantly meta.
*Available on Blu-ray & DVD from Criterion
6. "The Color of Paradise" (1999)
Dir. Majid Majidi
Though rejected by his father, a young blind boy rejoices in nature’s beauty and tries to understand the meaning of his struggles with the help of a mentor with the same condition. Showcasing Iran’s visually stunning rural landscapes and delicately embedding with philosophical concerns, Majidi’s poetic film delivers wisdom in wondrously unassuming ways.
*Available on DVD from Sony Pictures Classics
7. "The Cow" (1969)
Dir. Dariush Mehrjui
Considered a turning point in the nation’s cinematic history, this black-and-white work revolves around a man’s devotion for his cow and how its disappearance drives him into madness. While seemingly simple in its conception, Mehrjui manages to compellingly highlight the country’s traditional lifestyles.
*Available on DVD from First Run Features
8. "Fireworks Wednesday" (2006)
Dir. Asghar Farhadi
Intimate conflicts in the Iranian middle class are Farhadi’s expertise and this domestic drama, set fittingly during the celebrations prior to the Persian New Year, is no exception. When a soon-to-be bride in need of money for her wedding gets a job cleaning a family’s house, their secrets begin to unravel through their interaction and confrontations.
*Available on DVD from Facets
9. "Gabbeh" (1996)
Dir. Mohsen Makhmalbaf
Taking its name from a type of Persian carpet, this stunningly evocative fable is adorned with mysticism and magical realist elements that shine through its colorful visual palette. Gabbeh, a young nomadic woman who is likely the incarnation of one of these traditional rugs, falls in love with horseman, but her community follows beliefs that hinder her desire.
*Available on DVD from New Yorker Video
10. "The Green Wave" (2010)
Dir. Ali Samadi Ahadi
Told through striking animated sequences, interviews and footage from the protests, this documentary constructs a bold portrait of the 2009 Green Movement following Ahmadinejad’s reelection. The regime's strong grip over its citizens is exposed, but the spirit of the Iranian people demanding change is even stronger.
*Available on DVD from Strand Releasing
11. "Hamoun" (1990)
Dir. Dariush Mehrjui
Underscored by subdued comedy and poignant dream sequences, Mehrjui’s visionary drama centers on the decaying relationship between Hamoun, a businessman with hopes of becoming a writer, and his wife Mahshid, a painter. Insanity takes over him when she decides to divorce him because of his angry outbursts. A series of drastic occurrences ensue.
*Available on DVD from First Run Features
12. "Kandahar" (2001)
Dir. Mohsen Makhmalbaf
Despite being set in Afghanistan, this Iranian production is a powerful achievement that unveils the unjust treatment of women, not only under the Taliban’s control, but also in the entire region. Nafas, an Afghan women living in Canada, decides to return to her homeland to find her depressed sister. Through this dangerous journey she discovers much more about life in the war-torn country than she expected.
*Available on DVD from New Yorker Video
13. "Leila" (1997)
Dir. Dariush Mehrjui
Starting famous Iranian actress Leila Hatami in one her earliest roles as a married woman unable to have children, this conjugal drama explores the role of women within Iranian society. Leila’s husband, Reza (played by “The Past” star Ali Mosaffa), loves her, but his mother wants him to get another wife that can give him a son. The title character is divided between her happiness and what others think is best for her marriage.
*Available on DVD from First Run Features
14. "Manuscripts Don't Burn" (2013)
Dir. Mohammad Rasoulof
Rasoulof’s brave and searing political statement was shot illegally going against the20-year-ban from filmmaking imposed on him by the Iranian government. It denounces the terrifying lack of freedom of expression via the thrilling story a pair of writers risking it all to protect an incendiary manuscript that authorities are eager to destroy.
*Available on Netflix Instant Watch and on DVD from Kino Lorber
15. "Marooned in Iraq" (2002)
Dir. Bahman Ghobadi
Highlighting the rich Kurdish culture, both in Iran and Iraq, Ghobadi’s film is set in the aftermath of the ravaging Gulf War. Marooned is an elderly man who must travel across the mountainous landscape that divides the two countries to find his ex-wife. While portraying the horrors of war in an affecting manner, the film is also a life-affirming work that finds hope in the most surprising places.
*Available on DVD from Wellspring
16. "My Tehran for Sale"
Dir. Granaz Moussavi
Devastating and current, this debut feature from renowned poet turned filmmaker Granaz Moussavi is a hard-hitting critique on the blatant criminalization of artists in Iran. An actress banned from her profession questions whether she should remain in the country or flee. Getting to safety means leaving everything she knows behind. There are no easy options for her.
*Available on DVD from Global Lens
17. "No One Knows About Persian Cats" (2009)
Dir. Bahman Ghobadi
Music as the banner of freedom is the focus of Ghobadi’s film about the underground rock scene in Tehran. Secular music is essentially forbidden, and playing in public is considered a criminal act punished with prison. Crafted between reality and fiction, this quasi-documentary takes a look at a group of young musicians desperate to express themselves through their art.
*Available on DVD from Mpi Home Video
18. "Offside" (2006)
Dir. Jafar Panahi
Attending sporting events is prohibited for women in Iran, but that doesn’t stop many of them who go as far as to dress like men to get in. Panahi’s touching and insightful film takes place during the 2006 World Cup Qualifying match between Iran and Bahrain, and follows several girls who despite being excluded cheer for their team as joyfully as any fan would.
*Available on DVD from Sony Pictures Classics
19. "Persepolis" (2007)
Dir. Marjane Satrapi & Vincent Paronnaud
Nominated for the Best Animated Feature Oscar, this French-language marvel is based on Satrapi’s autobiographical graphic novel by the same name. With eye-popping hand-drawn animation, the film revisits the director’s childhood and teenage years in Iran during the events leading up to the Islamic Revolution. It’s a love letter to the bittersweet memories of the Iran Satrapi knew.
*Available on Blu-ray & DVD from Sony Pictures Classics
20. "A Separation" (2011)
Dir. Asghar Farhadi
Dealing with a marriage in turmoil facing the country's peculiar judicial system, Farhadi’s masterpiece is the most acclaimed film in the history of Iranian cinema and earned the country's first Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. It was also nominated for Best Original Screenplay for its enthralling thriller-like narrative that grips the audience until its unnerving conclusion. A must see!
*Available on Blu-ray & DVD from Sony Pictures Classics
21. "The Song of Sparrows" (2008)
Dir. Majid Majidi
When Karim (played by Berlin’s Silver Bear Winner Reza Naji), an ostrich farm worker, is forced to find a new job in the city to pay for his daughter’s hearing aid, Iran’s rural and urban realms collide. Thanks to the captivating grace that characterizes Majidi’s films, poverty and misfortune are observed here not with pity but with an optimistic and undefeated perspective.
*Available on DVD from E1 Entertainment
22." Taste of Cherry" (1997)
Dir. Abbas Kiarostami
This quiet and minimalist meditation on death and the simple joys of its antithesis is the first and only Iranian film to have won the coveted Palme d’Or at Cannes. Kiarostami follows a man who has decided to commit suicide and is looking for someone to help him achieve this. However, those he recruits along the way come with their own views on the meaning of our existence and attempt to persuade him to reconsider.
*Available on DVD from Criterion
23. "Ten" (2002)
Dir. Abbas Kiarostami
A female cabbie drives through the streets of Tehran picking up an array of characters that via their casual conversations shine a light on the Iranian society’s expectations of women. Constructed of ten individual scenes in which the only constant is the driver, this heavily improvised and peculiarly shot cinematic experiment is a work of fiction embedded with truth in every frame.
*Available on DVD from Zeitgeist Films
24. "This is Not a Film" (2011)
Dir. Mojtaba Mirtahmasb & Jafar Panahi
In an effort to tell his story despite being banned from filmmaking and under house arrest, filmmaker Jafar Panahi takes his frustration and ingeniously turns it into a courageous visual statement. Whether is shooting video with his cell phone or blocking an imaginary scene in his living room, his passion for storytelling is resilient even when confronting such suffocating censorship.
*Available on Netflix Instant Watch and on DVD from Palisades Tartan
25. "A Time for Drunken Horses" (2000)
Dir. Bahman Ghobadi
With the snow-covered Zagros Mountains as backdrop, Ghobadi’s debut feature tells the story of Ayoub, a young Kurdish boy who must provide for his siblings after their mother’s death. Added to the already difficult circumstances, his handicapped brother desperately needs a surgery. This pushes the heroic kid to persevere against all odds in the hostile environment.
*Available on Netflix Instant Watch and on DVD from Kino Lorber
26. "Turtles Can Fly" (2004)
Dir. Bahman Ghobadi
Commanding a cast made almost entirely of children Ghobadi sets his film in an Iraqi Kurdish refugee camp just before the American occupation of 2003. Making a living by clearing the hazardous minefields that surround them, a group of orphan children create a small community to survive. The atrocities of war are ever-present, but like in most of the director’s works, the triumph of the human spirit is at the film's core.
*Available on Amazon Instant Video
27. "The White Balloon" (1995)
Dir. Jafar Panahi
Written by Kiarostami and directed by Panahi this is another film set during the important Persian New Year celebrations. It centers on a little girl trying to convince her parents to buy her a goldfish and who gets in a couple mishaps along the way. With utmost innocence, the seemingly simple premise manages to be a charming delight that showcases family values and ancient virtues with a nice dose of humor. It’s an uplifting gem.
*Sadly the film is not curently availble in any format in the U.S. Hopefully Criterion or another distributor will fix this soon.
28. "The White Meadows" (2009)
Dir. Mohammad Rasoulof
While ethereal, almost otherworldly imagery achieved by cinematographer Ebrahim Ghafori is reason enough to see this film, Rasoulof’s poetic storytelling elevates it to even greater intellectual heights. By using a barren coastal land and its inhabitant as a metaphor for the intolerance and injustice that many of his compatriots -creative people in particular - confront everyday, the filmmaker denounces these evils through melancholic beauty.
*Available on DVD from Global Lens
29. "The Willow Tree" (2005)
Dir. Majid Majidi
A writer, who had been blinded in an accident as a child, regains his vision as a middle aged adult only to be challenged by a world that has become foreign to him. At first, his miraculous new situation appears to be an answer to a prayer, but Majidi soon shows us how vision can become a curse in this spiritual drama about fate and regret. Exquisitely shot and sporting visceral performances, the film is both heart-rending and though provoking.
*Available on DVD from New Yorker Films
30. "The Wind Will Carry Us" (1999)
Dir. Abbas Kiarostami
Taking the audience on a trip to an untainted region of Iran where tradition hasn’t yet been disrupted by modernity, the acclaimed director crafted another unforgettable experience. Sublimely executed, the film joins four journalists pretending to be engineers as they document the funerary rituals of the local Kurdish people. More than learning about them as researchers, their interactions force them to engage on a much more human level.
*Availble on Blu-ray and DVD from Cohen Media Group...
While useful in the theoretical realm in which politics take place, these generalizations create a distorted image of the foreign nation fed by assumptions and dangerously insensitive stereotypes. It’s much easier for rulers to justify their actions if the adversary is made out to look like an irredeemable villain. Sensationalism and ignorance are weapons far more destructive than missiles, because once the smoke dissipates hatred remains.
On that note, it should be clear that the Iranian people are not the Iranian government. Their rich cultural history is not reflected in the actions of those in power, but in the prevailing elegance and allure of their artwork. Remarkable poets, musicians, painters, and, what we are mostly concerned with here, filmmakers.
The history of Iranian cinema is vast and has survived the many transitions and troubling periods the country has experienced. Even more impressive is the fact that as masterfully as Iranian filmmakers and actors understand the medium, they have never watered down their individuality for the sake of mainstream international success. Instead, they’ve managed to create their unique cinematic language that aligns with their idiosyncrasies and that is not silenced despite the hardships they face, but finds a way around censorship or defies it altogether.
Certainly not a definitive list, the following collection of films aims to be an introduction to the compelling and diverse voices within this captivating national cinema and to encourage you to seek out other films in the future. There are films here that are concerned with rural and working class lifestyles, others that focus on the traditions of ethnic minorities, those that deal with the modern middle class, and also several works denouncing the country’s political situation and the oppression that comes with it.
There are also some films that are note worthy even if they don’t easily fit within the parameters of what an Iranian film is.
Special Mentions:
-Iranian-American director Ana Lily Amirpour and her outstanding Farsi-language debut “A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night,” a visually striking vampire story set in a fictional Iranian town.
-American filmmaker Till Schauder and his documentary “The Iran Job,” which follows Kevin Sheppard, an American professional basketball player in Iran, and uses his experience to build cultural bridges between the two countries.
-Farhadi’s “The Past,” which though is not precisely an Iranian story, continues to show the director’s specific talent for greatly written, puzzling narratives both in his home country and abroad.
-Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud's “Chicken with Plums,” a gorgeously whimsical and darkly comedic love story set in pre-revolutionary Tehran starring Mathieu Amalric.
Lastly, in honor of Nowruz or Persian New Year, which is a peaceful celebration of renewal and rebirth that takes place from March 20-24 in Iran and Iranian communities around the world, let’s remember the deeply moving and wise words that Asghar Farhadi gifted us during his acceptance speech on Oscar night a few years back. No one could have said it better than him.
“At this time many Iranians all over the world are watching us, and I imagine them to be very happy. They are happy not just because of an important award, or a film, or a filmmaker, but because at a time in which talk of war, intimidation, and aggression is exchanged between politicians, the name of their country, Iran, is spoken here through her glorious culture, a rich and ancient culture that has been hidden under the heavy dust of politics. I proudly offer this award to the people of my country, a people that respect all cultures and civilizations and despise hostility and resentment. Thank you so much.” –Director Asghar Farhadi after winning the Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award for “A Separation” on February 26, 2012
1. "About Elly" (2009)
Dir. Asghar Farhadi
In Farhadi's tense psychological drama a casual trip to the sea evolves into a subtly plotted mystery. The director's depiction of the Iranian middle class in such a fascinatingly unexpected story connected with both local and international audiences earning him awards at home and abroad, among them Berlin's Silver Bear.
*The Cinema Guild will release the film theatrically on April 17, 2015
2. "Baran" (2001)
Dir. Majid Majidi
Taking a look at the diverse ethnic groups that coexist in Iran, the film follows a love story between a man and a young Afghan woman who must pretend to be a man in order to work. Eliciting truly naturalistic performance from his cast Majidi gives voice to his almost silent protagonist, a woman caught up in a system designed by men.
*Available on Netflix Instant Watch
3. "Children of Heaven" (1997)
Dir. Majid Majidi
Iran's first ever Academy Award nominated film is also Majidi's most renowned work. Innocence permeates this sweet story about two siblings from a working class family trying to find a pair of missing shoes. Their adventure delivers valuable life lessons that are at once heartwarming and profound. Unquestionably a classic.
*Available on Netflix Instant Watch and on DVD from Lionsgate
4. "Closed Curtain" (2013)
Dir. Jafar Panahi & Kambuzia Partovi
In this enigmatic observation on repression and surveillance an anonymous screenwriter, played by co-director Kambuzia Partovi, hides with his dog in a secluded location. Eventually, as other surprising characters appear, the film becomes a complex dance between reality and fabrication. Both filmmakers had their passports confiscated by the Iranian government due to the subversive content of the film.
*Available on Amazon Instant Video
5. "Close-Up" (1990)
Dir. Abbas Kiarostami
In one of the greatest examples of reality and fiction blending in almost seamless ways, Abbas Kiarostami's masterwork poses complex questions about identity. When a film buff impersonates his favorite director, who happens to Mohsen Makhmalbaf , a series of events unravel as he plans his next, fake, film. Surreally enough the film is based on a true story and stars the actual people involved. It's all brilliantly meta.
*Available on Blu-ray & DVD from Criterion
6. "The Color of Paradise" (1999)
Dir. Majid Majidi
Though rejected by his father, a young blind boy rejoices in nature’s beauty and tries to understand the meaning of his struggles with the help of a mentor with the same condition. Showcasing Iran’s visually stunning rural landscapes and delicately embedding with philosophical concerns, Majidi’s poetic film delivers wisdom in wondrously unassuming ways.
*Available on DVD from Sony Pictures Classics
7. "The Cow" (1969)
Dir. Dariush Mehrjui
Considered a turning point in the nation’s cinematic history, this black-and-white work revolves around a man’s devotion for his cow and how its disappearance drives him into madness. While seemingly simple in its conception, Mehrjui manages to compellingly highlight the country’s traditional lifestyles.
*Available on DVD from First Run Features
8. "Fireworks Wednesday" (2006)
Dir. Asghar Farhadi
Intimate conflicts in the Iranian middle class are Farhadi’s expertise and this domestic drama, set fittingly during the celebrations prior to the Persian New Year, is no exception. When a soon-to-be bride in need of money for her wedding gets a job cleaning a family’s house, their secrets begin to unravel through their interaction and confrontations.
*Available on DVD from Facets
9. "Gabbeh" (1996)
Dir. Mohsen Makhmalbaf
Taking its name from a type of Persian carpet, this stunningly evocative fable is adorned with mysticism and magical realist elements that shine through its colorful visual palette. Gabbeh, a young nomadic woman who is likely the incarnation of one of these traditional rugs, falls in love with horseman, but her community follows beliefs that hinder her desire.
*Available on DVD from New Yorker Video
10. "The Green Wave" (2010)
Dir. Ali Samadi Ahadi
Told through striking animated sequences, interviews and footage from the protests, this documentary constructs a bold portrait of the 2009 Green Movement following Ahmadinejad’s reelection. The regime's strong grip over its citizens is exposed, but the spirit of the Iranian people demanding change is even stronger.
*Available on DVD from Strand Releasing
11. "Hamoun" (1990)
Dir. Dariush Mehrjui
Underscored by subdued comedy and poignant dream sequences, Mehrjui’s visionary drama centers on the decaying relationship between Hamoun, a businessman with hopes of becoming a writer, and his wife Mahshid, a painter. Insanity takes over him when she decides to divorce him because of his angry outbursts. A series of drastic occurrences ensue.
*Available on DVD from First Run Features
12. "Kandahar" (2001)
Dir. Mohsen Makhmalbaf
Despite being set in Afghanistan, this Iranian production is a powerful achievement that unveils the unjust treatment of women, not only under the Taliban’s control, but also in the entire region. Nafas, an Afghan women living in Canada, decides to return to her homeland to find her depressed sister. Through this dangerous journey she discovers much more about life in the war-torn country than she expected.
*Available on DVD from New Yorker Video
13. "Leila" (1997)
Dir. Dariush Mehrjui
Starting famous Iranian actress Leila Hatami in one her earliest roles as a married woman unable to have children, this conjugal drama explores the role of women within Iranian society. Leila’s husband, Reza (played by “The Past” star Ali Mosaffa), loves her, but his mother wants him to get another wife that can give him a son. The title character is divided between her happiness and what others think is best for her marriage.
*Available on DVD from First Run Features
14. "Manuscripts Don't Burn" (2013)
Dir. Mohammad Rasoulof
Rasoulof’s brave and searing political statement was shot illegally going against the20-year-ban from filmmaking imposed on him by the Iranian government. It denounces the terrifying lack of freedom of expression via the thrilling story a pair of writers risking it all to protect an incendiary manuscript that authorities are eager to destroy.
*Available on Netflix Instant Watch and on DVD from Kino Lorber
15. "Marooned in Iraq" (2002)
Dir. Bahman Ghobadi
Highlighting the rich Kurdish culture, both in Iran and Iraq, Ghobadi’s film is set in the aftermath of the ravaging Gulf War. Marooned is an elderly man who must travel across the mountainous landscape that divides the two countries to find his ex-wife. While portraying the horrors of war in an affecting manner, the film is also a life-affirming work that finds hope in the most surprising places.
*Available on DVD from Wellspring
16. "My Tehran for Sale"
Dir. Granaz Moussavi
Devastating and current, this debut feature from renowned poet turned filmmaker Granaz Moussavi is a hard-hitting critique on the blatant criminalization of artists in Iran. An actress banned from her profession questions whether she should remain in the country or flee. Getting to safety means leaving everything she knows behind. There are no easy options for her.
*Available on DVD from Global Lens
17. "No One Knows About Persian Cats" (2009)
Dir. Bahman Ghobadi
Music as the banner of freedom is the focus of Ghobadi’s film about the underground rock scene in Tehran. Secular music is essentially forbidden, and playing in public is considered a criminal act punished with prison. Crafted between reality and fiction, this quasi-documentary takes a look at a group of young musicians desperate to express themselves through their art.
*Available on DVD from Mpi Home Video
18. "Offside" (2006)
Dir. Jafar Panahi
Attending sporting events is prohibited for women in Iran, but that doesn’t stop many of them who go as far as to dress like men to get in. Panahi’s touching and insightful film takes place during the 2006 World Cup Qualifying match between Iran and Bahrain, and follows several girls who despite being excluded cheer for their team as joyfully as any fan would.
*Available on DVD from Sony Pictures Classics
19. "Persepolis" (2007)
Dir. Marjane Satrapi & Vincent Paronnaud
Nominated for the Best Animated Feature Oscar, this French-language marvel is based on Satrapi’s autobiographical graphic novel by the same name. With eye-popping hand-drawn animation, the film revisits the director’s childhood and teenage years in Iran during the events leading up to the Islamic Revolution. It’s a love letter to the bittersweet memories of the Iran Satrapi knew.
*Available on Blu-ray & DVD from Sony Pictures Classics
20. "A Separation" (2011)
Dir. Asghar Farhadi
Dealing with a marriage in turmoil facing the country's peculiar judicial system, Farhadi’s masterpiece is the most acclaimed film in the history of Iranian cinema and earned the country's first Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. It was also nominated for Best Original Screenplay for its enthralling thriller-like narrative that grips the audience until its unnerving conclusion. A must see!
*Available on Blu-ray & DVD from Sony Pictures Classics
21. "The Song of Sparrows" (2008)
Dir. Majid Majidi
When Karim (played by Berlin’s Silver Bear Winner Reza Naji), an ostrich farm worker, is forced to find a new job in the city to pay for his daughter’s hearing aid, Iran’s rural and urban realms collide. Thanks to the captivating grace that characterizes Majidi’s films, poverty and misfortune are observed here not with pity but with an optimistic and undefeated perspective.
*Available on DVD from E1 Entertainment
22." Taste of Cherry" (1997)
Dir. Abbas Kiarostami
This quiet and minimalist meditation on death and the simple joys of its antithesis is the first and only Iranian film to have won the coveted Palme d’Or at Cannes. Kiarostami follows a man who has decided to commit suicide and is looking for someone to help him achieve this. However, those he recruits along the way come with their own views on the meaning of our existence and attempt to persuade him to reconsider.
*Available on DVD from Criterion
23. "Ten" (2002)
Dir. Abbas Kiarostami
A female cabbie drives through the streets of Tehran picking up an array of characters that via their casual conversations shine a light on the Iranian society’s expectations of women. Constructed of ten individual scenes in which the only constant is the driver, this heavily improvised and peculiarly shot cinematic experiment is a work of fiction embedded with truth in every frame.
*Available on DVD from Zeitgeist Films
24. "This is Not a Film" (2011)
Dir. Mojtaba Mirtahmasb & Jafar Panahi
In an effort to tell his story despite being banned from filmmaking and under house arrest, filmmaker Jafar Panahi takes his frustration and ingeniously turns it into a courageous visual statement. Whether is shooting video with his cell phone or blocking an imaginary scene in his living room, his passion for storytelling is resilient even when confronting such suffocating censorship.
*Available on Netflix Instant Watch and on DVD from Palisades Tartan
25. "A Time for Drunken Horses" (2000)
Dir. Bahman Ghobadi
With the snow-covered Zagros Mountains as backdrop, Ghobadi’s debut feature tells the story of Ayoub, a young Kurdish boy who must provide for his siblings after their mother’s death. Added to the already difficult circumstances, his handicapped brother desperately needs a surgery. This pushes the heroic kid to persevere against all odds in the hostile environment.
*Available on Netflix Instant Watch and on DVD from Kino Lorber
26. "Turtles Can Fly" (2004)
Dir. Bahman Ghobadi
Commanding a cast made almost entirely of children Ghobadi sets his film in an Iraqi Kurdish refugee camp just before the American occupation of 2003. Making a living by clearing the hazardous minefields that surround them, a group of orphan children create a small community to survive. The atrocities of war are ever-present, but like in most of the director’s works, the triumph of the human spirit is at the film's core.
*Available on Amazon Instant Video
27. "The White Balloon" (1995)
Dir. Jafar Panahi
Written by Kiarostami and directed by Panahi this is another film set during the important Persian New Year celebrations. It centers on a little girl trying to convince her parents to buy her a goldfish and who gets in a couple mishaps along the way. With utmost innocence, the seemingly simple premise manages to be a charming delight that showcases family values and ancient virtues with a nice dose of humor. It’s an uplifting gem.
*Sadly the film is not curently availble in any format in the U.S. Hopefully Criterion or another distributor will fix this soon.
28. "The White Meadows" (2009)
Dir. Mohammad Rasoulof
While ethereal, almost otherworldly imagery achieved by cinematographer Ebrahim Ghafori is reason enough to see this film, Rasoulof’s poetic storytelling elevates it to even greater intellectual heights. By using a barren coastal land and its inhabitant as a metaphor for the intolerance and injustice that many of his compatriots -creative people in particular - confront everyday, the filmmaker denounces these evils through melancholic beauty.
*Available on DVD from Global Lens
29. "The Willow Tree" (2005)
Dir. Majid Majidi
A writer, who had been blinded in an accident as a child, regains his vision as a middle aged adult only to be challenged by a world that has become foreign to him. At first, his miraculous new situation appears to be an answer to a prayer, but Majidi soon shows us how vision can become a curse in this spiritual drama about fate and regret. Exquisitely shot and sporting visceral performances, the film is both heart-rending and though provoking.
*Available on DVD from New Yorker Films
30. "The Wind Will Carry Us" (1999)
Dir. Abbas Kiarostami
Taking the audience on a trip to an untainted region of Iran where tradition hasn’t yet been disrupted by modernity, the acclaimed director crafted another unforgettable experience. Sublimely executed, the film joins four journalists pretending to be engineers as they document the funerary rituals of the local Kurdish people. More than learning about them as researchers, their interactions force them to engage on a much more human level.
*Availble on Blu-ray and DVD from Cohen Media Group...
- 3/23/2015
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
Nick Montana, the youngest child of legendary NFL quarterback Joe Montana, is transferring to Tulane University, the school announced Friday (Jan. 4). The Green Wave says Montana has inked a National Letter of Intent.
Montana comes out of Mount San Antonio College in California, where last year he threw for over 2500 yards and 22 touchdowns. He originally saw action at the University of Washington out of high school before transferring to the junior college. When Montana transfers to Tulane, he will participate in spring practice and have two years of college eligibility remaining.
Tulane head coach Curtis Johnson tells Fox 8, "We are very excited about the addition of Nick to our program. He was very high on our list for this year's class. Nick is a highly intelligent player who has a very accurate arm and has incredible leadership skills, and he is a proven winner. We will have a young group...
Montana comes out of Mount San Antonio College in California, where last year he threw for over 2500 yards and 22 touchdowns. He originally saw action at the University of Washington out of high school before transferring to the junior college. When Montana transfers to Tulane, he will participate in spring practice and have two years of college eligibility remaining.
Tulane head coach Curtis Johnson tells Fox 8, "We are very excited about the addition of Nick to our program. He was very high on our list for this year's class. Nick is a highly intelligent player who has a very accurate arm and has incredible leadership skills, and he is a proven winner. We will have a young group...
- 1/7/2013
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
Title: The Green Wave Director: Ali Samadi Ahadi A striking and powerful documentary overview of the populist protests that rocked Iran in June 2009 and helped spark the so-called Arab Spring movement, “The Green Wave” serves as an inventive registering of terrible turmoil, upheaval and governmental crackdown. Working with animator Ali Reza Darvish, director Ali Samadi Ahadi weaves together recreated blog postings and eyewitness accounts with interviews of prominent human rights activists and Iranian exiles, and in the process achieves something fairly remarkable — a record not only factual but equally emotional, capturing the electric sweep of feeling, and commingled hope and despair of the younger generation in Iran and, indeed, throughout much of [ Read More ]...
- 8/11/2012
- by bsimon
- ShockYa
June 12, 2009, is a day Iranians will remember as one when their hearts sank and rose simultaneously. The news that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had supposedly beat progressive presidential candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi in a landslide was unbelievably disheartening -- so unbelievable, in fact, that the populace took collective heart in its absurdity. A public outcry swiftly snaked its way across the country in the first showing of resistance by Iranians since the revolution 30 years prior.
Three years later, we've seen the Arab Spring come and go with varying degrees of success, while the Iranians' efforts have long since dulled under the weight of government oppression. A new documentary, however, reminds us of how close victory felt during that Green summer, and how profoundly upsetting it was when the regime tortured, beat, killed and crushed any hope of it.
Like the Green revolution itself, which pioneered the use of Twitter, Facebook and amateur video,...
Three years later, we've seen the Arab Spring come and go with varying degrees of success, while the Iranians' efforts have long since dulled under the weight of government oppression. A new documentary, however, reminds us of how close victory felt during that Green summer, and how profoundly upsetting it was when the regime tortured, beat, killed and crushed any hope of it.
Like the Green revolution itself, which pioneered the use of Twitter, Facebook and amateur video,...
- 7/6/2012
- by The Huffington Post
- Huffington Post
The Sundance Institute's Film Forward: Advancing Cultural Dialogue initiative kicks off February 27 in Tucson and Sells, Arizona. Six films will screen: Ali Samadi Ahadi's "The Green Wave," Andrew Okpeaha MacLean's "On the Ice," Mike Mills' "Beginners," Jasmila Zbanic's "Grbavica," Linda Goldstein Knowlton's "Somewhere Between" and Benjamin Murray & Alysa Nahmias' "Unfinished Spaces." Three of the films' directors (Ahadi, Maclean, Mills) will attend and participate in Q & A's, workshops, discussions and meet-and-greets. Sundance's Keri Putnam hopes that "this collection of films...
- 2/14/2012
- Thompson on Hollywood
Sundance Institute announced the renewal of its program-Film Forward: Advancing Cultural Dialogue initiative which was introduced last year. The program with travel to India apart from China, Morocco, Columbia and France this year.
Film Forward connects contemporary U.S. and international films and filmmakers with diverse global audiences and features documentary and narrative films.
The films selected for the second year of the Film Forward program are: Another Earth, by Mike Cahill; Beginners, by Mike Mills; Bran Nue Dae, by Rachel Perkins; Buck, by Cindy Meehl;Grbavica, by Jasmila Zbanic; The Green Wave, by Ali Samadi Ahadi; On The Ice, by Andrew Okpeaha MacLean; Senna, by Asif Kapadia; Somewhere Between, by Linda Goldstein Knowlton; and Unfinished Spaces, by Benjamin Murray and Alysa Nahmias.
Film Forward filmmakers will travel with the initiative to present their work and participate in master classes, discussion panels, Q&As and other engagements with audiences.
“Film...
Film Forward connects contemporary U.S. and international films and filmmakers with diverse global audiences and features documentary and narrative films.
The films selected for the second year of the Film Forward program are: Another Earth, by Mike Cahill; Beginners, by Mike Mills; Bran Nue Dae, by Rachel Perkins; Buck, by Cindy Meehl;Grbavica, by Jasmila Zbanic; The Green Wave, by Ali Samadi Ahadi; On The Ice, by Andrew Okpeaha MacLean; Senna, by Asif Kapadia; Somewhere Between, by Linda Goldstein Knowlton; and Unfinished Spaces, by Benjamin Murray and Alysa Nahmias.
Film Forward filmmakers will travel with the initiative to present their work and participate in master classes, discussion panels, Q&As and other engagements with audiences.
“Film...
- 11/11/2011
- by NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
Better This World, The Tiniest Place and the other nominations for the 2011 Ida Awards have been announced. The 27th Annual Ida Awards (documentary awards) are presented by the International Documentary Association (Ida) “a non-profit organization promoting documentary film, video and new media, to support the efforts of documentary filmmaking and video production makers around the world and to increase public appreciation and demand for the art of the documentary…the Ida has approximately 2,800 members in 53 countries, providing a forum for supporters and suppliers of documentary film making.”
This years presentation will see “the 2011 Career Achievement Award [awarded] to legendary documentary filmmaker Les Blank. He will be presented his award by Werner Herzog. Director Danfung Dennis (Hell and Back Again) will receive the 2011 Jacqueline Donnet Emerging Documentary Filmmaker Award.”
The full listing of the 2011 Ida Awards nominations is below.
Best Feature Award
Better This World
Directors/Producers/Writers: Katie Galloway & Kelly Duane de la Vega...
This years presentation will see “the 2011 Career Achievement Award [awarded] to legendary documentary filmmaker Les Blank. He will be presented his award by Werner Herzog. Director Danfung Dennis (Hell and Back Again) will receive the 2011 Jacqueline Donnet Emerging Documentary Filmmaker Award.”
The full listing of the 2011 Ida Awards nominations is below.
Best Feature Award
Better This World
Directors/Producers/Writers: Katie Galloway & Kelly Duane de la Vega...
- 10/28/2011
- by filmbook
- Film-Book
Ronald Reagan, Nancy Reagan in Eugene Jarecki's Reagan Euthanasia, Political Repression, Liberian Warlord: International Documentary Association Nominations David L. Wolper Student Documentary Award This award recognizes exceptional achievement in non-fiction film and video production at the university level and brings greater public and industry awareness to the work of students in the documentary field. GUAÑAPE Sur Director/Executive Producer/Writer: János Richter Executive Producers: Heidi Gronauer, Lorenzo Paccagnella Producer: Georg Zeller ZeLIG- School for Documentary, Andanafilms, Icarus Films Heart-quake Director/Writer: Mark Olexa Executive Producers: Heidi Gronauer, Lorenzo Paccagnella Producers: Georg Zeller, Nadia Caruso ZeLIG – School for Documentary River Of Victory Director/Producer: Trevor Wright Executive Director: Jack Emery Producers: A. Todd Smith, Jordan Augustine Full Mountain Pictures, Brigham Young University Smoke Songs Director/Producer/Writer: Briar March Executive Producers: Jan Krawitz, Jamie Meltzer, Kris Samuelson On the Level Production Transit Director/Writer: Regina Tan Producers: Haley Quartarone, Juvia Chua,...
- 10/27/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Melancholia (15)
(Lars Von Trier, 2010, Den/Swe/Fra/Ger) Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Kiefer Sutherland, Alexander Skarsgård. 136 mins
Never have crippling depression and the end of the world looked so appealing. Personal and planetary orbits are fatalistically set on collision course in Von Trier's latest, as two sisters struggle with life, the universe and each other, but despite the grimness, its strange beauty stays with you.
The Debt (15)
(John Madden, 2010, Us) Helen Mirren, Jessica Chastain, Sam Worthington. 113 mins
A trio of Israeli agents try to abduct a former Nazi, then deal with the fallout decades later in this structurally (over)ambitious spy epic.
Red State (18)
(Kevin Smith, 2011, Us) Michael Parks, Melissa Leo, John Goodman. 88 mins
Smith takes aim at Christian fundamentalism in this cultish horror, which doesn't have the firepower it needs.
The Green Wave (Nc)
(Ali Samadi Ahadi, 2010, Ger) 80 mins
Documentary on Iran's 2009 democratic uprising, mixing reportage, animation and tweets and blogs.
(Lars Von Trier, 2010, Den/Swe/Fra/Ger) Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Kiefer Sutherland, Alexander Skarsgård. 136 mins
Never have crippling depression and the end of the world looked so appealing. Personal and planetary orbits are fatalistically set on collision course in Von Trier's latest, as two sisters struggle with life, the universe and each other, but despite the grimness, its strange beauty stays with you.
The Debt (15)
(John Madden, 2010, Us) Helen Mirren, Jessica Chastain, Sam Worthington. 113 mins
A trio of Israeli agents try to abduct a former Nazi, then deal with the fallout decades later in this structurally (over)ambitious spy epic.
Red State (18)
(Kevin Smith, 2011, Us) Michael Parks, Melissa Leo, John Goodman. 88 mins
Smith takes aim at Christian fundamentalism in this cultish horror, which doesn't have the firepower it needs.
The Green Wave (Nc)
(Ali Samadi Ahadi, 2010, Ger) 80 mins
Documentary on Iran's 2009 democratic uprising, mixing reportage, animation and tweets and blogs.
- 9/30/2011
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
A revealing new season of films at the Ica looks at the links between religion and revolt
Do the roots of the Arab spring lie in cinema? The question seems absurd: surely kleptocratic dictatorship, youth unemployment and grain prices all played a more important part. Iranian film scholar Hamid Dabashi disagrees: "If you want to understand the emotive universe from which the Arab spring arose, cinema is a good place to start. Look at a film like Elia Suleiman's Divine Intervention: there the director spits out an apricot pit at an Israeli tank and blows it up. The scene is both fantasy and prophecy."
Dabashi will be speaking this month at Winds of Change, a series of talks and screenings at the Ica in London showcasing films from across the Muslim world; it hopes to explore the rich, sometimes fraught relationship between religion and civic society. Özer Kiziltan's...
Do the roots of the Arab spring lie in cinema? The question seems absurd: surely kleptocratic dictatorship, youth unemployment and grain prices all played a more important part. Iranian film scholar Hamid Dabashi disagrees: "If you want to understand the emotive universe from which the Arab spring arose, cinema is a good place to start. Look at a film like Elia Suleiman's Divine Intervention: there the director spits out an apricot pit at an Israeli tank and blows it up. The scene is both fantasy and prophecy."
Dabashi will be speaking this month at Winds of Change, a series of talks and screenings at the Ica in London showcasing films from across the Muslim world; it hopes to explore the rich, sometimes fraught relationship between religion and civic society. Özer Kiziltan's...
- 9/20/2011
- The Guardian - Film News
Branchage Festival, Jersey
The nation's most intrepid film festival offers up another eclectic mix of music-backed movies and screenings in whatever novel locations the island can muster. So in the latter camp, you can watch surf films at the local surfboard factory, Afghanistan doc Restrepo in the army barracks, Of Gods And Men in a church, and rustic hits like Le Quattro Volte in a barn. In the former, DJ Rob Da Bank mixes a new score for King Kong, and London psych-rockers Teeth Of The Sea "re-imagine" dystopian thriller Doomsday.
Various venues, Thu to 25 Sep
Winds Of Change: Cinema From Muslim Societies, London
There has been extra interest in Arab cinema since the Arab spring but this is the first festival to come as a direct response to it. As such, it assembles films dealing with democracy, modernity, human rights and religion. Not that Arab cinema wasn't dealing with...
The nation's most intrepid film festival offers up another eclectic mix of music-backed movies and screenings in whatever novel locations the island can muster. So in the latter camp, you can watch surf films at the local surfboard factory, Afghanistan doc Restrepo in the army barracks, Of Gods And Men in a church, and rustic hits like Le Quattro Volte in a barn. In the former, DJ Rob Da Bank mixes a new score for King Kong, and London psych-rockers Teeth Of The Sea "re-imagine" dystopian thriller Doomsday.
Various venues, Thu to 25 Sep
Winds Of Change: Cinema From Muslim Societies, London
There has been extra interest in Arab cinema since the Arab spring but this is the first festival to come as a direct response to it. As such, it assembles films dealing with democracy, modernity, human rights and religion. Not that Arab cinema wasn't dealing with...
- 9/16/2011
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
Rights to writer/director Ali Samadi Ahadi's "The Green Wave" have been picked up by Red Flag Releasing, the company said Wednesday. The film, which screened at the Washington DC International Film Festival, the Seattle International Film Festival and the Human Rights Watch Film Festival will have a theatrical release timed to the third anniversary of the Iranian elections in June, 2012. Full release follows: Red Flag Releasing announced today that ...
- 8/3/2011
- Indiewire
Laura Kim and Paul Federbush of Red Flag Releasing have acquired stateside rights to distribute Sundance documentary collage The Green Wave. Written and directed by Ali Samadi Ahadi and produced by Jan Krueger and Oliver Stoltz, the doc about the 2009 Iran populist protests also screened at the Washington DC, Seattle and Human Rights Watch film festivals. Red Flag will theatrically release the film around the third anniversary of the Iranian elections in June of 2012. The film’s release will include theatrical, OnDemand, DVD, and digital download channels. The Green Wave documents the brutal attacks by government militia trying to squelch protests that followed the suspicious victory of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad over progressive candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi in the Iranian presidential elections on June 12, 2009. The ...
- 8/3/2011
- Thompson on Hollywood
Check out the links below — and check back often — for our preview, reviews, blogs and more from the 2011 Seattle International Film Festival.
Preview
Siff Kicks Off 37th Edition
Audience-centric 25-day Seattle International Film Festival screens festival-circuit favorites, premieres and local projects as well as fetes Ewan McGregor and Warren Miller
Features
Editors’ Choice: 12 Best Films Filmed in Seattle
With the 2011 Seattle International Film Festival in full swing, Moving Pictures counts down the dozen greatest movies shot in the Emerald City
Siff Fetes Ewan McGregor
The Seattle International Film Festival gives an audience its fill of the star of “Beginners” during an all-evening tribute to the beloved actor
Long “Weekend”
British writer-director Andrew Haigh writes for Moving Pictures about the making of “Weekend,” which starts with a one-night stand that becomes something else.
Finding My Way in the “Steam of Life”
Writers-directors Joonas Berghäll and Mika Hotakainen write for Moving Pictures...
Preview
Siff Kicks Off 37th Edition
Audience-centric 25-day Seattle International Film Festival screens festival-circuit favorites, premieres and local projects as well as fetes Ewan McGregor and Warren Miller
Features
Editors’ Choice: 12 Best Films Filmed in Seattle
With the 2011 Seattle International Film Festival in full swing, Moving Pictures counts down the dozen greatest movies shot in the Emerald City
Siff Fetes Ewan McGregor
The Seattle International Film Festival gives an audience its fill of the star of “Beginners” during an all-evening tribute to the beloved actor
Long “Weekend”
British writer-director Andrew Haigh writes for Moving Pictures about the making of “Weekend,” which starts with a one-night stand that becomes something else.
Finding My Way in the “Steam of Life”
Writers-directors Joonas Berghäll and Mika Hotakainen write for Moving Pictures...
- 5/26/2011
- by admin
- Moving Pictures Network
Check out the links below — and check back often — for our preview, reviews, blogs and more from the 2011 Seattle International Film Festival.
Preview
Siff Kicks Off 37th Edition
Audience-centric 25-day Seattle International Film Festival screens festival-circuit favorites, premieres and local projects as well as fetes Ewan McGregor and Warren Miller
Features
Editors’ Choice: 12 Best Films Filmed in Seattle
With the 2011 Seattle International Film Festival in full swing, Moving Pictures counts down the dozen greatest movies shot in the Emerald City
Siff Fetes Ewan McGregor
The Seattle International Film Festival gives an audience its fill of the star of “Beginners” during an all-evening tribute to the beloved actor
Long “Weekend”
British writer-director Andrew Haigh writes for Moving Pictures about the making of “Weekend,” which starts with a one-night stand that becomes something else.
Finding My Way in the “Steam of Life”
Writers-directors Joonas Berghäll and Mika Hotakainen write for Moving Pictures...
Preview
Siff Kicks Off 37th Edition
Audience-centric 25-day Seattle International Film Festival screens festival-circuit favorites, premieres and local projects as well as fetes Ewan McGregor and Warren Miller
Features
Editors’ Choice: 12 Best Films Filmed in Seattle
With the 2011 Seattle International Film Festival in full swing, Moving Pictures counts down the dozen greatest movies shot in the Emerald City
Siff Fetes Ewan McGregor
The Seattle International Film Festival gives an audience its fill of the star of “Beginners” during an all-evening tribute to the beloved actor
Long “Weekend”
British writer-director Andrew Haigh writes for Moving Pictures about the making of “Weekend,” which starts with a one-night stand that becomes something else.
Finding My Way in the “Steam of Life”
Writers-directors Joonas Berghäll and Mika Hotakainen write for Moving Pictures...
- 5/26/2011
- by admin
- Moving Pictures Magazine
The 2011 Human Rights Watch Film Festival Co-presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center
June 16-30 at the Walter Reade Theater Program of 19 Films from 12 Countries . including 17 New York Premieres
Now in its 22nd year, the 2011 Human Rights Watch Film Festival returns to New York with an extraordinary program of films set to inspire, inform and spark debate. A co-presentation of Human Rights Watch and the Film Society of Lincoln Center, the festival will run from June 16 to 30 at the Film Society.s Walter Reade Theater. Nineteen of the best human rights themed films from 12 countries will be screened, 17 of them New York premieres. A majority of the filmmakers will be on hand after the screenings to discuss their films with the audience.
The Human Rights Watch Film Festival program this year is organized around four themes: Truth, Justice and Accountability; Times of Conflict and Responses to Terrorism; Human Dignity,...
June 16-30 at the Walter Reade Theater Program of 19 Films from 12 Countries . including 17 New York Premieres
Now in its 22nd year, the 2011 Human Rights Watch Film Festival returns to New York with an extraordinary program of films set to inspire, inform and spark debate. A co-presentation of Human Rights Watch and the Film Society of Lincoln Center, the festival will run from June 16 to 30 at the Film Society.s Walter Reade Theater. Nineteen of the best human rights themed films from 12 countries will be screened, 17 of them New York premieres. A majority of the filmmakers will be on hand after the screenings to discuss their films with the audience.
The Human Rights Watch Film Festival program this year is organized around four themes: Truth, Justice and Accountability; Times of Conflict and Responses to Terrorism; Human Dignity,...
- 5/13/2011
- by Melissa Howland
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Nineteen films from twelve countries make up the 2011 Human Rights Watch Film Festival, June 16-30 at the Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center.
Co-presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center, the festival is organized around four themes:
- Truth, Justice and Accountability
- Times of Conflict and Responses to Terrorism
- Human Dignity, Discrimination and Resources
- Migrants’ and Women’s Rights.
Launching on June 16 with the political thriller “The Whistleblower,” starring Rachel Weisz and David Strathairn, other special features include a centerpiece portrait of Harry Belafonte titled “Sing Your Song,” a tribute to the photographer, filmmaker and journalist, “No Boundaries: Tim Hetherington,” recently killed in Libya, and a HIV/AIDS themed drama, “Life, Above All” from South Africa will close out the festival.
Here’s the official word on the films in the program. For the complete line-up, screening and scheduling information, go to http://www.hrw.org/iff
Truth,...
Co-presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center, the festival is organized around four themes:
- Truth, Justice and Accountability
- Times of Conflict and Responses to Terrorism
- Human Dignity, Discrimination and Resources
- Migrants’ and Women’s Rights.
Launching on June 16 with the political thriller “The Whistleblower,” starring Rachel Weisz and David Strathairn, other special features include a centerpiece portrait of Harry Belafonte titled “Sing Your Song,” a tribute to the photographer, filmmaker and journalist, “No Boundaries: Tim Hetherington,” recently killed in Libya, and a HIV/AIDS themed drama, “Life, Above All” from South Africa will close out the festival.
Here’s the official word on the films in the program. For the complete line-up, screening and scheduling information, go to http://www.hrw.org/iff
Truth,...
- 5/13/2011
- by admin
- Moving Pictures Magazine
Nineteen films from twelve countries make up the 2011 Human Rights Watch Film Festival, June 16-30 at the Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center.
Co-presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center, the festival is organized around four themes:
- Truth, Justice and Accountability
- Times of Conflict and Responses to Terrorism
- Human Dignity, Discrimination and Resources
- Migrants’ and Women’s Rights.
Launching on June 16 with the political thriller “The Whistleblower,” starring Rachel Weisz and David Strathairn, other special features include a centerpiece portrait of Harry Belafonte titled “Sing Your Song,” a tribute to the photographer, filmmaker and journalist, “No Boundaries: Tim Hetherington,” recently killed in Libya, and a HIV/AIDS themed drama, “Life, Above All” from South Africa will close out the festival.
Here’s the official word on the films in the program. For the complete line-up, screening and scheduling information, go to http://www.hrw.org/iff
Truth,...
Co-presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center, the festival is organized around four themes:
- Truth, Justice and Accountability
- Times of Conflict and Responses to Terrorism
- Human Dignity, Discrimination and Resources
- Migrants’ and Women’s Rights.
Launching on June 16 with the political thriller “The Whistleblower,” starring Rachel Weisz and David Strathairn, other special features include a centerpiece portrait of Harry Belafonte titled “Sing Your Song,” a tribute to the photographer, filmmaker and journalist, “No Boundaries: Tim Hetherington,” recently killed in Libya, and a HIV/AIDS themed drama, “Life, Above All” from South Africa will close out the festival.
Here’s the official word on the films in the program. For the complete line-up, screening and scheduling information, go to http://www.hrw.org/iff
Truth,...
- 5/13/2011
- by admin
- Moving Pictures Network
The 8th annual Calgary Underground Film Festival is set to run on April 11-17 at The Plaza Theater with 18 feature films and documentaries, several live performances, a classic cartoon extravaganza and Cuff’s legendary 48-hour Movie Making Challenge.
Sentient car tires. Wrongly accused hillbillies. Post-apocalyptic vampire hunters. Rage-filled neighbors. Real-life superheroes. Angry Star Wars fans. Those are just a few of the oddball characters you’ll find in the Cuff lineup below that includes festival hits such as Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil, The Woman, Superheroes, A Horrible Way to Die, Shut Up Little Man!, Rubber and more.
Some of the special events include: Not only a screening of Chris Metzler and Lev Anderson’s documentary Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone, but a live concert by the band after the screening. Plus, there will be a wild live burlesque show being held as a fundraiser for the upcoming film...
Sentient car tires. Wrongly accused hillbillies. Post-apocalyptic vampire hunters. Rage-filled neighbors. Real-life superheroes. Angry Star Wars fans. Those are just a few of the oddball characters you’ll find in the Cuff lineup below that includes festival hits such as Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil, The Woman, Superheroes, A Horrible Way to Die, Shut Up Little Man!, Rubber and more.
Some of the special events include: Not only a screening of Chris Metzler and Lev Anderson’s documentary Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone, but a live concert by the band after the screening. Plus, there will be a wild live burlesque show being held as a fundraiser for the upcoming film...
- 4/6/2011
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
Trailers are an under-appreciated art form insofar that many times they’re seen as vehicles for showing footage, explaining films away, or showing their hand about what moviegoers can expect. Foreign, domestic, independent, big budget: I celebrate all levels of trailers and hopefully this column will satisfactorily give you a baseline of what beta wave I’m operating on, because what better way to hone your skills as a thoughtful moviegoer than by deconstructing these little pieces of advertising? Some of the best authors will tell you that writing a short story is a lot harder than writing a long one, that you have to weigh every sentence. What better medium to see how this theory plays itself out beyond that than with movie trailers? I'm interrupting this column to announce a sweet contest open to budding filmmakers who not only love the fake trailers that played during Grindhouse but...
- 3/12/2011
- by Christopher Stipp
- Slash Film
In early 2009, the people of Iran were on the brink of revolution. The movement was spearheaded by a generation of discontented youth who wanted to reform the status quo from the tyrannical presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Fueled by new technologies, the movement dubbed ‘The Green Wave‘ seemed primed to displace the current president and put into power the reform candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi. But after some suspicious activity at voting polls, Ahmadinejad was declared the winner with an overwhelming percentage of the vote prompting violent protests to escalate on the streets of Tehran (coincidentally this is also happening right now in Egypt, making it even more relevant). Director Ali Samadi Ahadi creates a disturbing tapestry of the events and violence by interweaving animation, blog testimonials, tweets, cell phone footage and interviews from people who lived through the horrors.
The most visually striking element to the film are the animated sequences,...
The most visually striking element to the film are the animated sequences,...
- 1/26/2011
- by Raffi Asdourian
- The Film Stage
"How do you show what it was like for the Iranian protesters arrested during the green revolution of 2009?" asks Geoffrey Macnab in the Guardian. "That was the challenge facing Ali Samadi Ahadi when he was working on his documentary about the abortive uprising, The Green Wave. The answer? Get online. The Green Wave is based on first-person accounts collected from tweets, Facebook entries and blogs. It features footage of protests and public gatherings shot on cell phones. But after the government militia turned on protesters and hauled them away to jail, the documentary trail ran cold. That's when Ahadi turned to animation… He says he wasn't influenced directly by other political movies using animation, such as Waltz With Bashir and Persepolis. 'For me, animation was the only way to tell this story, to make this documentary.' The imagery, he adds, was so strong and so disturbing that no physical re-enactment could do it justice.
- 1/24/2011
- MUBI
Park City - On Friday (Jan. 21), world powers completed a second day of Istanbul-based negotiations aimed at convincing Iran to pull back from its nuclear program. At the same time, I was in a movie theater in Park City watching a documentary that makes the compelling case that by obsessing over fears that the Islamic Republic may go nuclear, Western nations may be overlooking, or at least under-condemning, human rights violations and the repression of dissident opinions, particularly in the aftermath of the 2009 Iranian election. Ali Samadi Ahadi's "The Green Wave" manages to be powerful and emphatic...
- 1/22/2011
- by Daniel Fienberg
- Hitfix
A new animated film tells the stories of the protests in Iran in 2009, assembled from tweets and blogposts by the people who were there
How do you show what it was like for the Iranian protesters arrested during the green revolution of 2009? That was the challenge facing Ali Samadi Ahadi when he was working on his documentary about the abortive uprising, The Green Wave. The answer? Get online. The Green Wave is based on first-person accounts collected from tweets, Facebook entries and blogs. It features footage of protests and public gatherings shot on cell phones. But after the government militia turned on protesters and hauled them away to jail, the documentary trail ran cold. That's when Ahadi turned to animation.
Ahadi's film captures the initial exhilaration of the green revolution. For a few exciting and heady days, he says, it really did appear inevitable that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad would be toppled...
How do you show what it was like for the Iranian protesters arrested during the green revolution of 2009? That was the challenge facing Ali Samadi Ahadi when he was working on his documentary about the abortive uprising, The Green Wave. The answer? Get online. The Green Wave is based on first-person accounts collected from tweets, Facebook entries and blogs. It features footage of protests and public gatherings shot on cell phones. But after the government militia turned on protesters and hauled them away to jail, the documentary trail ran cold. That's when Ahadi turned to animation.
Ahadi's film captures the initial exhilaration of the green revolution. For a few exciting and heady days, he says, it really did appear inevitable that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad would be toppled...
- 1/21/2011
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- The Guardian - Film News
With the 2011 Sundance Film Festival opening Thursday, indieWIRE's preview profiles of filmmakers screening in the event's U.S. and World competitions and Next section is in its final stretch. Joining the roster of over 50 filmmaker interviews today are Eric Strauss and Daniele Anastasion's U.S. Documentary Competition feature, ""The Redemption of General Butt Naked," Joshua Leonard's Next offering, "The Lie" and "The Green Wave" by Ali Samadi Ahadi (World Cinema ...
- 1/17/2011
- Indiewire
With the 2011 Sundance Film Festival opening Thursday, indieWIRE's preview profiles of filmmakers screening in the event's U.S. and World competitions and Next section is in its final stretch. Joining the roster of over 50 filmmaker interviews today are Eric Strauss and Daniele Anastasion's U.S. Documentary Competition feature, ""The Redemption of General Butt Naked," Joshua Leonard's Next offering, "The Lie" and "The Green Wave" by Ali Samadi Ahadi (World Cinema ...
- 1/17/2011
- indieWIRE - People
Ali Samadi Ahadi's The Green Wave World Cinema Documentary Competition This year's 12 films were selected from 796 international documentary submissions. An African Election / Switzerland, U.S.A. (Director: Jarreth Merz) – The 2008 presidential elections in Ghana, West Africa, serve as a backdrop for this feature documentary that looks behind the scenes at the complex, political machinery of a third-world democracy struggling to avoid civil war and establish stability for good. North American Premiere The Bengali Detective / India, U.S.A., United Kingdom (Director: Phil Cox) – Chubby, dance-obsessed private-detective Rajesh Ji and his motley band of helpers tackle poisonings, adultery and the occasional murder on the frenzied streets of Kolkata. World Premiere The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 / Sweden, U.S.A. (Director: Göran Olsson) – From 1967 to 1975, Swedish journalists chronicled the Black Power movement in America. Combining that 16mm footage, undiscovered until now, with contemporary audio interviews, this film illuminates the [...]...
- 12/1/2010
- by Anna Robinson
- Alt Film Guide
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