‘Green Marriage’ Documentary on Activist Couple

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Date: 9 May 2017

Photographer, script writer, director and producer of documentary films Mohsen Sakha is close to completion of the shooting sessions for his latest documentary ‘Green Marriage.’

Green Marriage is a portrayal of a young environmental activist couple living in the city of Kermanshah, capital of Kermanshah Province.

According to Sakha, “Saeed Solymani and Shiva Motazedi drew my attention when I heard about the ‘mehr’ (roughly dowry in English) agreement between them,” at the time of their marriage a year ago.

Mehr is a mandatory required amount of money or possessions, paid by the groom to the bride at the time of marriage, for her exclusive use. It can be anything agreed upon by the bride such as jewelry, home goods, furniture and dwelling.

As her mehr, Motazedi agreed to a plantation with 1,305 trees; 1305, because it was the Iranian calendar year (1926) when Eskandar Firouz, the founder of the Environment Department in Iran, was born.

“While mehr is often about hundreds of gold coins, the young couple agreed on a tree plantation. Their decision created a feeling of respect and admiration in me for the couple. So I went over to get to know more about them.”

Sakha spoke about the environmental activities of the couple including the establishment of ‘Kaykom,’ the first nature school across western Iran in Kermanshah.

They also established the Huraman Forest School in Hawraman, a mountainous region within the provinces of Kurdistan and Kermanshah in western Iran and northeastern Iraq.

“Saeed and his wife Shiva are promoting an environment-friendly culture among children and their families, hoping to help make the natural habitats safe for plants and animals.”

After the shooting sessions end, it will undergo editing and dubbing before it goes for production and screening permits.

Source: Financial Tribune

Ibsen’s Drama at Molavi Theater

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Date: 8 May 2017

The 1882 drama ‘An Enemy of the People’ by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906) will be staged in Tehran at Molavi Theater.

Directed by theater director and actor Sina Rastgou, it is slated for 15 May to 10 June 2017.

After ‘Dr. Stockmann,’ an adaptation of the same play, staged by veteran director Ali Pouyan at Tehran City Theater in winter, Ibsen’s work will reappear in a different version.

The play received awards for the best set and best costume design at the University Theater Festival of Baran held last summer in Tehran. It also got the best actor award.

The latest work is a product of Omid-e-Iran theater troupe, and Rastgou was advised by modern director Kiumars Moradi in the new adaptation. The décor is designed by Seyed Mohammad Mousavi; costumes by Bahar Khalilfar.

In this powerful work, Ibsen places his main character Dr. Stockmann in the role of an enlightened and persecuted minority confronting an ignorant, powerful majority. When the physician learns that the famous and financially successful baths in his hometown are contaminated, he insists they be shut down for costly repairs.

For his honesty, he is persecuted, ridiculed, and declared an ‘enemy of the people’ by the townspeople, including some who were his closest allies.

Upon completion of the play, Ibsen wrote to his publisher in Copenhagen, “I am still uncertain as to whether I should call it a comedy or a straight drama. It may have many traits of comedy, but it also is based on a serious idea.

The 80-minute play starts at 6 pm, according to Tiwall (tiwall.com), a website on cultural events where tickets are available. Molavi Theater is located on 16-Azar Street.

Source: Financial Tribune

Iranian Stage Actors Celebration awards top stars of the year

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Date: 8 May 2017

The 14th Iranian Stage Actors Celebration was held at Tehran’s City Theater Complex on Saturday with honoring stars of the plays performed over the past year.

The celebration is organized annually by the Iranian Theater Forum to honor top actors of the past year.

Top stage actors for last year were Afshin Hashemi for his role in “Three Sisters and Others” by writer/director Hamid Amjad, and Alireza Keymanesh for playing a role in William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” directed by Mostafa Kushki.

Kazem Sayyhi also received an award for his role in Mary Chase’s “Harvey” directed by Melody Aramnia.

Mahshad Mokhberi, Reyhaneh Salamat and Pantea Panahiha were the top three actresses of the year.

Mokhberi received her award for her role in “The Missing Lady” directed by Farhad Sharifi while Panahiha was awarded for her collaboration in “Love Letters from the Middle East” directed by Kiumars Mopradi.

Salamat was presented an award for her roles both in “October 1942, Paris” directed by Masud Musavi and “Three Sisters and Others”.

The troupes performed “Cloudy House” by directors Siamak Ehsai and Hamid Purazari, and “Shelter” directed by Amid Miri were selected as best casts of the year.

A thespian performs a skit during the 14th Iranian Stage Actors Celebration at Tehran’s City Theater Complex on May 6, 2017. (Mehr/Behnam Tofiqi)

Source: Tehran Times

“Parting” named best at Tripoli filmfest“Parting” named best at Tripoli filmfest

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Date: 7 May 2017

“Parting”, a joint production of Iran and Afghanistan by Navid Mahmudi, won the award for best film at the Tripoli Film Festival, which was held in the Lebanese city from 27 April to 4 May 2017.

“Parting” is about teenage lovers Nabi and Fereshteh who are separated by her family’s flight from Afghanistan. After years apart, Nabi decides to find Fereshteh and risk the hardship of flight and resettlement in Europe with a hope of a better life.

“A Time to Rest”, a joint production of Lebanon and France by Myriam El Hajj, was picked as best documentary while “Dead Horses”, co-directed by Marc Riba and Anna Solanas from Spain, won the best animation award at the festival.

Source: Tehran Times

‘Release from Heaven’ will premier at Cannes Animation Day

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Date: 6 May 2017

Iranian animation ‘Release from Heaven’, directed by Ali Noori-Oskouei, is to be screened at the inauguration ceremony of Cannes Film Festival’s Animation Day section.

The 76-minute animation, written by Majid Asoodegan, produced by Ali Noori Oskouei and Vahid Olyaee is to vie at the competition section of the event as well as the Cannes film market, filmfestivals.com wrote.

The 76-minute Iranian animation will participate in Cannes market and at the same time will compete with productions from Japan, Korea and France.

The flick is about a female writer and teacher in a war-torn country who has to accompany two of her students on a life changing journey.

‘Sign’ is the first production made by Noori-Oskouei.

The 70th annual Cannes Film Festival is scheduled to be held from 17 to 28 May 2017. Spanish film director and screenwriter Pedro Almodóvar has been selected as the President of the Jury for the festival with Italian actress Monica Bellucci hosting the opening and closing ceremonies. ‘Ismael’s Ghosts’, directed by French director Arnaud Desplechin, has been selected as the opening film for the festival.

The festival will be celebrating its 70th anniversary. In late March 2017, official poster of the festival was revealed featuring Italian actress Claudia Cardinale.

The actress responded, “I am honored and proud to be flying the flag for the 70th Festival de Cannes, and delighted with this choice of photo. It’s the image I myself have of the Festival, of an event that illuminates everything around … Happy anniversary!”

Source: Iran Daily

Five Iranian films at Cannes Film Market

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Date: 3 May 2017

The France-based company Dreamlabs Films will offer four Iranian films at the Cannes Film Market – Marché du Film.

“Subdued” directed by Hamid Nematollah, “Israfil” by Ida Panahandeh, “Searing Summer” by Ebrahim Irajzad, “Sunset Truck” by Abolfazl Saffari and Maki by Naghmeh Shirkhan will be screened at the event, which will be open from 17 to 26 May 2017.

The market is a meeting point for over 12,000 professionals, including 3,200 producers, 1,200 sale agents, 1,750 buyers and 800 festival organizers.

Two Iranian movies will also compete in the Cannes Film Festival this year. “Lunch Time” by Alireza Qasemi and “Animal” by Bahman Ark have been selected for the short films and Cinéfondation competitions.

In addition, late Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami’s new experimental work “24 Frames” has been selected to appear as a special screening in the 70th Anniversary Events of the event.

Source: Tehran Times

“Not Yet” crowned best at Busan film festival

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Date: 2 May 2017

Iranian director Aryan Vazir-Daftari’s “Not Yet” received the Grand Prix for Best Picture at the 34th Busan International Short Film Festival (BISFF), which was held in the South Korean city from 25 to 30 April 2017.

The film is about a middle-aged couple who try to celebrate their expatriate young daughter’s birthday via Skype.

The film also received the NETPAC Award, which is presented by a jury assigned by the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC).

“Ambulance” by Sebastian Torngren Wartin from Norway won the Excellence Award for Best Picture while “Between Us” by Maciej Miller from Poland received the special jury award.

Photo: Iranian director Aryan Vazir-Daftari attends the awards ceremony at the 34th Busan International Short Film Festival in the South Korean city on April 30, 2017 to receive the Grand Prix for Best Picture at the event for his film “Not Yet”.

Source: Tehran Times

‘Scary’ Adaptation of Romeo & Juliet on Tehran’s Stage

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Date: 2 May 2017

Tehran Independent Theater is staging “a violent, scary adaptation” of English playwright Shakespeare’s famous tragedy ‘Romeo and Juliet.’

The play is adapted by Iranian theater director and playwright Baqer Soroushi and directed by dramaturge and theater director Hasti Hosseini.

It opened early April and will run through 20 May 2017.

Among the notable features of the play is its décor designed by director, producer, editor, writer and set designer Mostafa Koushki that has greatly contributed to the scary atmosphere of the show.

According to Koushki, thespians rehearsed the play “12 hours a day.”

The love story is narrated with “touches of violence and horror” with Romeo and Juliet portrayed in a dark world. Romeo is rendered as a delinquent and Juliet, a slave to her animus. Soroush has thus tampered with Shakespeare’s work.

Performance is dynamic and adventurous, with the actors suspended from midair. Mise-en-scenes have numerous vertical motions. The stage is dominated by physical acts and youthful violence.

The theater is located at No. 50, Zand-Vakil Alley, Razi St., east of Daneshjou Park.

Source: Financial Tribune

“Namira” named best film at Russia’s DetectiveFEST

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Date: 1 May 2017

Iranian director Mohammad Kermanshahi’s “Namira” was picked as best feature film at the 19th edition of DetectiveFEST, a Russian international festival of detective films and television programs on law-enforcement themes.

“Namira” is about a group of foreign diplomats who are kidnapped by a terrorist group after entering Iran.

In addition, “Alone among the Taliban”, a documentary by Mohsen Eslamzadeh, received an honorable mention in a category titled “Terrorism, a Threat to Peace”.

The film portrays 15 days of Eslamzadeh’s stay among the Taliban.

DetectiveFEST was held in Moscow from April 17 to 21.

Source: Tehran Times

Choreography Workshop by French Theater Master

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Date: 1 May 2017

French choreographer Laurent Jean Paul Karl Chetouane will hold a choreography workshop in Tehran.

Chetouane, 44, is a guest professor at several art schools in European cities including Berlin, Bochum, Frankfurt, Giessen, Hamburg, Leipzig and Oslo. He will conduct the 3-day choreography workshop at the premises of Tehran University of Art from 30 April to 2 May 2017.

The event is organized under the framework of the 20th Iran International University Theater Festival to be held May 5-13 in Tehran, according to the website of the festival (iiutf.ir).

Chetouane studied theater at the University of Paris in France and then directing at the Hochschule fur Musik und Darstellende Kunst (College for Music and Performing Arts) in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

In summer 2012, he began working as the artistic director of the masters program in dramaturgy at the Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main, as a professor of theater studies.

Chetouane started his career as a choreographer in 2006. He has created 15 dance pieces since 2007, with numbers 1 to 4 representing a new theme in which he examines the necessity and meaning of movement.

Tickets for the workshop are available at the website of Tiwall (tiwall.com/theater/laurentjean).

New Connections

In many ways Laurent Chetouane is a late arrival. He initially studied chemical engineering then theater, after which he made a career as a theater director.

He creates new connections between theater, dance, narrative and abstraction.

His dance pieces #1 to #4 (2007-09) established him as a de facto choreographer. With elements from pantomime and psychological models in narrative forms, he placed contemporary choreography in a new, romantic light. Chetouane now divides his time between Germany and France.

Source: Financial Tribune