Documentary chronicles the Armenian director’s search for her missing soldier brother.
Shoghakat Vardanyan’s documentary 1489, which chronicles the Armenian director’s search for her missing soldier brother, has won the best film award in international competition at The International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA).
The title 1489 refers to the anonymous number of a “body of an individual missing in action,” and was the number assigned to Soghomon Vardanyan, a 21-year-old student and musician who was close to completing his military service when the conflict between Azerbaijan and his home country Armenia over Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) flared up again in September...
Shoghakat Vardanyan’s documentary 1489, which chronicles the Armenian director’s search for her missing soldier brother, has won the best film award in international competition at The International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA).
The title 1489 refers to the anonymous number of a “body of an individual missing in action,” and was the number assigned to Soghomon Vardanyan, a 21-year-old student and musician who was close to completing his military service when the conflict between Azerbaijan and his home country Armenia over Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) flared up again in September...
- 11/17/2023
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
Shoghakat Vardanyan’s “1489,” which follows the director’s family after her brother goes missing while serving in the Armenian army, won documentary festival IDFA’s best film prize Thursday.
The jury of the International Competition section said the film “acts as a piercing light that makes visible the vast hidden interior landscape of grief and creates a tangible presence from unbearable absence.”
The jury added that it was “cinema as a tool of survival — to allow us all to look at the things we would rather not see, and ultimately, an unforgettable example of cinema as an act of love.”
The best directing award went to Mohamed Jabaly for “Life Is Beautiful,” in which the Palestinian filmmaker documents his life in 2014 when he was visiting Norway and was prevented from returning home to Gaza because the border was closed.
“Life Is Beautiful”
The jury members said the film was “a...
The jury of the International Competition section said the film “acts as a piercing light that makes visible the vast hidden interior landscape of grief and creates a tangible presence from unbearable absence.”
The jury added that it was “cinema as a tool of survival — to allow us all to look at the things we would rather not see, and ultimately, an unforgettable example of cinema as an act of love.”
The best directing award went to Mohamed Jabaly for “Life Is Beautiful,” in which the Palestinian filmmaker documents his life in 2014 when he was visiting Norway and was prevented from returning home to Gaza because the border was closed.
“Life Is Beautiful”
The jury members said the film was “a...
- 11/16/2023
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
The International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam has revealed its lineups for the competitions for short documentary and youth documentary, as well as the rosters for its Best of Fests section and its newly minted Signed section. In total, 100 films have been included in the IDFA program to date.
In addition, IDFA Forum, the festival’s co-production and co-financing market, has expanded to a total of 64 projects, including seven by Ukrainian filmmakers.
The 36th edition of IDFA runs from Nov. 8 to 19 in Amsterdam.
The competition for short documentary showcases a healthy boom for the short film form. A mosaic of styles and themes defines this selection of 15 films, exploring everything a short documentary can be. An international jury of three jurors will award the best film.
Pegah Ahangarani returns to IDFA with a personal telling of family history and their experience of the Iranian revolution in “My Father,” and Nastia Korkia...
In addition, IDFA Forum, the festival’s co-production and co-financing market, has expanded to a total of 64 projects, including seven by Ukrainian filmmakers.
The 36th edition of IDFA runs from Nov. 8 to 19 in Amsterdam.
The competition for short documentary showcases a healthy boom for the short film form. A mosaic of styles and themes defines this selection of 15 films, exploring everything a short documentary can be. An international jury of three jurors will award the best film.
Pegah Ahangarani returns to IDFA with a personal telling of family history and their experience of the Iranian revolution in “My Father,” and Nastia Korkia...
- 10/5/2023
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
All that Breathes topped the 2022 IDA Documentary Awards, winning best feature and two other competitive awards. The film was previously selected as the winner of the Pare Lorentz Award.
In addition to the top prize, the HBO title, which follows two brothers who run a bird hospital dedicated to rescuing injured black kites that are often affected by air pollution in New Delhi, won best director for helmer Shaunak Sen and best editing.
National Geographic and Neon’s Fire of Love documentary about volcanologists Katia and Maurice Krafft, which led the nominations for the 38th annual International Documentary Association honors with five nods, won two awards.
The IDA Documentary Awards were presented in a ceremony at Los Angeles’ Paramount Theater, hosted by actor-comedian Jenny Yang.
Best Feature Documentary
All that Breathes (India, United States, United Kingdom | Sideshow and Submarine Deluxe, HBO Documentary Films...
All that Breathes topped the 2022 IDA Documentary Awards, winning best feature and two other competitive awards. The film was previously selected as the winner of the Pare Lorentz Award.
In addition to the top prize, the HBO title, which follows two brothers who run a bird hospital dedicated to rescuing injured black kites that are often affected by air pollution in New Delhi, won best director for helmer Shaunak Sen and best editing.
National Geographic and Neon’s Fire of Love documentary about volcanologists Katia and Maurice Krafft, which led the nominations for the 38th annual International Documentary Association honors with five nods, won two awards.
The IDA Documentary Awards were presented in a ceremony at Los Angeles’ Paramount Theater, hosted by actor-comedian Jenny Yang.
Best Feature Documentary
All that Breathes (India, United States, United Kingdom | Sideshow and Submarine Deluxe, HBO Documentary Films...
- 12/11/2022
- by Hilary Lewis
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The International Documentary Association (IDA) announced their nominations in 18 categories for the 38th IDA Documentary Awards, which will be held on December 10, 2022, at the Paramount Theater in Los Angeles. “Fire of Love” led all feature documentaries with five bids, followed by “All That Breathes” with four. See the full list of nominees below.
See RSVP for Film Documentary panel on November 16: ‘Good Night Oppy,’ ‘Louis Armstrong’s Black and Blues,’ ‘Mija,’ ‘Retrograde’
Last year the group previewed three of the five Oscar nominees for Best Documentary Feature, including the winner “Summer of Soul” as well as IDA champ “Flee” and “Writing with Fire.” The year before that they were just as accurate when IDA winner “Crip Camp” was nominated along with “Collective” and “Time,” but Oscar champ “My Octopus Teacher” was snubbed.
Among this year’s IDA nominees for Best Feature, just two were also nominated by the Critics’ Choice...
See RSVP for Film Documentary panel on November 16: ‘Good Night Oppy,’ ‘Louis Armstrong’s Black and Blues,’ ‘Mija,’ ‘Retrograde’
Last year the group previewed three of the five Oscar nominees for Best Documentary Feature, including the winner “Summer of Soul” as well as IDA champ “Flee” and “Writing with Fire.” The year before that they were just as accurate when IDA winner “Crip Camp” was nominated along with “Collective” and “Time,” but Oscar champ “My Octopus Teacher” was snubbed.
Among this year’s IDA nominees for Best Feature, just two were also nominated by the Critics’ Choice...
- 11/11/2022
- by Denton Davidson
- Gold Derby
“All that Breathes” and “Fire of Love” led all films in nominations for the International Documentary Association’s 38th annual IDA Documentary Awards, which were announced Friday morning.
“All That Breathes,” a lyrical film by Shaunak Sen about two brothers in New Delhi who care for birds that fall from the polluted skies, received four nominations, including Best Feature Documentary, and was also named the winner of the Pare Lorentz Award for a film showing commitment to social justice and the environment. Sara Dosa’s “Fire of Love,” about a married couple that spent their lives studying volcanoes, landed five nominations.
Other films that received multiple IDA nominations included “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed,” “A House Made of Splinters,” “No Simple Way Home” and “The Pawnshop.”
The Best Feature Documentary category, which included those six films plus “Katrina Babies,” “Mija,” “Navalny” and “Young Plato,” was long on international films,...
“All That Breathes,” a lyrical film by Shaunak Sen about two brothers in New Delhi who care for birds that fall from the polluted skies, received four nominations, including Best Feature Documentary, and was also named the winner of the Pare Lorentz Award for a film showing commitment to social justice and the environment. Sara Dosa’s “Fire of Love,” about a married couple that spent their lives studying volcanoes, landed five nominations.
Other films that received multiple IDA nominations included “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed,” “A House Made of Splinters,” “No Simple Way Home” and “The Pawnshop.”
The Best Feature Documentary category, which included those six films plus “Katrina Babies,” “Mija,” “Navalny” and “Young Plato,” was long on international films,...
- 11/11/2022
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
The International Documentary Association (IDA) has revealed the nominations for the 38th IDA Documentary Awards. Comprising 18 categories ranging from Best Feature Film and Best Short Film to Best Curated Series and Best Episodic Series, the awards ceremony is meant to support the vital work of documentary storytellers and champion a thriving and inclusive documentary culture.
Leading nominations in the film categories are “All That Breathes” and “Fire of Love,” each with five. Meanwhile, films like “The Territory” and “Descendant,” which have been recognized by other awards bodies like the Cinema Eye Honors, are nowhere to be found on this year’s IDA Awards’ nominees list.
It is somewhat expected, as nominees in each of the Best Feature Documentary and Best Short Documentary categories had been selected from the shortlists previously announced. IDA members will now have access to view each of the nominated films and to vote for Best Feature...
Leading nominations in the film categories are “All That Breathes” and “Fire of Love,” each with five. Meanwhile, films like “The Territory” and “Descendant,” which have been recognized by other awards bodies like the Cinema Eye Honors, are nowhere to be found on this year’s IDA Awards’ nominees list.
It is somewhat expected, as nominees in each of the Best Feature Documentary and Best Short Documentary categories had been selected from the shortlists previously announced. IDA members will now have access to view each of the nominated films and to vote for Best Feature...
- 11/11/2022
- by Marcus Jones
- Indiewire
Click here to read the full article.
The International Documentary Association (IDA) announced the nominations for the 38th annual IDA Documentary Awards, which will be held on Dec. 10, 2022, at the Paramount Theater on the Paramount Studios Lot in Los Angeles.
Among the nominated features is National Geographic/Neon’s Fire of Love, director Sara Dosa’s portrait of vocanologists Katia and Maurice Krafft, which led the nominated films with five honors. HBO Documentary Films’ All That Breathes earned four nominations and won the Pare Lorent Award.
Other notable nominees, also strong contenders in the Oscar race for best documentary feature, include Neon’s All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, Amazon Studios’ Good Night Oppy and Wildcat, HBO Documentary Films’ Katrina Babies and Navalny, and Showtime’s Nothing Compares.
“We are thrilled to celebrate the achievements of such a stellar group of films and programs from around the world,” said co-presidents...
The International Documentary Association (IDA) announced the nominations for the 38th annual IDA Documentary Awards, which will be held on Dec. 10, 2022, at the Paramount Theater on the Paramount Studios Lot in Los Angeles.
Among the nominated features is National Geographic/Neon’s Fire of Love, director Sara Dosa’s portrait of vocanologists Katia and Maurice Krafft, which led the nominated films with five honors. HBO Documentary Films’ All That Breathes earned four nominations and won the Pare Lorent Award.
Other notable nominees, also strong contenders in the Oscar race for best documentary feature, include Neon’s All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, Amazon Studios’ Good Night Oppy and Wildcat, HBO Documentary Films’ Katrina Babies and Navalny, and Showtime’s Nothing Compares.
“We are thrilled to celebrate the achievements of such a stellar group of films and programs from around the world,” said co-presidents...
- 11/11/2022
- by Tyler Coates
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Filmmakers including Shirin Neshat, Bahman Ghobadi, Ali Abbasi and Asghar Farhadi have spoken out in the wake of the death of 22-year-old Iranian woman Masha Amini.
Iranian filmmakers and actors have spoken out in defiance against the Iranian government in an open letter, calling on “every filmmaker in the world” to support the protests against the government following the death of Iranian woman Masha Amini while in police custody.
Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman, was arrested in Tehran for wearing her hijab too loosely. It has been reported that she was tortured by officers before dying in police custody...
Iranian filmmakers and actors have spoken out in defiance against the Iranian government in an open letter, calling on “every filmmaker in the world” to support the protests against the government following the death of Iranian woman Masha Amini while in police custody.
Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman, was arrested in Tehran for wearing her hijab too loosely. It has been reported that she was tortured by officers before dying in police custody...
- 9/26/2022
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
As protests continue to erupt in Iran and around the world because of the death of Mahsa Amini – the 22-year-old Iranian woman who died last week while being held in custody by the morality police for allegedly wearing a loose headscarf – the country’s film community is intensely engaged and keenly aware that their voices are now even more at risk of being quashed, reports ‘Variety’.
Two-time Oscar-winning Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, who is presiding over the Zurich Film Festival jury, has issued a statement and a video appeal urging artistes around the world to proclaim their solidarity with the Iranian people who are protesting against the death of Amini.
In an unprecedented wave of street protests in Iran, women have torn off their hijabs, twirled them in the air and thrown them into bonfires, online videos show.
“I saw them closely these nights,” Farhadi said in his appeal quoted...
Two-time Oscar-winning Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, who is presiding over the Zurich Film Festival jury, has issued a statement and a video appeal urging artistes around the world to proclaim their solidarity with the Iranian people who are protesting against the death of Amini.
In an unprecedented wave of street protests in Iran, women have torn off their hijabs, twirled them in the air and thrown them into bonfires, online videos show.
“I saw them closely these nights,” Farhadi said in his appeal quoted...
- 9/25/2022
- by Glamsham Bureau
- GlamSham
As protests continue to erupt in Iran and around the world sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini – the young Iranian woman who died last week while being held in custody by morality police for allegedly wearing a loose headscarf – the country’s film community is intensely engaged and keenly aware that their voices are now even more at risk of being quashed.
Two-time Oscar-winning Iranian director Asghar Farhadi (“A Separation”), who is currently presiding over the Zurich Film Festival jury, has issued a statement and a video appeal urging artists around the world to proclaim their solidarity with the Iranian people who are protesting against the death of Amini.
Iran’s morality police arrested Amini, who was 22, on Sept. 13 in Tehran. She died at a police station three days later. The police say she died of a heart attack, but she had no history of a cardiac condition.
In...
Two-time Oscar-winning Iranian director Asghar Farhadi (“A Separation”), who is currently presiding over the Zurich Film Festival jury, has issued a statement and a video appeal urging artists around the world to proclaim their solidarity with the Iranian people who are protesting against the death of Amini.
Iran’s morality police arrested Amini, who was 22, on Sept. 13 in Tehran. She died at a police station three days later. The police say she died of a heart attack, but she had no history of a cardiac condition.
In...
- 9/25/2022
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Iranian filmmakers have united in penning an open letter to their friends and colleagues across the film industry, requesting their support in defending the rights of Iran’s people.
The letter comes after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died in custody, allegedly by police brutality, after her arrest for not wearing her hijab in accordance with government standards.
Their letter reads:
Dear Friends and Colleagues
Brave Iranians have taken to the streets across the country shouting “woman, life, liberty” for an entire week now while facing persistent, violent, and often deadly attacks from the oppressive forces.
The Iranian government has restricted internet usage and blocked access to social media platforms in order to further suppress people’s voices. Last time such measures were implemented in 2019, the Iranian government murdered 1500 people. Independent Iranian filmmakers are standing by these fearless Iranian women and men and are trying hard to capture...
The letter comes after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died in custody, allegedly by police brutality, after her arrest for not wearing her hijab in accordance with government standards.
Their letter reads:
Dear Friends and Colleagues
Brave Iranians have taken to the streets across the country shouting “woman, life, liberty” for an entire week now while facing persistent, violent, and often deadly attacks from the oppressive forces.
The Iranian government has restricted internet usage and blocked access to social media platforms in order to further suppress people’s voices. Last time such measures were implemented in 2019, the Iranian government murdered 1500 people. Independent Iranian filmmakers are standing by these fearless Iranian women and men and are trying hard to capture...
- 9/25/2022
- by Caroline Frost
- Deadline Film + TV
Creating art can be one of the most rewarding and ultimately challenging processes for the creator. Every once in a while, the project you have envisioned ends up becoming something completely different when it goes through various producers and other people involved, superimposing their own ideas and thoughts into the characters and what they are going through. While some scripts definitely benefited from such procedures, the sheer amount of alternate versions to certain movies or disputes between writers, producers and directors speaks for itself. The experience is also not new to Iranian filmmaker Faeze Azizkhani which she turned into the foundation for her second feature “The Locust” and besides tackling issues of the creation of a film, also deals with themes such as family and the status of women in Iranian society.
The Locust is screening at Edinburgh International Film Festival
Hanieh (Hanieh Tavassoli) is a screenwriter in Iran, and...
The Locust is screening at Edinburgh International Film Festival
Hanieh (Hanieh Tavassoli) is a screenwriter in Iran, and...
- 8/17/2022
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
One of the only Asian films showing at this year’s Mill Valley Film Festival, Iranian-German co-production “Bandar Band,” sashays its way to the California Streaming rooms. Director Manijeh Hekmat – beloved on the film festival circuit for her filmography on Iranian women directs another touchingly intimate fiction following the 2019 Iran floods.
“Bandar Band” follows a musical trio by the same name. The three – the very visibly pregnant Mahla (Pegah Ahangarani), her steadfast husband Amir (Amir Hossein Taheri), and their free-spirited friend, Navid (Reza Koolghani) — are on their way to Tehran for a faceoff with the Battle of the Bands that evening. Though their journey starts off in high spirits, their hopes are dashed over and over again. As the group literally navigates flooded roads, unfinished bridges, and material loss, the group runs into more metaphorical (and literal) roadblocks than initially expected. This Absurdist road movie takes its viewers on an...
“Bandar Band” follows a musical trio by the same name. The three – the very visibly pregnant Mahla (Pegah Ahangarani), her steadfast husband Amir (Amir Hossein Taheri), and their free-spirited friend, Navid (Reza Koolghani) — are on their way to Tehran for a faceoff with the Battle of the Bands that evening. Though their journey starts off in high spirits, their hopes are dashed over and over again. As the group literally navigates flooded roads, unfinished bridges, and material loss, the group runs into more metaphorical (and literal) roadblocks than initially expected. This Absurdist road movie takes its viewers on an...
- 10/27/2020
- by Grace Han
- AsianMoviePulse
In an overdue final Berlinale diary entry, I lay out my rankings overall and present brief reviews of Ali Ahmadzadeh's Atom Heart Mother with Taraneh Alidoosti and Pegah Ahangarani, Alex Ross Perry's Queen of Earth with Elizabeth Moss and Katherine Waterston, Vladimir Tomic's Flotel Europa, Christoph Hochhäusler's The Lies of the Victors with Florian David Fitz and Lilith Stangenberg, Laura Bispuri's Sworn Virgin with Alba Rohrwacher, Flonja Kodheli and Lars Eidinger, and Sabu's Chasuke's Journey with Kenichi Matsuyama and Ito Ono. » - David Hudson...
- 2/26/2015
- Fandor: Keyframe
In an overdue final Berlinale diary entry, I lay out my rankings overall and present brief reviews of Ali Ahmadzadeh's Atom Heart Mother with Taraneh Alidoosti and Pegah Ahangarani, Alex Ross Perry's Queen of Earth with Elizabeth Moss and Katherine Waterston, Vladimir Tomic's Flotel Europa, Christoph Hochhäusler's The Lies of the Victors with Florian David Fitz and Lilith Stangenberg, Laura Bispuri's Sworn Virgin with Alba Rohrwacher, Flonja Kodheli and Lars Eidinger, and Sabu's Chasuke's Journey with Kenichi Matsuyama and Ito Ono. » - David Hudson...
- 2/26/2015
- Keyframe
Pegah Ahangarani, who has recently been jailed in Iran, as Farnaz in Kami's Party The debut film from Iranian director Ali Ahmadzadeh, Kami's Party offers a snapshot of a day in the life of a group of well-off Iranian youngsters. These are bright young things, who like to drink, party and take drugs but as the action begins it seems the lifestyle has already taken its toll on one of their number. When Nazanin (Mazanin Farahani) finds Omid dead in the first few moments of the film, she carts his body out to her 4x4. Finding herself boxed in, she goes to bed, only to awaken to find her sister Negin (Mina Sadati) has taken the car to head to a party with her pal Farnaz (Pegah Ahangarani), little realising that there is a good reason why her boyfriend Omid is not answering his phone. Along the way, they pick...
- 11/23/2013
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
With the Us and Israel insisting that "all options remain open, including military action, if Iran continues with its uranium enrichment program" and Iran snapping back that it'll stage "a reciprocal attack" if provoked, as the AP reports today, a little speed-bump in the Oscar race looks pretty damn trivial. Nonetheless, in today's Observer, Saeed Kamali Dehghan reports that "Masoud Ferasati, an Iranian writer whose views are close to those of the Islamic regime, said [recently on state-run television]: 'The image of our society that A Separation depicts is the dirty picture westerners are wishing for.' Ferasati added that political motivations were behind the many awards for Iranian films in the past two decades, and said an Oscar for A Separation should not be welcomed by Iranians." According to Dehghan, though, many "ordinary Iranians," have indeed welcomed the slew of awards Asghar Farhadi's film has garnered, beginning with the Golden and...
- 2/5/2012
- MUBI
As international tensions rise, critics close to the regime dismiss praise for A Separation
It has picked up award after award, including a Golden Globe last month for the best foreign language film and the Golden Bear at last year's Berlin film festival. And it has delighted ordinary Iranians grateful for some glory at a time when international tensions are rising and the country's regime is ever more isolated.
But not everyone in Tehran is happy that Asghar Farhadi's hugely successful work, A Separation, is now a racing certainty to win an Oscar for the best foreign film at this month's Academy Awards.
The backlash was apparent on state-run television recently when Masoud Ferasati, an Iranian writer whose views are close to those of the Islamic regime, said: "The image of our society that A Separation depicts is the dirty picture westerners are wishing for." Ferasati added that political...
It has picked up award after award, including a Golden Globe last month for the best foreign language film and the Golden Bear at last year's Berlin film festival. And it has delighted ordinary Iranians grateful for some glory at a time when international tensions are rising and the country's regime is ever more isolated.
But not everyone in Tehran is happy that Asghar Farhadi's hugely successful work, A Separation, is now a racing certainty to win an Oscar for the best foreign film at this month's Academy Awards.
The backlash was apparent on state-run television recently when Masoud Ferasati, an Iranian writer whose views are close to those of the Islamic regime, said: "The image of our society that A Separation depicts is the dirty picture westerners are wishing for." Ferasati added that political...
- 2/5/2012
- by Saeed Kamali Dehghan
- The Guardian - Film News
Marzieh Vafamehr, who appeared in a film critical of Iran's repressive policies, has had her harsh sentence lifted
An Iranian court has overturned the lashing sentence imposed an an actor after she appeared in a film critical of the Islamic republic's repressive policies, according to Amnesty International.
Marzieh Vafamehr, who appeared with her head uncovered in the film My Tehran for Sale, was released from prison after her sentence of one year in prison and 90 lashes was overturned on appeal.
Amnesty said Vafamehr was released on Monday night, although there has been no report on her case in Iranian media.
Vafamehr, wife of the acclaimed film-maker Nasser Taghvai, was arrested in July after Iranian authorities took exception to the film about an actor whose theatre work is banned in Iran.
The film, directed by Granaz Moussavi, features Vafamehr as an actor who flees to Australia as an illegal immigrant after being persecuted in Iran.
An Iranian court has overturned the lashing sentence imposed an an actor after she appeared in a film critical of the Islamic republic's repressive policies, according to Amnesty International.
Marzieh Vafamehr, who appeared with her head uncovered in the film My Tehran for Sale, was released from prison after her sentence of one year in prison and 90 lashes was overturned on appeal.
Amnesty said Vafamehr was released on Monday night, although there has been no report on her case in Iranian media.
Vafamehr, wife of the acclaimed film-maker Nasser Taghvai, was arrested in July after Iranian authorities took exception to the film about an actor whose theatre work is banned in Iran.
The film, directed by Granaz Moussavi, features Vafamehr as an actor who flees to Australia as an illegal immigrant after being persecuted in Iran.
- 10/29/2011
- by David Batty
- The Guardian - Film News
Marzieh Vafamehr also given one-year jail term for appearing in My Tehran for Sale with a shaved head and without a hijab
For one Iranian actor, life is mirroring art, in the most gruesome of ways. Two years ago Marzieh Vafamehr starred in a film about an actor whose theatre work is banned in Iran.
Now she faces a year in prison and 90 lashes after Iranian officials took exception to the film, which is itself banned inside the country.
Her crime? Appearing in an Australian film which is critical of the Islamic regime with her head uncovered.
Vafamehr, wife of the acclaimed film-maker Nasser Taghvai, was arrested in July after starring in My Tehran for Sale, which touches on many of the taboo issues of modern life in Iran.
"A sentence of one year in jail and 90 lashes has been issued for Marzieh Vafamehr," said a report published on Kaleme.
For one Iranian actor, life is mirroring art, in the most gruesome of ways. Two years ago Marzieh Vafamehr starred in a film about an actor whose theatre work is banned in Iran.
Now she faces a year in prison and 90 lashes after Iranian officials took exception to the film, which is itself banned inside the country.
Her crime? Appearing in an Australian film which is critical of the Islamic regime with her head uncovered.
Vafamehr, wife of the acclaimed film-maker Nasser Taghvai, was arrested in July after starring in My Tehran for Sale, which touches on many of the taboo issues of modern life in Iran.
"A sentence of one year in jail and 90 lashes has been issued for Marzieh Vafamehr," said a report published on Kaleme.
- 10/11/2011
- by Saeed Kamali Dehghan
- The Guardian - Film News
Iranian actress freed from jail after two weeks.
The popular actress Pegah Ahangarani has been released from prison in Iran two weeks after she was arrested en route to the Women's World Cup. Although charges have not been dropped, her freedomn has been celebrated by Iranian human rights campaigners and Green Party supporters who had protested her arrest by shouting out her name in cinemas.
Documentary maker Mahnaz Mohammadi was released at the same time. The Iranian government has announced that it plans to release other imprisoned film industry workers over the next few...
The popular actress Pegah Ahangarani has been released from prison in Iran two weeks after she was arrested en route to the Women's World Cup. Although charges have not been dropped, her freedomn has been celebrated by Iranian human rights campaigners and Green Party supporters who had protested her arrest by shouting out her name in cinemas.
Documentary maker Mahnaz Mohammadi was released at the same time. The Iranian government has announced that it plans to release other imprisoned film industry workers over the next few...
- 7/28/2011
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Pegah Ahangarani and Mahnaz Mohammadi released on bail after widespread criticism of a crackdown on artists and activists
Iran has released two prominent cultural figures from jail following intense criticism of its crackdown against artists and rights activists.
Pegah Ahangarani, 27, a popular actor and outspoken supporter of the country's opposition green movement, was arrested two weeks ago en route to the women's World Cup. Mahnaz Mohammadi, 37, a documentary filmmaker, was detained by unidentified officials in June.
The human rights website Rahana reported on Wednesday that Ahangarani has been freed from Tehran's notorious Evin prison on bail.
Supporters of Ahangarani, who stars in two films currently being screened in Iranian cinemas, had been protesting against her arrest by applauding and shouting her name in movie theatres across the country in recent days.
Also on Wednesday, the BBC Persian service reported that Mohammadi had been released after paying 1bn Iranian rials (£61,000) in bail.
Iran has released two prominent cultural figures from jail following intense criticism of its crackdown against artists and rights activists.
Pegah Ahangarani, 27, a popular actor and outspoken supporter of the country's opposition green movement, was arrested two weeks ago en route to the women's World Cup. Mahnaz Mohammadi, 37, a documentary filmmaker, was detained by unidentified officials in June.
The human rights website Rahana reported on Wednesday that Ahangarani has been freed from Tehran's notorious Evin prison on bail.
Supporters of Ahangarani, who stars in two films currently being screened in Iranian cinemas, had been protesting against her arrest by applauding and shouting her name in movie theatres across the country in recent days.
Also on Wednesday, the BBC Persian service reported that Mohammadi had been released after paying 1bn Iranian rials (£61,000) in bail.
- 7/27/2011
- by Saeed Kamali Dehghan
- The Guardian - Film News
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