_______________________________ Oliver Stone meets Turkish Tourism Minister Erkan Mumcu in Istanbul Tourists visit the ruins of the palace of King Darius of Achaemenid (522-486 BC) in the ancient Persian city of Persepolis, near Shiraz in southwestern Iran. Persepolis was the main royal residence and ceremonial center of the Achaemenid empire of Persia (550-330 BC), but was later burned and plundered by Alexander the Great in 330 BC. Some Iranians are up in arms again at the United States, this time because of Hollywood's version of Alexander the Great's conquest of ancient Persia. The movie 'Alexander' has yet to appear in Iran, but in Shiraz -- not far from Persepolis -- it is likely to upset a people who prefer to see their Persian forefathers as the founders of civilisation and a matter of national pride(AFP/Behrouz Mehri) ____________________________________________ Panorama of Azerbaijan Republic Cinema to be held in Tehran
Five feature length films, as well as 12 short films, documentaries, and animations by prominent Azeri directors such as Jamil Farajov, Ramiz Mirzayev, and Shamil Najafzadeh will be screened at the cinematheque of the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art.
The museum is located on North Kargar St. in Laleh Park.
Iran’s Young Cinema Society helped organize the Iranian Cinema
Week in Baku in October. ____________________________________________ New Iranian American Film: THE FLORIST directed by LADAN YALZADEH http://www.thefloristmovie.com/cast.html http://www.thefloristmovie.com/synopsis.html
_______________________________________________________________________________________ Some Persians find Hollywood’s Alexander not
so great 31 December 2004 SHIRAZ, Iran - Some Iranians are up in arms again at the United States -- this time because of Hollywood’s version of Alexander the Great’s conquest of ancient Persia.
“There is not even any proof that this Alexander even existed,” asserted Moussavi, who said he was “fed up” with history’s ongoing fascination with the Macedonian king, who died in 323 BC at the age of 32 after capturing most of what was then the known world. “We should be clearer about which Alexander we are talking about. There are 300 of them in our history books, but no archaeological relic proves the existence of this particular one,” said Moussavi. Grave historical errors The movie “Alexander” has yet to appear in Iran, but here in Shiraz -- not far from the ancient city of Persepolis that Alexander destroyed along with the Persian empire of Darius III -- it is likely to upset a people who prefer to see their Persian forefathers as the founders of civilisation and a matter of national pride. Furthermore, Iranians have so far had to make do with a one-sided account of Alexander’s exploits, given that historians say that Darius III -- who while on the throne was proclaimed the “king of kings” -- left little in the way of historical documents. So viewers will have to make do with watching the Persian king suffering defeat at the hands of the lesser-numbered Macedonian forces, and then flee in his chariot from the young blond-haired conqueror played by Irishman Colin Farrell. For Moussavi, Oliver Stone’s film “is built on a biased and partisan vision of history, and will only add to centuries of distrust towards the West”. Another Iranian historian, Kaveh Farrokh, has also complained of ”grave historical errors.” Rewriting history to entertain In a report in the Internet site of Iran’s National Heritage Organisation, he compained that “the ancient Iranians are portrayed in a way that is comical, if not insulting.” Roxana, the Persian wife of Alexander portrayed in the film by African-American actress Rosario Dawson, “was not black just like Alexander was not a Scandinavian”, Farrokh complained over what he sees as the film’s depiction of a Nordic blond defeating dark-skinned people. Choosing Dawson to play Roxana, he said, “is just like choosing an Asian to portray Queen Victoria”. “It seems that when it comes to the Iranians and their identity, we are permitted to rewrite history to entertain,” he said, adding he was hoping for the day when a film would tackle the life of Sassanid king Shapour I (241-272 AD) who “defeated three Roman emperors”. But according to Iranian archaeologist Shahryar Adle, Iranians should stop worrying about Alexander and instead embrace him as a man who came, married and never went back. “The Europeans and the Greeks have seized on Alexander as a champion of the West against the East,” he said. “But it was not Europe which won, because he was transformed into a Persian prince.” “Our nation has defeated so many others,” added Mohammad Moghaddam, the maker of a documentary on Alexander’s travels through Iran, “that we should not be weighed down by one or two defeats.” Photo courtesy: alexander.macedonia.culture.gr _______________________________________________________________________________________ >>>Ahvaz Scandal!!
___________________________________________________________________________ >>>"During
the Crusades of the 12th Century, Balian of Ibelin (Bloom), a young
blacksmithin
Jerusalem, rises to protect his people from foreign invaders." from Ridley Talks Kingdom of Heaven The film has created a debate before finishing
production given the particularly delicate subject of the Clash of Civilizations
and the Holy War between Islam and Christianity
in the Post 9/11 world. Scott has nevertheless insisted that the script
was written in a way to give a balanced viewpoint both from a Muslim
and Christian angle. /news/2004/01/18/ixworld.html In anycase this proves once again if necessary:
the intimate and often complex relationship between Films and Historical
accuracy or interpretation. _______________________________________________________________________ >>>Iranian
film wins top award, Silver Peacock for Thai director Iranian film-maker Asghar Farhadi's "The Beautiful City" walked away with the top prize Golden Peacock in the Asian competitive section of International Film Festival of India here this evening. The Siver Peacock for the most promising Asian director went to Thailand's Ekachai Uekrongthan for his "Beautiful Boxer" while the special jury award--also a Silver Peacock--was bagged by Iranian actor Farmarz Gharibian for his role in "The Beautiful City". More than 60 films had taken part in the competitive category of the Festival. PTI _______________________________________________________________________ >>>Kiarostami still on News Headlines Abbas Kiarostami, the internationally known
Persian Film-maker and director that has finished one of the episodes
of the film Ticket is still on Headlines. The other two episodes of
Tickets were made by Ken Loach, and Ermano Olmi. Ticket is the story
of a train traveling from the north of Italy to Rome. Kiarostami who
has recently become infatuated with digital cinema had suggested to
the other two directors to produce this film digitally. The producers
of Ticket are from Italy and England. _______________________________________________________________________ >>>A
slice of Iranian cinema A bitter-sweet comedy and a romantic epic are the themes of the two Iranian offerings at the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF). The two films [Bitter Dream and Tear of the Cold] were selected with the intention of showing the diversity of the Iranian film industry,? said Antonia Carver, the assistant programmer for the Contemporary World Cinema section of DIFF. Talking to Tabloid, she said that some international film critics found the work of Iranian filmmakers interesting because of the political climate in which they operate and work from. ?It?s definitely a very layered cinema, but as an industry, Iranian films are very intelligently put together. They concentrate more on people stories and the visuals focus well on nature,? she said. Acknowledging the many metaphors used in Iranian films as one of their characteristics, Carver added that directors and producers have successfully managed to get around the many constraints that exist within the country. ?Some films do have political tones, but it?s not a common facet of all Iranian films, she said, highlighting the example of Tear of the Cold as being set in the period of the Iran-Iraq war, but having no significant role in the rest of the film. ?There is no overt politics,? she said of the film that is described as a tense, romantic epic set on the snowy border between Iran and Kurdistan. ?It?s a beautiful film that traces the love-hate story of a Kurdish shepherdess and an Iranian soldier.? While both films have been well received in Iran, Carver also has high praise for Bitter Dream. ?It?s a dark comedy and a first feature film for the director [Mohsen Amiryoussefi],? she said. Amiryoussefi has donned the role of producer, director, scriptwriter and editor in the film that is set in a cemetery in his hometown, Sedeh, near Esfahan. ?A peculiarity of Iranian films is their use of non-actors,? Carver said. Bitter Dream is proof of this, as the protagonist is played by the real life person, on whom it is based. ?Abbas Esfandiari is a body-washer at the cemetery, where the film is set and just acts out his real persona on screen,? Carver said. Both the films selected are reflections of the talent and creativity available in Iranian cinema and Carver urges people to watch both in order to understand the variety of mindsets and ideas that come out of Iranian society. _______________________________________________________________________>>>UK Film company making the $ 80 000 000 film on Cyrus the Great I think you would like to see this: Go to the webpage
below and then click on "production" and then "Cyrus".
A film to be directed by Alex Jovey: _______________________________________________________________________ >>>Princess to Star in New E! Reality Series LOS ANGELES, November 4: The granddaughter of HH Princess Shams of Iran's Pahlavi Dynasty is the subject of a new E! Networks comedy/reality hybrid series in which she must find a good job and a suitable love interest or risk losing a hefty financial pipeline from her family. The 10-part Love is in the Heir is set to launch on E! Entertainment Television in the U.S. on November 28 at 10 p.m. It focuses on Princess Ann Claire, a pampered, London-raised 31-year-old who has left her regal background behind to settle in Los Angeles, in pursuit of a recording deal. Parents HH Prince Shahboz Pahlbod and Beatrice Anne are giving her until December to find a "real" job–or achieve her musical aspirations–and a love interest that meets their standards. If she fails, she can either move back to London to live with her parents, or remain in Los Angeles and be cut off from the family funds. "We think viewers will enjoy the day in and day out escapades of Princess Ann Claire, her journey to become the next country music sensation, and the trials and tribulations she faces as she attempts to balance pleasing her family with following her own dreams," said Mark Sonnenberg, the executive VP of entertainment at E! Networks. To produce the segments in London, E! in the U.S. is working with its international division. Sonnenberg noted, "[We] look forward to pursuing more co-productions in the future." _______________________________________________________________________ Monica
Bellucci Joins Prince
Of Persia Cast (Xbox)
People who checked out the recent Warrior Within demo may have noticed that the Prince Of Persia sequel also features music from metal band Godsmack. If you like your music a little bit slower Prince Of Persia Warrior Within also features an original cinematic score including classical melodies composed by Inon Zur, and a musical score by the Hollywood Studio Symphony. The Old Man said to the Prince, "Your fate has been written. You will die." Enter the dark underworld of Prince of Persia: Warrior Within, the sword-slashing sequel to the critically acclaimed Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. Hunted by Dahaka, an immortal incarnation of Fate seeking divine retribution, the Prince embarks upon a path of both carnage and mystery to defy his preordained death. His journey leads to the infernal core of a cursed island stronghold harboring mankind's greatest fears. Only through grim resolve, bitter defiance and the mastery of deadly new combat arts can the Prince rise to a new level of warriorship -- and emerge from this ultimate trial with his life. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time will be available on Xbox, PS, GCN and PC later this month.
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_______________________________________________________________________ >>>Film production facing crisis in Iran: Kiarostami : http://www.123bharath.com/news/index.php?action=fullnews&id=44696 India News > Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 16 : Art Film production is facing serious crisis in Iran with authorities imposing controls over independent thought and audience running after commercial films, Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami said today. Addressing a meet-the-press programme here as part of the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK), Kiarostami said though films from Iran were getting noticed with new treatment styles and humaneness of subjects, film-makers had to surmount numerous difficulties to make films. Kiarostami, once described by Japanese master Kurosawa as Satyajit Ray's successor from Asia, said authorities in Iran were even trying to take away the "originality" of a work. The director said he was once asked by censors to cut out a line of Omar Khayyam from his film."I told them that they may censor me, but not Khayyam," he said, adding four of his latest films could not be released in Iran. Kiarostami said censorship was always harmful to cinema. "When they remove what has been conceived by the director, the film loses its meaning as a whole," he said. He said he could not shed his identity as an Iranian film-maker though he was making films outside the country. Kiarostami is the first Iranian director to win the Palme d'Or at the Cannes festival for his film `Taste of Cherry' in 1997. His two films, `Five dedicated to Ozu' and `Ten on Ten' are being screened at the IFFK. PTI |
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