Cinema
Poland honors Iran's Mohsen Makhmalbaf
The 2008 International Etiuda & Anima Festival has honored the internationally-acclaimed Iranian director, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, in Poland. The festival presented its Special Golden Dinosaur award to Makhmalbaf for the outstanding combination of creativity and educational elements in his works. The festival will also screen films by the Makhmalbaf family, including Hana Makhmalbaf's Buddha collapsed out of shame, Samira Makhmalbaf's Apple, Blackboard and Two-legged Horse and Mohsen Mahmalbaf's Gabbeh and Kandahar.
Nov 17, 2008, 17:46

Culture
More clues about life near Persepolis
Iranian and Italian archeologists have found clues about the daily life of people living near Persepolis during the Achaemenid Dynasty. A detailed scientific study into the daily life of ordinary people living near Persepolis has been carried out for the first time, revealing that the area has been permanently occupied since the Achaemenid era. The world-renowned historic city of Persepolis is located 70 kilometers northeast of the city of Shiraz in Iran's southern province of Fars. The international study of the site has been headed by Alireza Asgari and Professor Pierfrancesco Callieri of the University of Bologna.
Nov 17, 2008, 17:45

Culture
Iran holds first sculpture expo
The Iranian Artists Forum has held the country's first sculpture expo, presenting works by acclaimed artists in the city of Tehran. The event displays some 210 works by veteran and aspiring artists including Behrouz Darash, Ahmad Nadealian, Iraj Karimkhan Zand and Mohammad Farbodni. The exhibition's most expensive item belongs to Mohsen Vaziri-Moqaddam and the most inexpensive one is a stonework by the internationally-acclaimed environmental artist, Ahmad Nadealian.
Nov 17, 2008, 17:39

Culture
Ancient cemetery found in western Iran
A prehistoric burial ground has been discovered near the Iranian city of Sanandaj, located in the country's western Kurdistan Province. The 3,000 year-old cemetery, which was found during a road construction project, is located 500 meters from the previously found ancient mound of Zagros. According to Kurdistan's provincial cultural heritage office, so far five squat burials have been found in the cemetery along with spears, bronze bracelets and earthenware. Excavations, which started four days ago at the site, will continue for another week.
Nov 17, 2008, 17:36

Culture
WHAT WE BELIEVE? (IN PERSIAN: AANCHEH BAAVAR-E MAAST)
Here is the poem of What We Believe (in Persian: Aancheh Baavar-e Maast) composed by Dr Saadat Noury in which he referred to the famous historical figures of Iran (like Zoroaster and Cyrus the Great) and the Kings of Persian Poetry (Ferdowsi, Rumi, Saadi, Khayyam, and Hafez). The poet wrote that, "At every moment we see. Iran is again free. That is the only line we read. That is what we really believe".
Nov 17, 2008, 17:34

Culture
Prehistoric mound in central Iran
Iranian archeologists have unearthed an important prehistoric mound dating back to between 3000 and 4000 B.C. near the central city of Isfahan. The hill bears evidence of the influence of prehistoric civilizations that developed in other parts of the nation like Sialk in Kashan and marvdasht in Fars as well as many parts in Khuzestan province.
Nov 13, 2008, 19:50

Cinema
Tehran's 25th short filmfest kicks off
The 25th Tehran International Short Film Festival has kicked off, featuring a variety of productions from Iran and other world countries. The festival has chosen some 366 short films from among 3,600 productions from Iran and 95 other countries. Fiction, documentary, animation and experimental Iranian films will be screened in the event's National competition section, which includes the categories of Prophetic Heritage, and Panoramas of our Beautiful Homeland.
Nov 13, 2008, 19:49

Culture
Iran's Sobhi makes Gilgamesh sculpture
The Turkey-based Iranian artist, Babak Sobhi has created a ceramic sculpture, presenting the Gilgamesh epic in the Akkadian language. The 30-ton artwork has been installed in the city of Diyarbakir's Sumer Park in southeastern Turkey. “The sculpture is in the form of a ring and contains all the Gilgamesh Epic based on the 12 clay tablets found in the library of the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal in Nineveh,” Sobhi told Iran's Mehr New Agency. “The whole story is carved on 2,500 individual pieces, each measuring 40x40 centimeters,” he added
Nov 11, 2008, 21:25

Culture
Iran to exhibit old calligraphy works
The Niavaran Cultural Complex is slated to mount an exhibition of works created by the country's veteran calligraphers, in Tehran. The exhibition, which will kick off on Nov. 13, 2008, will display some 20 works by Mir Emad, Mirza Gholamreza, Soltan-Ali Shahidi, Darvish, Mohammad-Reza Kalhor, Seyyed Golestaneh and other Nasta'liq and Tuluth masters. The event, which will be held on the sidelines of Esrafil Shirchi's calligraphy exhibition, will be held along with a discussion session about the history of Persian calligraphy from Timurid to Qajar era.
Nov 11, 2008, 21:22

Cinema
Iranian short films at Jordan Film Festival
Three Iranian movies are slated to participate in the International Film Competition section of the 2008 Jordan Short Film Festival. Poopak Mozaffari's, 23rd (fiction), Mehrdad Sheikhan's Solitude (animation) and Omid Khoshnazar's Zero Degree (animation) will compete with films from Belgium, France, Spain, Australia, the UK, Portugal, Germany, the Netherlands, India, the US and Sweden. Iranian short films have participated and received awards from numerous international festivals, garnering the admiration of audiences and critics.
Nov 8, 2008, 22:17

Culture
"Jashne Abangun"; Ancient Iranian Celebration
Jashne Abangun is an ancient Iranian celebration of nature and reflects the rich cultural heritage of Iran. Aab in Persian language means water and Aban means body of water. Jashne Abangun is celebrated during the Persian month of Aban the beginning of the raining season and is dedicated to appreciation for water and the life it sustains.
Nov 8, 2008, 21:31

Culture
In Iran, open arms, rich history await intrepid Westerners
"Iranians are like sugar in water. We can blend in to survive," says Golsa Fouladinejad. "In Iran, we live in two very different worlds: public, and behind closed doors." Those public and private worlds collide constantly, and foreign visitors are often on the fault lines. In Isfahan, a shopkeeper's dinner invitation includes a session in front of the family's illegal satellite TV, beaming the latest Hollywood soaps and news from CNN. On one of Tehran's pristine subway cars, a teenager sports a sweatshirt emblazoned with "United States of America, Washington, D.C." It's not far from the former U.S. Embassy [ Learn More ]
Nov 7, 2008, 20:55

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