Jafar Panahi

Cinema As Diplomacy, Pt. 1: Oscar/Globe-Winner Asghar Farhadi Screening Series In NYC!

Michael Vazquez | Posted 05.12.2012

Michael Vazquez

At the New York Film Festival, three instant classics of engagé cinema -- one from Egypt and two from Iran (including BFF Oscar-winner A Separation) -- quite stunningly took on the weight of history.

Iranian Cinema: Acclaimed Abroad, Under Siege at Home

Hadi Ghaemi | Posted 04.30.2012

Hadi Ghaemi

It was momentous that an Iranian artist reflected the voice of so many Iranians at a venue as important as the Oscars, where millions of people watched his speech.

'This Is Not A Film' Is A Powerful, Clever Expression Of Freedom

AP | By CHRISTY LEMIRE | Posted 02.28.2012

-- Everything about "This Is Not a Film" is cleverly deceptive, from the title that's so self-deprecating, it sounds like a shrug to its long, first ...

This Is Not A Film: Just Jafar Panahi, his iPhone and the Truth

E. Nina Rothe | Posted 04.28.2012

E. Nina Rothe

To say that the 75-minute documentary radically changed my viewpoint on some modern-day dogmas would be an understatement and all the while managing to make me laugh, cry and relish in the wonder of Panahi's world

Doomsday Cinema, Part 2: Oscar-Nom The Turin Horse, Final Week in New York (VIDEO)

Michael Vazquez | Posted 04.22.2012

Michael Vazquez

If the end of the world or your final film? is when you say what you really mean, perhaps with The Turin Horse, Béla Tarr is giving the last laugh to the Gypsies of his state-seized debut film (shot at age 16) and delivering a stone-cold classic.

The Cinema of Liberty: The Top 10 Pro-Freedom Films of 2011

Govindini Murty | Posted 03.01.2012

Govindini Murty

It is greatly worthwhile to celebrate the notable movies of 2011 that took the risk of advocating for democratic freedom, the political principle that makes so much film artistry possible.

Film Originally Smuggled To Cannes In A Cake Gets U.S. Rights

The Huffington Post | Gazelle Emami | Posted 11.14.2011

"This Is Not a Film" will be making its way to the U.S. and U.K., despite the fact that it was never supposed to exist, much less leave Iran. Confused...

TIFF 2011: The Tunisian Brando, Ewan McGregor in Yemen and Ryan Gosling

E. Nina Rothe | Posted 11.01.2011

E. Nina Rothe

In cinematic circles, it is said that the Toronto International Film Festival is second only to Cannes. But in terms of numbers of films presented, industry connections and stars attending, I would say it's too close to call.

Aamir Khan on His Fans, Jafar Panahi and the Mahabharata

E. Nina Rothe | Posted 05.25.2011

E. Nina Rothe

When I got up to bid Khan adieu, he insisted "have a seat, I would like to ask you a couple of questions. Do you have the time?" Of course I did, for the greatest star in the firmament of Indian cinema!

Berlin Film Festival: The World in Upheaval

Vivian Norris | Posted 05.25.2011

Vivian Norris

One way for us to travel and experience what our fellow human beings are going through, is through cinema. And the Berlinale film highlights these kinds of films better than the Oscars or Golden Globes.

Berlinale Jury Member Aamir Khan Talks World Cinema

E. Nina Rothe | Posted 05.25.2011

E. Nina Rothe

Up-close and personal, filmmaker Aamir Khan is everything he appears to be in his films and more. He is known as a complete perfectionist. But most of all he is a Superstar, one with a capital "S."

On The Imprisonment of Iranian Filmmakers: A Moral Option For Iran and Any Government Presuming to Silence Its Artists

Michael Vazquez | Posted 05.25.2011

Michael Vazquez

I've asked film curator Milos Stehlik, of Chicago's Facets.org to write a guest essay in the earnest service of furnishing a dually historical and mor...

Famed Iranian Filmmaker Jailed, BANNED From Scriptwriting

AP | Posted 05.25.2011

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran has sentenced two prominent opposition filmmakers to six years in jail each on vague charges of working against the ruling s...

We Must Defend the Rights of Artists Everywhere: Jafar Panahi's Defense

Ted Hope | Posted 05.25.2011

Ted Hope

Last week Iranian Filmamaker Jafar Panahi had his trial in Teheran. He has not been allowed to make a film in five years. This post is Jafar Panahi'...

Jafar Panahi: I am Iranian and I will remain in Iran

Virginia M. Moncrieff | Posted 05.25.2011

Virginia M. Moncrieff

Acclaimed Iranian director Jafar Panahi was jailed in Tehran's notorious Evin prison, this past March. Iran never revealed why Mr Panahi was detained,...

POLITICAL ART: The People Will Not be Silenced

Spread ArtCulture | Posted 05.25.2011

Spread ArtCulture

"© Anita Kunz From "Where is My Vote? Posters for the Green Movement in Iran." By Kiša Lala American artists may have the luxury of distancin...

Films of Rare and Exquisite Beauty

George Heymont | Posted 05.25.2011

George Heymont

One of the great blessings of cinema is that it transports us to worlds we might never be able to reach on our own.

Iran Cranks Up Its Crackdown on Culture

Virginia M. Moncrieff | Posted 05.25.2011

Virginia M. Moncrieff

The attack on culture in Iran has been steadily growing since last year. Before his jailing, film director Jafar Panahi had given extensive interviews about how he avoided the Culture Ministry.

The High Price of Independent, Dissident Filmmaking in Iran

Virginia M. Moncrieff | Posted 05.25.2011

Virginia M. Moncrieff

After weeks of silence, the Iranian government has said it detained internationally acclaimed filmmaker Jafar Panahi for making an anti-government film inside his house. His family completely denies the accusation.

Jafar Panahi, Iranian Filmmaker, Released From Prison Following Hunger Strike, Reports Say

AP | NASSER KARIMI | Posted 05.25.2011

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran released an internationally renowned filmmaker and opposition supporter on bail Tuesday after more than two months in custod...

One Iranian Prisoner Released -- But Many Thousands to Go

Virginia M. Moncrieff | Posted 05.25.2011

Virginia M. Moncrieff

The release of film director Jafar Panahi on bail is a wonderful day for those who prayed for his release. But no one can forget the many thousands of other political prisoners in Iranian jails.

Jafar Panahi, Iranian Filmmaker Who Backed Opposition Detained

AP | NASSER KARIMI | Posted 05.25.2011

TEHRAN, Iran — An internationally acclaimed Iranian filmmaker who backed the country's opposition has been detained, the Tehran prosecutor said ...

In Honor of The Annapolis, Md. Middle East Peace Talks: A Short Viewing/Reading List

Paige Donner | Posted 05.25.2011

Paige Donner

The Sirens of Baghdad I read in one sitting. I could not put this book down. It is not harsh in a way that watching images of war on CNN are harsh. But it is painful in a way that impels you to ask, But wait! Aren't we all human?