Iran has sentenced two prominent filmmakers to six years in jail each on vague charges of working against the ruling system, their lawyers said Monday. One of the two, the renowned filmmaker Jafar Panahi, has won awards at the Chicago, Cannes and Berlin film festivals. His films have been screened at various film festivals in India. He was invited as chief guest at the recently concluded 41st international film fest in Goa (IFFI) but was not allowed to leave the country. Iran has ...

Follow this LINK if you cannot read the newsletter properly the Editor,  on the sites.  Our newsletter reaches 82 000 film professionnals every week. _______________________________________  FESTIVAL NEWS FROM THE CIRCUIT Masterclass with Apichatpong Weerasethakul at Thessaloniki This year's winner of the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival...

"But abundance suits this festival, which draws crowds to commercial movies and challenging experimental work alike, even in the dead of a snowy, bitterly cold winter. While Sundance and Cannes can seem at once hermetic and frenzied - somewhat surreal media happenings in resort towns crammed beyond capacity - the Berlinale takes place in an art-saturated city that comfortably accommodates eclecticism and excess." (New York Times)  Metropolis at the Brandenburg Gate ...

Before beginning his movie career, Jafar Panahi made a number of short films and documentaries for Iranian television and worked as assistant director. Panahi’s features have won many awards at international festivals: his directorial debut, Badkonake sefid (The White Balloon, 1995 Camera d’or in Cannes), was followed by Ayneh (The Mirror, 1997 Golden Leopard in Locarno), Dayereh (The Circle, 2000 Golden Lion in Venice), Talaye sorkh (Crimson Gold, 2003 Prix du Jury - Un Certain Regard in Ca...

  FESTIVAL PROGRAMME 2010 The time has finally arrived for an Iranian Film festival to have a permanent home in the United Kingdom. FRIDAY 19th NOVEMBER - Opening night ...

The 1st London Iranian Film Festival has created many opportunities for emerging and established filmmakers to exhibit their work representing Iranian culture. In addition, it will introduce Iranian cinema to new audiences, fulfilling both an entertainment and educational function.The Festival aims to produce the best Iranian film programme in UK, attracting as many people as possible to view Iranian cinema. Regardless of who you are, where you come from and what you do, this is a cultural event...

The Norwegian Crown Prince, His Majesty Haakon and film director/actress Liv Ullmann officially opens a Film & Music Live Gala screening at The Norwegian Opera on October 10, 2010, presenting legendary Brazilian artist Mario Peixoto´s masterpiece, LIMITE, in a newly restored version. Celebrated Norwegian composer/musician, Bugge Wesseltoft, has composed new music for the film and will be presenting it live in collaboration with acclaimed Brazilian musicians, such as Naná Vasconcelos, Marlui Mi...

Roman Polanski's The Ghost Writer is Best Film of the Year, according to the of the International Federation of Film Critics – FIPRESCI who voted for the Grand Prix 2010. The 296 film critics from throughout the world that took part in the poll expressed their preference among the feature-length films premièred during the previous year (after July 1, 2009), according this distinct sign of critical acclaim to The Ghost Writer. Leading actress Olivia Williams will receive the FIPRESCI ...

THE PLEASURE OF BEING ROBBED You've heard of the Warner brothers and the Baldwin brothers.....well, make way for the Safdie brothers, the directorial team of Benny and Josh Safdie, American indie's dynamic duo. The BAMcinématek located at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York has turned the asylum over to the inmates for the eclectic film series titled Emotional Sloppy Manic Cinema: Films Directed and Selected by Benny and Josh Safdie. The series, a collection of 19...

Venice Days (Giornate degli Autori), a special section of the 67th edition of the Venice Film Festival, will host the World Premiere of Iranian director Jafar Panahi's latest work, The Accordion. The film, produced by ART for The World as part of the new film project "THEN AND NOW, Beyond Borders and Differences" based on article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, is a short film that stresses the rights of "freedom of thought, conscience an...

Shirin Ebadi   DIALOGUE WITH SHIRIN EBADI 2003 Noble Prize Winner, Shirin Ebadi, Iranian lawyer and human rights advocate talked with famous screenwriter Jean-Claude Carrière at the DAY IN TEHRAN event, organized, June 13th, in Paris, on the grounds of the Cinémathèque Française. Shirin Ebadi is one of the very first female judges in Iran. Her constant and unfailing efforts in fostering  Human Rights for the weak and needy, in particular, women's rights, ch...

Abbas Kiarostami, 1997 Palme d'Or winner, returned to Cannes presenting his In Competition film, Copie Conforme. Tuesday morning's press conference, however, veered toward a heavier subject as Kiarostami called for the release of fellow Iranian filmmaker, Jafar Panahi, who has been imprisoned in a Tehran jail since March 1. Kiarostami hoped to draw attention to the struggle filmmakers face in his native country who are persecuted for having creative ideas, for films that haven't even been compl...

  Beginning of March, Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi had been arrested by the police of his country. Over two months later, he's still in prison.   The International Federation of Film Critics FIPRESCI, a non-profit, apolitical organization consisting of from 68 countries worldwide, strongly protests the arrest and unjust confinement of filmmaker Jafar Panahi. In the collective view of FIPRESCI, Panahi is not only an outstanding filmmaker - he has merited the FIPR...

............. WELCOME TO OUR NEWSLETTER N° 456: March 10, 2010 Follow this LINK if you cannot read the newsletter properly La Géode : Concours du Film Hors Normes 3D relief ou IMAX April 1 - 18, 2010 - Inscription jusqu’au 30 mars 2010 La Géode commence l'année de ses 25 ans en beauté en organisant un Concours de réalisation audiovisuelle en 3D relief ou THD pour report sur IMAX™, afin de ...

The Board of the European Film Academy strongly protests against the arrest of Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi and demands his immediate release. Jafar Panahi is an internationally recognised artist and his work has been honoured at the festivals in Berlin, Cannes and Venice. Before his arrest, Panahi was denied permission to leave Iran in order to attend the 60th Berlinale as an honorary guest. The Board of the European Film Academy encourages the EFA to this prote...

.............WELCOME TO OUR NEWSLETTER N° 450: January 27, 2010 Follow this LINK if you cannot read the newsletter properly the Editor, on the sites. Our newsletter reaches 77 000 film professionnals every week. COMING SOON THE NEXT FESTIVAL DAILIES ON FEST21.COM We follow 4 000 festivals for you. Stay tuned for Sundance, Berlin.... ___________________________________________________...

At the opening ceremony of the San Sebastián International Film Festival, Michael Haneke's The White Ribbon (Das weisse Band) will receive the FIPRESCI Grand Prix 2009 for the Best Film of the Year. Although the film has barely been screened apart from the Cannes Film Festival (where it won both the FIPRESCI Award and the Golden Palm), The White Ribbon was chosen the Best Film of the Year by the 223 critics throughout the world that took part in the poll for Grand Prix. The award will be handed...

Organized by Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI), the 11th edition of the festival is scheduled to take place from October 29 to November 5, 2009 in Mumbai, the film capital of India. A Reliance Big Entertainment initiative MFF has the distinction of being the only international film festival in India to be organized by an independent body of practicing film professionals. A five member international jury will include celebrated Hollywood scriptwriter, director and Martin Scorsese’s long ter...

WE WISH YOU A HAPPY NEW YEAR   ___________________________________________________________________________________ AWARDS THE AWARDS WATCH ON FEST21.COM Oscar and more The Ingmar Bergman International Debut Award Nominees No glitter, no after-parties for the Golden G...

Fifteen films by first or second filmmakers competed in the VPRO Tiger Awards Competition 2008. The Jury consists of Mr. Royston Tan - Singapore filmmaker and film producer, Russian filmmaker, actress and film producer Ms. Renata Litvinova, Mr. Rieks Hadders - former Deputy Director of the Filmmuseum in Amsterdam (The Netherlands), Ms. Tiziana Finzi, Deputy Director Locarno International Film Festival in Switzerland, and Iranian filmmaker and film producer Mr. Jafar Panahi (jury president). Th...

Fifteen films have been selected for Rotterdam’s VPRO Tiger Awards Competition. The line up consists of eight world premieres, two international premieres and five European premieres. As always, all are first or second features by young, promising filmmakers. Five competition films have been ed by IFFR’s Hubert Bals Fund. The festival will open January 23 with the world premiere of LAMB OF GOD (CORDERO DE DIOS), the first feature by Lucía Cedrón (Argentina). The film is also selecte...

The International Film Festival Rotterdam announces the Competitions’ Juries of the 37th edition, that will open on January 23. The full line up of both the VPRO Tiger Awards Competition and the Tiger Awards Competition for Short Films 2008 will be announced Tuesday January 8. The Jury of the VPRO Tiger Awards Competition for first or second feature films consists of: • Ms. Renata Litvinova, Russia, filmmaker, film producer and actress• Ms. Tiziana Finzi, Switzerland, Deputy Director...

CineMart has selected 39 projects out of a record number of 550 entries. The 25th edition of the first and largest co-production market for low and medium budget feature films includes projects by Abbas Kiarostami, Sophie Fiennes, Cristi Puiu, Jafar Panahi and Alex van Warmerdam. CineMart 2008 further presents new projects by former Rotterdam competition filmmakers Koen Mortier (EX DRUMMER) and Pia Marais (THE UNPOLISHED). Films launched at CineMart and now in official Rotterdam 2008 selection a...

Get ready for the second annual Martha's Vineyard International Film Festival September 13-16, 2007. Imagine four days filled with amazing films from around the globe, fun parties, engaging conversation, great live music all within the downtown Walking Festival District - and oh, yes, enjoy some of the most beautiful beaches in America. Have the last weekend of summer be the best one of the year. With the goal of distinguishing themselves from other festivals, The Martha’s Vineyard Internat...

Difficile de ne pas parler de politique lorsqu’on parle d’Orient !Le Festival du Film Oriental a choisi de projeter des films qui peuvent répondre aux interrogations que se posent les spectateurs sur cette région complexe. Des débats viendront approfondir la réflexion autour de ces films. Ainsi, des court-métrages libanais réalisés pendant le dernier conflit seront présentés en partenariat avec le Festival Ayam Beyrouth. Des courts métrages israéliens, comme West Bank Story, d’A...