Tag Archives: Iran

The Books: “The Norton Anthology of Modern and Contemporary Poetry” – Basil Bunting

Posted on April 12, 2010 by sheila

Daily Book Excerpt: Poetry The Norton Anthology of Modern and Contemporary Poetry, Volume 2: Contemporary Poetry, edited by Jahan Ramazani, Richard Ellmann, and Robert O’Clair By all accounts, Basil Bunting was some kind of genius prodigy. He also was Iran … Continue reading →

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Offside at BAM; Dir. Jafar Panahi

Posted on March 30, 2010 by sheila

Last night I met my friend Felicia at BAM to see Offside, directed by incarcerated Iranian director (there hasn’t been word of him in a couple of weeks). It is part of their Muslim Voices: The Female Perspective. I have … Continue reading →

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Snapshots

Posted on March 27, 2010 by sheila

— Sometimes I look up from what I am doing and I see Hope across the room staring at me, and there is a look of such coiled contempt in her eyes that I want to run fleeing into the … Continue reading →

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“[The authorities] don’t even really know what they’re opposing. They don’t see that music brings energy and good nature to society.”

Posted on March 20, 2010 by sheila

So says Negar Shaghaghi, Iranian indie-pop songwriter, one of the stars of Bahman Ghobadi’s new film No One Knows About Persian Cats. The film tells the story of two aspiring musicians in Tehran, trying to connect with other musicians, in … Continue reading →

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Bahman Ghobadi: No One Knows About Persian Cats

Posted on March 18, 2010 by sheila

I read this dispatch from SXSW with great interest: a review of the new film No One Knows About Persian Cats, and cannot wait to see it. The film premiered at Cannes, winning a Special Jury Prize, and tells the … Continue reading →

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Jafar Panahi Update

Posted on March 16, 2010 by sheila

Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi remains in prison, even though he has not been formally charged with anything. His wife (who was also arrested in the original roundup at Panahi’s house – and was released a week later) says she has … Continue reading →

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“My heartfelt wish is that artists no longer be imprisoned in this country because of their art and that the independent and young Iranian cinema no longer faces obstacles, lack of support, attention and prejudice.”

Posted on March 10, 2010 by sheila

Abbas Kiarostami, perhaps the most famous of Iranian directors working today, has published an open letter in a Tehran newspaper calling for the release of Jafar Panahi (and also Mahmoud Rasoulof) – two filmmakers incarcerated in the last couple of … Continue reading →

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Some more details on Jafar Panahi’s arrest

Posted on March 5, 2010 by sheila

From Iranian film expert Jamsheed Akrami. Akrami says: Jafar Panahi’s films, The Circle, Crimson Gold, and Offside, have been all banned in Iran and for the past four years he has not been allowed to make a new movie. Now … Continue reading →

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Update on Jafar Panahi

Posted on March 4, 2010 by sheila

His wife and daughter have been released – Panahi is still detained. More here. It’s hard at times to get a feel for the truth, because official reports (and sometimes personal reports) are unreliable, due to censorship and also the … Continue reading →

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Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi arrested

Posted on March 4, 2010 by sheila

Sad news (and, sadly, not surprising): Iranian director Jafar Panahi has been arrested in Iran, along with his wife and daughter. The arrest went down at his home in Tehran, where he was hosting a dinner party (and all of … Continue reading →

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