The Commonwealth Club will be hosting Abbas Milani in San Francisco.

Abbas Milani, Co-Director of the Iran Democracy Project and author of The Shah, will reveal the complex and sweeping road that has brought the U.S. and Iran to where they are today.

The life of Mohammad-Reza Shah Pahlevi, the last Shah of Iran, continues to resonate today. Milani looks at the monarch who shaped Iran’s modern age and with it the contemporary politics of the Middle East. He reveals the complex and sweeping road that he says has brought the U.S. and Iran to where they are today.

Abbas Milani is an Iranian-American historian and author. Milani is a visiting professor of Political Science and the director of the Iranian Studies program at Stanford University. He is also a research fellow and co-director of the Iran Democracy Project at the Hoover Institution.

Location: SF Club Office, 595 Market St., 2nd Floor
Time: 5:30 p.m. networking reception, 6 p.m. program, 7 p.m. book signing
Cost: $12 members, $20 non-members, $7 students (with valid ID)
Also know: In association with The Club’s Middle East Member-Led Forum

Tickets

The Shah - Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #3,481

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Click here to view the embedded video.

Related Posts:

1. Photos: Saadabad Palace Complex in Tehran – Iran
2. Payvand’s top 10 popular books for 2010

Ali-Reza Pahlavi was born on 28 April 1966. He lived in the U.S. where he received a Bachelor’s degree from Princeton University, a Masters of Arts degree from Columbia University, and studied at Harvard University as a Ph.D. student in ancient Iranian studies and philology.
The youngest son of the late shah of Iran was found dead Tuesday of an apparent suicide at his home in Boston, after he had “struggled for years to overcome his sorrow,” his brother said.

Ali-Reza Pahlavi residence - Photo: Charles Krupa - Associated Press

Boston police said they found a man dead from an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound shortly after 2 a.m. Tuesday at a home in the city’s South End neighborhood.

Alireza Pahlavi’s sister, princess Leila Pahlavi, died in 2001 at the age of 31 when her body was found in a London hotel. It was noted that she had taken a fatal cocktail of prescription drugs and cocaine. Alireza Pahlavi’s father, Shah of Iran died in July 1980 and is buried in Cairo.

Trita Parsi, the president of the National Iranian American Council, said in a statement that “the Iranian-American community was deeply saddened by the news of this tragedy.

“There are many divisions in the community, but on a day like this, I think we are all united in our sympathy with the Pahlavi family for their tragic and painful loss,” Parsi said.

Pahlavi is survived by his oldest brother, his mother, his sister Farahnaz, and his half-sister Shahnaz.

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Born: April 28 1966
Place of Birth: Tehran

Primary School: 1970 — 1974 Lycée Razi, Tehran
Primary School: 1974 — 1979 Niavaran Palace School, Tehran

Secondary School: 1979 — 1980 St. David’s School New York City
High School: 1980 — 1981 American College Cairo, Egypt

High School: 1981—1984 Mt. Greylock Regional High School, Williamstown Massachusetts
Under Graduate: 1984 — 1988 Princeton University B.A. (Music/Ethnomusicology)

Graduate School: 1988—1992, Columbia University M.A. (Ancient Iranian Studies)
Post Graduate: Harvard University (ancient Iranian Studies & Philology)

Hobbies: Sky Diving, Scuba Diving, Reading, Flying.

Related Posts:

1. Photos: Saadabad Palace Complex in Tehran – Iran
2. Payvand’s top 10 popular books for 2011

Payvand.com organizes hundreds of titles in more than 40 categories in its Iranbooks section.

Here is a list of top 10 sellers in 2010, reflecting our state of mind.

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1- Growing Up Global: Raising Children to Be At Home in the World

In today’s increasingly interconnected world, how do we prepare our children to succeed and to become happy, informed global citizens?

Growing Up Global - Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #64,358 in Books

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2- Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America

This lighthearted memoir chronicles the author’s move from Iran to America in 1971 at age seven, the antics of her extended family and her eventual marriage to a Frenchman. The best parts will make readers laugh out loud, as when she arrives in Newport Beach, Calif., “a place where one’s tan is a legitimate topic of conversation.” She is particularly good making gentle fun of her father, who loves Disneyland and once competed on the game show Bowling for Dollars.

Funny in Farsi - Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #14,478 in Books

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3- Immortal: A Military History of Iran and Its Armed Forces

Far too often, Americans ignore history and leave military history to a narrow range of experts. The choice of peace or war in dealing with Iran, however, is far too important to make without an understanding of Iran’s military history and how its forces have evolved. Steven R. Ward’s Immortal provides essential background to making that choice.

Immortal - Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #632,565 in Books

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4- A Beginner’s Guide To Acting English

It’s 1977 and life in Iran is becoming unpredictable. The Shah will be overthrown and events are about to take place on the world stage. But for five-year-old Shappi Khorsandi all this means is that she must flee, leaving behind a mad extended Iran clan and everything she has ever known.

A Beginner's Guide To Acting English - Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #48,778 in Books

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5- Rooftops of Tehran: A Novel

Set in 1970s Iran during the shah’s regime, this earnest, semiautobiographical debut novel is told from the perspective of bookish 17-year-old Pasha Shahed, who, along with his best friend Ahmed, plays soccer, goofs off and thinks about girls. But Pasha pines for one girl in particular—his neighbor Zari, betrothed since birth to Pasha’s mentor, the neighborhood radical, Ramin Sobhi, whom everyone calls Doctor.

Rooftops of Tehran - Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #148,788 in Books

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6- The Persians: Ancient, Mediaeval and Modern Iran

In recent years, Iran has gained attention mostly for negative reasons—its authoritarian religious government, disputed nuclear program, and controversial role in the Middle East—but there is much more to the story of this ancient land than can be gleaned from the news. This authoritative and comprehensive history of Iran, written by Homa Katouzian, an acclaimed expert, covers the entire history of the area from the ancient Persian Empire to today’s Iranian state.

The Persians - Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #443,555 in Books

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7- Shahnameh: The Persian Book of Kings

This immense volume translates into clear, accessible prose the bedrock work of Iranian literature. Compiled and cast into verse by a tenth-century bard, Shahnameh contains the stories of the kings of ancient Iran before Islam overwhelmed the land in the seventh century.

Shahname - Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #293,061 in Books

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8- A History of Iran: Empire of the Mind

Although frequently vilified, Iran is a nation of great intellectual variety and depth, and one of the oldest continuing civilizations in the world. Its political impact has been tremendous, not only on its neighbors in the Middle East but also throughout the world.

A History of Iran - Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #50,577 in Books

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9- Celebrating Norouz (Persian New Year)

Simple and colorful, this book introduces the Persian New Year to young children. It includes 3 simple crafts which provide parents and teachers practical and easy ways to celebrate Norouz at home and at school.

Celebrating Norouz - Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #248,057 in Books

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10- The Life and Times of the Shah

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Irans ruler from 1941 to 1979—and one of the 20th centurys more controversial political figures—gets a spirited if not always compelling defense in this sprawling biography.

The Life and Times of the Shah - Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #402,198 in Books

Related Posts:

1. Payvand’s top 10 popular books for 2011
2. SF Common Wealth Club Event: The Shah, the Ayatollah and Iran’s nuclear program, Double-talk or Double-standards?

Kamangar, employee # 13 at Google, has reportedly been working hard on the YouTube profit picture for a year now.

Previously, he was Vice President of Product Management for Google’s advertising and monetisation products, including the AdWords programme, which he defined with a small engineering team. Today, AdWords is the foundation for Google’s syndication on partner sites and serves as the engine
that drives Google’s revenue. Prior to that, Salar created the company’s first business plan and was responsible for its legal and finance functions.

From there, he became a founding member of Google’s product team, where he worked on consumer projects including the acquisition of DejaNews and the subsequent launch of Google Groups.

Kamangar, born in Tehran-Iran in 1977, earned his Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences with honours from Stanford University.

Kamangar is a member of the Directors and Advisory Board of PARSA Community Foundation, a Persian heritage, entrepreneurship and philanthropic society.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Businessweek interview with Salar Kamangar in 2006: No. 13 Google: The Search Ended Here

Founded in February 2005, YouTube is an independent subsidiary of Google Inc., having been acquired by the leader in search and online advertising services in November of 2006

Related Posts:

1. San Francisco – Iranian-American Artist Ala Ebtekar Solo Show re-emergence at Gallery Paule Anglim
2. What’s your Iranian-American object portraiture?

A multimedia artist at the crossroads of history and mythology.

Gallery Paule Anglim is pleased to present re-emergence, an exhibition of new work by Iranian-American artist, Ala Ebtekar. From a broad practice rich with symbolism (embracing drawing, painting, sculpture, fashion, and photography), the artist will present works on paper and paintings, including paintings on photographs, paintings on book pages, and sculptural pieces.

Gallery Paule Anglim
14 Geary Street
San Francisco, CA
www.gallerypauleanglim.com

Opening Reception Thursday, June 17, 5:30 – 7:30pm

Ascension 2007 Acrylic and ink on book pages mounted on canvas 51 1/2” x 81”

Ebtekar’s work is situated at the crossroads of history and mythology. It inhabits a realm where past and present collide in a perpetual dance of deconstructed and reconstructed time and space.

Morning Breeze 2007 Acrylic, ink, and opaque watercolor on book page 10” x 6 3/4” uf, 12” x 8 1/2”

Equally informed by ancient Persian epics and contemporary popular culture, by hip hop, graffiti, and comic books as well as Iranian coffeehouse painting, Ebtekar generates a visual language that expands the circle of cultural conversation.

Morning Breeze 2007 Acrylic, ink, and opaque watercolor on book page 10” x 6 3/4” uf, 12” x 8 1/2”

Born to Iranian parents in Berkeley, California, Ebtekar discovered fine art in his late teens after spending much of his formative years immersed in the music and imagery of hip-hop. He started deejaying at 12 years old (and went on air at age 13 on KALX Berkeley) before taking to the streets with spray paint, tagging local walls with his name in Farsi.

Elemental Intersection for the Arts San Francisco, CA

Then at 19 he moved to Tehran to study miniature painting; however, he ended up preferring the mid-20th century style of “coffeehouse painting” (qahveh khanehei)-large oils that illustrate oral narratives instead of the more highbrow classical written texts from which Persian miniatures are usually drawn.

Elemental Intersection for the Arts San Francisco, CA

Out of these experiences Ebtekar has forged a cosmopolitan consciousness that combines the ancient and the contemporary, American and Iranian, the sacred and the commercial. Ebtekar has shown at galleries in Dubai, London, New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, among others. Gallery Paule Anglim previously mounted a solo show for Ebtekar in 2007.

From the series: 1388 Acrylic and ink on digital pigment prints 45” x 30” uf, 53” x 36” 2009

In a recent his 2009 solo exhibition in Dubai entitled, “1388,” Ebtekar featured multimedia works of Iranian women with helmets and armor painted over their hijabs, transforming them into superhero-like warriors, emanating strength, resolve, and determination. These works simultaneously hinted at ancient Persian epics and the most recent call for social justice by Iran’s youth – a movement led quite visibly by young Iranian women.

1388: Pariya Acrylic and ink on digital pigment prints 30” x 20” uf, 38” x 28”

Ebtekar is also well-known for an earlier series of intricate paintings on the pages of religious manuscripts, on which he situated scenes of epic battles, of warriors donning helmeted armor and wielding medieval swords and modern-day bandoleers. These works will also be on display at Gallery Paule Anglim. Indeed a theme that runs throughout Ebtekar’s work is the synthesis of past and present in ways which may occasionally jar the viewer.

About Ala Ebtekar
Born in the United States to Iranian parents, Ebtekar was raised in both Iran and the US. As a young teenager he joined the K.O.S. (Kids of Survival), working with artist Tim Rollins on collaborative artworks involving groups of urban youth. He received his BA in 2001 from the San Francisco Art Institute and in 2006 his MFA degree at Stanford. He was a 2005 recipient of the San Francisco Foundation’s Murphy & Cadogan Fellowships in the Arts Award. His work is exhibited internationally and was recently featured in two prestigious exhibitions: “One Way or Another: Asian American Art Now,” a touring exhibition originating at the Asia Society, NYC, and in the 2006 California Biennial at the Orange County Museum of Art. In 2007, his work was featured in a solo exhibition at Gallery Paule Anglim in San Francisco and Ebtekar participated in a six-month residency with Cité des Arts in Paris. In 2008, Ebtekar was featured in Bay Area Now 5, at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco and in 2009 at a solo show in Dubai.

Ala Ebtekar web site

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2. Art Gallery – Archaic Techniques of Lovemaking by Shahriar Ahmadi

12Petals as a community-production based media group with an emphasis on the “culture of human rights” philosophy strives to be a union of interdependent visual artists, musicians, filmmakers, cinematographers, playwrights, socials entrepreneurs and more…

All coming together to produce pieces that promote and encourage respect for those rights protected by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

And, our most recent production is ready for view. This production is part of the 12Petals’s Culture of Human Rights and Responsibilities Advocacy Production Series.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Culture of Human Rights  فرهنگ  حقوق بشر  by 12Petals Media Group

Producer …………….. Majid Baradar
Art Direction/Art Production ………………. Ardalan Payvar & Shadi Yousefian

For a culture of human rights outreach goal, our wish is heartfelt participation by all communities to circulate this work to family and friends. It is empowering to believe in what binds us together is much greater than what sets us apart.

Now, more than ever, it is the responsibility of every person to bring the culture of human rights into his or her life, home, and daily relationships with family, friends and neighbors—while perceiving that those friends and neighbors span the globe.

Culture of human rights should be cherished and upheld as a way of life.

Related Posts:

1. Human Rights World Report 2010: Iran Targets Human Rights Messengers
2. Artists for Iran, a Celebration of the Arts and Human Rights

Too many images representing Iranians are created by and for news Media who are inevitably influenced by either stereotyped pre-conceptions or their governments and their agendas.

AKSbazi.com is a response to a need by Iranians to re-define their own image, a sensibility which has manifested itself repeatedly in Iran’s art and cinema in the past 30 years, but is now becoming even more urgent.

AKSbazi.com  is a place where Iranians themselves can make their own image from the inside as opposed to being looked at from the outside.

Bahar By Amir Jadidi

The games as we call them are just themes which we suggest ,or our players suggest, and then we all take our cameras or mobile phones and play them. It’s that simple really.

Bahar By Shaghayegh Cyrous

Through the games on the site, Anyone with any level of interest in photography can join the themed galleries that open regularly on the site.

Cheshm va Abroo BY Dana Farzanehpour

The site went live in March 2009 and since then, over 1000 users have registered uploading over 800 photographs on our galleries showing Iranians and their psyche and their environment in a completely new way.

Bahar By Zeinab Salarvand

AKSbazi.com has in a short space of time become a community for photographers of all levels of expertise to come together and express themselves through pictures. It has also become a platform for new artists to present their work in a practical sense. Our first collaboration through a special competition set up for HERMES RECORDS in Iran, led to two of our photographers’ works being published as covers for music CDs.

Carpet By Zahra Akbari

This weekend we will have an interactive exhibition on BAHAR at the British Museum in London as part of Magic Of Persia’s Norouz event.

Balcony BY Mohammad Nickdel

The players began imagining a new day, a new beginning in the coldest months of winter, but they did an incredibly good job. A selection of 30 of the photographs will be on view for this event and the visitors will be able to write their comments on post-it notes and attach below each photo: a kind of Did-o-bazdid between London and the players wherever they may be.

Iranian flag By Ramin Sadighi

Koodakaneh By Hassan Moussavi

You can follow the day’s events live, via Twitter by following us on:

Twitter.com/AKSbazi

Or see the photos and add your own comments on our page on facebook here:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php

Love of Football BY Ali Shahbazpour

Wishing you all a very happy new day!

Norouz Pirouz
AKSbazi.com

Norouz Holidays BY Poolad Javaher Haghighi

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2. Public Lives Private Spaces – Tehran: New Art and Digital Media from Iran

TEHRAN – NEW YORK will explore synergies and differences among the works of 40 well-known and emerging contemporary Iranian artists living in Iran and the U.S.

The exhibition does not aim to define Iranian art, but rather to examine the unique visions that exist among Iranian artists, while encouraging a much-needed place for dialogue.  However great the distance, there are always loose ties that unite these artists across the globe.

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By: MAHMOUD BAKHSHI MOAKHAR - Farshfouroushi Carpet Bazaar

While many of the artists tackle the same political and social issues, the result is hugely varied due to the different perspectives of the geographically dispersed group.

ROYA FARASSAT - American Dream 2007

The artists in TEHRAN – NEW YORK include:

Samira Abbassy, Negar Ahkami, Shiva Ahmadi, Amir-Hossein Akhavan, Afruz Amighi, Shoja Azari, Maryam Bayat, Majeed Beenteha, Bahar Behbahani, Ali Chitsaz, Reza Derakshani, Hossein Edalatkhah, Aylene Fallah, Mehdi Farhadian, Roya Farassat, Siamak Filizadeh, Shadi Ghadirian, Darioush Gharahzad, Ramin Haerizadeh, Khosrow Hassanzadeh, Bahman Jalali, Rana Javadi, Y.Z. Kami, Shahram Karimi, Farideh Lashai, Pooneh Maghazehe, Niki Manray, Mahmoud Bakhshi Moakhar, Nazar Moosavinia, Farhad Moshiri, Shirin Neshat, Nicky Nodjoumi, Farah Ossouli, Soody Sharifi, Arman Stepanian, Taravat Talepasand, Sadegh Tirafkan, Hamila Vakili, and Darius Yektai.

MAJEED BEENTEHA - Untitled, Nationa Riddle Series 2009

DARIOUSH GHARAHZAD - Untitled 2009

HOSSEIN EDALATKHAH - Brothel Keepers 2008

NICKY NODJOUMI - Religious Man 2007

NIKI MANRAY - Twisted Emancipation 2009

SIAMAK FILIZADEH - Bread Cheese Series 2002

SHIRIN NESHAT - Offered Eyes 1993

A significant portion of the work has never been shown in the U.S.  A catalog will accompany the exhibition.

http://www.ltmhgallery.com/

Related Posts:

1. Video: Photo Series Inspired by Persian Poetry – PG13
2. Echos in Blue – An exhibition of contemporary Iranian art from Tehran in Los Angeles

Click here to view the embedded video.

Song: Change
Lyrics written by: Michelle Montezeri
Arrangements by: Michelle Montezeri

Michelle-Montezeri

Close your eyes and dream
Go to sleep it is not real
Where will you go
when hope has left
Isnt someone caring
caring

Try to change but youre not strong
Someone tell us whats wrong
Please tell us whats wrong

When you struggle and you fall
Save yourself from it all
Have the strength to still believe
After all your sorrow and grief

Dont give up you get there soon
Youll reach the stars and the moon
Youll do the things you never knew how to do

Reach to me and Ill be there
Dont you worry Ill take care off you

Dont give up you get there soon
Reach the stars and the moon.

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If you like to like to know Michelle Montezeri better, please visit
Website: www.michellemontezeri.com

Related Posts:

1. Iran Regime Change Survey
2. The Golha Project: Digital Archiving of Flowers of Persian Poetry and Song

Iran’s entry to the 2010 Academy Awards, About Elly, on Feb. 20
Actress Gohar Kheirandish in person on Feb. 7
A new feature from director Bahman Gohbadi on Feb. 6
Director Shalizeh Arefpour in person on Feb. 5

All films from Iran and in Persian with English subtitles, unless otherwise noted.

Friday February 5th at 7:30PM

HEIRAN (2009)

When Iranian high school student Mahi falls for Heiran, a poor, gallant Afghani refugee, her horrified parents beg her not to ruin her life with the boy.  Love has its way until the warnings come true, and love struck Mahi finds herself entangled in an epic story of immigrant woe.  Documentarian Shailzeh Arefpour perfectly balances issues and emotions in this moving first feature.

35mm, color, in Persian with English subtitles, 86 min.

PROD: Rakshan Bani-Etemad.  DIR: Shalizeh Arefpour.  SCR: S. Arefpour, Naghmeh Samini.  CINE: Hossein Jafarian.  EDIT: Sepideh Abdolvahab.  CAST: Baran Kosari, Mehrdad Sedighian, Khosro Shakibaei, Farhad Aslani, Zhahleh Sameti.

IN PERSON:  director Shalizeh Arefpour.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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Saturday February 6th at 7:30PM

NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT PERSIAN CATS (2009)

Bahman Gohbadi (Turtles Can Fly, shown in our 2005 edition) offers a glimpse of can-do determination.  Faced with prohibitions against rock music, bandmates Negar and Ashkan plot to leave Iran for England to make music their way. Their deliberate progress toward this elusive goal takes them through the underground rock scene in a brisk, often comical look, at a side of Iranian life seldom seen on film.

35mm, color, in Persian with English subtitles, 101 min.

PROD/DIR: Bahman Gohbadi.  SCR: B. Gohbadi, Hossein M. Abkenar, Roxana Saberi.  CINE: Turaj Asiani.  EDIT: Hayedeh Safiyari.  CAST: Negar Shaghaghi, Askan Koshanejad, Hamed Behdad.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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Sunday February 7th at 7:00PM

TRADITION OF KILLING LOVERS (2004)

Jailed for harvesting trees to support his family, Salar is replaced as breadwinner by his young son Jalal while Jalal’s sister strains to defend her husband, a policeman, from the fury of her mother (Gohar Kheirandish) after he is forced to transport his father-in-law to prison.  Director Khosro Masoumi undergirds his analysis of encroaching economic despair with emotional range and power.

35mm, color, in Persian with English subtitles, 90 min.

PROD: Mahmoud Fallah.  DIR/SCR: Khosro Masoumi.  CINE: Nader Masoumi.  EDIT: Hassan Hassandoust.  CAST: Hossein Abedini, Gohar Kheirandish, Hossein Mahjoub, Hurie Mirmohammadi, Arman Nikzad.

IN PERSON:  actress Gohar Kheirandish.

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Monday February 8th at 7:30PM

WIND BLOWS IN THE MEADOW (2008)

After her father is injured in an accident, Shouka is dismayed to find herself betrothed to the developmentally-disabled son of one of the family’s creditors.  Wooed by the assistant tailor hired to make her wedding dress, Shouka sees a possible escape, but danger looms in this delicately drawn drama.

35mm, color, in Persian with English subtitles, 91 min.

PROD: Fath’olah Jafari Jozani.  DIR/SCR: Khosro Masoumi.  CINE: Nader Masoumi.  EDIT: Hassan Hassandost.  CAST: Elnaz Shakerdoust, Hossein Abdedini, Reza Naji, Jamal Ejali, Maedah Tahmasbi.

Feature preceded by:

KNOT (2006)

A captivating courtship in the snow, depicting one couple’s path to love’comprising many years and footsteps.

DVCam, color, in Persian with English subtitles, 10 min.

DIR: Javat Vatani.  CINE: Farshad Gol Sefidi.  EDIT: Mohammad Rasoulof.  CAST: Habib Vatani, Golbootheh Badeleh.

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Friday February 12th at 7:30PM

444-DAY FACE-OFF (2008)

Director Mohammad Shirvani (7 Blind Women Filmmakers, shown in our 2009 edition) recounts the spectacular taking of the United States Embassy after the ouster of the Shah and the 444-day ‘hostage crisis’ that followed.  With tremendous access and skill, Shirvani cagily interviews actual participants, including U.S. embassy officials and Iranian students, to reconstruct key episodes and deconstruct contentious issues.

DVCam, color, in Persian with English subtitles, 70 min.

PROD/DIR/ED: Mohammad Shirvani.  CINE: Hooman Behmanesh, Kambiz Karimi, Mahmoud Reza Sani, M. Shirvani.

COUNTDOWN (2008)

Along with more than a million high-school graduates, Parisa studies for difficult and competitive college entrance examinations, thought by many to be a young woman’s best hope for a career in Iran.  The familial and spiritual strains of this ritual are well rendered by director Khatereh Hanachi, as Parisa and her family face numerous sacrifices to realize a dream.

DVCam, color, in Persian with English subtitles, 50 min.

PROD: Maziar Bahari.  DIR: Khatereh Hanachi.  CINE: Rita Ebrahimi.  EDIT: Hamid Najafi Rad.

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Sunday February 14th at 7:00PM

TINAR (2007)

A pastorale of great beauty and poignancy, director Mahdi Moniri’s lyrical documentary foregrounds a poor boy’s resilience and courage.  Young Tinar lives alone in the mountains of northern Iran.  Abandoned by his recently widowed and re-married father, he supports himself as a cow herder, surviving emotionally on long-held hopes of attending school or joining urban relatives who might care for him.

DVCam, color, in Persian with English subtitles, 77 min.

PROD/DIR: Mahdi Moniri.  CINE: Seyed Hassan, Seyedi Parishan.  EDIT: Mohammad Moeen Karimoddini.

A MAN WHO ATE HIS CHERRIES (2009)

Director Payman Haghani’s first feature concerns Reza, a factory worker who learns that he is infertile.  His frustrated wife Zari files successfully for divorce and Reza has to raise money to pay back her dowry.  Reduced to basics, Reza scrounges for the necessary cash until an industrial accident suddenly gives him an idea.

DVCam, color and b/w, in Persian with English subtitles, 78 min.

PROD: Amir Samavati.  DIR: Payman Haghani.  SCR: P. Haghani, Hamid-Reza Keshani.  CAST: Hassan Pourshirazi, Asha Mehrabi, Reza Afshar, Maryam Khodarahmi, Bagher Soroosh.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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Friday February 19th at 7:30PM

MY LITTLE COUNTRY (2008)

The moving portrait of a school for Afghani refugee children in Iran that gives its students a place to feel safe and acknowledged, to study their shared past and dream of a return to their home country.

DVCam, color, in Persian with English subtitles, 26 min.

PROD: Saeed Rashtian.  DIR/SCR: Abbas Mohammadi.  CINE: Reza Jalali.  EDIT: Masoumeh Shah Nazari.

THE LEGEND OF GORDAFARID (2008)

One woman’s saga studying and performing a style of epic theater previously reserved only for men.  Her fierce determination leads to some pushback, but more often wins admiration and respect.

DVCam, color, in Persian with English subtitles, 34 min.

PROD/DIR/SCR: Hadi Afarideh.  CINE: Ashkan Ashkani.  EDIT: Hamid Najafi Rad.

FINAL FITTING (2008)

A witty, personal portrait of a man who creates beautiful vestments for Iranian clerics, this entertaining short reveals the circumstances that sometimes accompany the pomp.

DVCam, color, in Persian with English subtitles, 30 min.

PROD/DIR/SCR: Reza Haeri.  CINE: Ehsan Kaffash.  EDIT: Fardin Saheb-Zamani.

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Saturday February 20th at 7:30PM

ABOUT ELLY (2009)

Asghar Farhadi (Beautiful City, shown in our 2005 edition) returns with this captivating drama, Iran’s entry to the
2010 Academy Awards. When schoolteacher Elly is whisked away by friends on a pleasure trip to the Caspian Sea, their true agenda is revealed: to marry her off to the recently divorced Ahmad.  The fib is the first of many in what soon becomes a mystery when Elly suddenly disappears.

35mm, color, in Persian with English subtitles, 119 min.

PROD/DIR/SCR: Asghar Farhadi.  CINE: Hossein Jafarian.  EDIT: Hayedeh Safarian.  CAST: Taraneh Alidousti, Golshifteh Farahani, Mani Haghighi, Shahab Hosseini, Merila Zarei.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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Theater:
The Billy Wilder Theater in Westwood Village
10899 Wilshire Blvd. (corner of Wilshire & Westwood Blvds.).

Tickets:
Advance tickets for other programs at the Billy Wilder Theater are available for $10 at https://secure.cinema.ucla.edu/onlineboxoffice/

Tickets are also available at the Billy Wilder Theater box office starting one hour before showtime: $9, general admission; $8, students, seniors and UCLA Alumni Association members with ID.

PARKING:
After 6 p.m., $3 in the lot under the Billy Wilder Theater. Enter from Westwood Blvd., just north of Wilshire.  Before 6 p.m., $3 for the first three hours with Museum validation.

INFO:
www.cinema.ucla.edu / 310.206.FILM

Related Posts:

1. 3rd Annual Iranian Film Festival – San Francisco: September 18-19, 2010
2. 2011 Sundance Film Festival Presents Circumstance by Maryam Keshavarz

It should be no surprise that in Twitter’s analysis of keywords the topic that came up most in 2009 was Iran. Abdur Chowdhury, Twitter’s chief scientist, wrote that #iranelection, Iran and Tehran finished in the top 21 of all trending topics, with #iranelection hashtag finishing first in the category of news, above swine flu.

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“Among all the keywords, hashtags, and phrases that proliferated throughout the year, one topic surfaced repeatedly,” the company wrote in a blog post Tuesday. “Twitter users found the Iranian elections the most engaging topic of the year. The terms #iranelection, Iran and Tehran were all in the top-21 of Trending Topics, and #iranelection finished in a close second behind the regular weekly favorite #musicmonday.”  Hashtags are a user-developed method to make it easier to search within Twitter for particular keywords.

Graph source: blogpulse.com and trendrr.com

Twitter posts on #iranelection reached 100,000 per hour on June 16 and eventually climbed to 220,000 per hour. In response to the Iranian governments shutdown of both local and international from reporting on the events unfolding in Iran, it’s connected populace turned to social media channels, to break the news using mobile phones, through proxy servers setup by freedom of speech advocates in the US and their own blogs and social media outlets.

Following are a couple of graphs from infoharmoni.com analyzing Iran twitter news.

infoharmoni.com

According to retweetradar.com IranElection was top 10 trend for the following 60 days in 2009.

December 7
November 4
September 12, 18
August 1, 2, 3,4,5,8, 10, 17
July, almost the whole month
June, everyday from 13-29

Here is Payvand’s iran_news stats from tweetstats.com (Apr. 09 to Dec. 16 2009)

Below is a partial graph  of Payvand’s twitter friends network provided by twitnest.appspot.com

And finally if you like your tweets to be translated to/from Persian please visit http://tweetrans.com/

Related Posts:

1. Iran on top of 2009 Global Restriction on Religion Report
2. Posters: Students’ Day Nov. 4th 2009

"I'm Still Waiting" by Sophia Gasparian

Los Angeles, December 12 7:30pm
Exhibition open till Dec. 31

Levantine Cultural Center presents an extensive roster of artists and performers in “Artists for Iran,” a celebration of the arts and human rights in conjunction with United4Iran.org, which is coordinating related programs in 27 cities worldwide. Combining cultural diplomacy and human rights, “Artists for Iran” comes on the heels of International Human Rights Day. Artists from Iran and elsewhere in the Middle East along with Americans of diverse backgrounds will merge in a space devoted to art, photography, poetry, live performance, comedy and more.

Artists will perform at various times throughout the evening (but primarily between 8:30-10:30 pm).

The evening will be devoted to literary, visual, and performing arts highlighting the issues of human rights in Iran and elsewhere in the world.

Levantine Cultural Center uses cultural diplomacy–the art of creating safe spaces for dialogue and contemplation of artistic expression–to bridge cultures in conflict. This evening is devoted to the arts while celebrating a culture of human rights, something that all Americans take for granted.

Art is a universal expression that connects humanity across time and space and it has been the voice of justice, peace and rights throughout time. Currently many brave artists in Iran are speaking up to demand basic rights and we need to support them.

Read messages of support for Iran by a wide range of international artists, see videos, learn more about the various global events, see the United4Iran web site.

Artists’ Bios

Sophia Gasparian

Sophia Gasparian (b. 1972, Armenia) is a Los Angeles-based artist. Her work began in experimental film and later transitioned to installation combining video, sound and painting. In 2002, Sophia developed “The Day of the Dead: Armenian Genocide 1915″ installation and co-curated an international group exhibition “Requiem for the Genocide” with Yerevan MOCA. Sophia’s work is archived at the Center for the Study of Political Graphics. Sophia’s narrative paintings intertwine childlike innocence with sociopolitical criticism and her aesthetic approach remains apart from mainstream art, incorporating stencils, stickers, spray paint and other nontraditional media. Sophia lives and works in her studio in Los Angeles.

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Shelley Gazin

Shelley Gazin is an award-winning artist and photojournalist, educator and historian of contemporary culture. Her commissioned portraiture and documentary-style imagery illuminates the 20th and 21st Century social, political, entrepreneurial and spiritual landscape. The GAZIN ARCHIVE pays tribute to forward-thinking artists, scientists, civic leaders, business professionals, friends, neighbors and strangers from every walk of life.

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Maryam Gueramian

Born and raised in Geneva, Switzerland in 1985, Maryam Gueramian lived in Tehran, Iran for a while before moving to the United States at the age of 14. Since the age of 3, Maryam developed a passion for art, and has been continuing to cultivate her talent. After obtaining her Bachelor’s degree in International Studies and Economics from the University of California, San Diego, Maryam decided to expand her hobby of painting, and spend more time focusing on her passion. After graduation, she moved to Tehran and was inspired by the Iranian and Eastern culture and beliefs, and inspired to create the paintings you see today. To better cope with cultural and political difficulties existing in Iran, she delved into a period of artistic exertion. She is now working on her MBA degree at Cal State Northridge. Maryam hopes that one day, cultural and religious beliefs will bring people closer to each other rather than separating them.

Elham Jazab

Born in Shiraz, Iran, Elham Jazab‘s family moved to Tunisia and later Zaire, Africa. Her comedy explores issues that are current and controversial, including the unusual nature of transplanted Persian culture (Los Angeles is home to the largest Iranian community outside of Tehran). With rave reviews on the street, Elham has been called “outrageous,” “hilarious” and “the world’s funniest female Persian comic.” With a degree in theatre and film from Northwestern University, and a Masters from Columbia College, she is well equipped to see the funny side of most any situation. She has been a regular in the Sultans of Satire and has performed in such comedy venues as The Comedy Store, the Improv and the Laugh Factory, dispensing her sly blend of cross-cultural humor.

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Amir Kamyab

Amir Kamyab is one of the fastest rising young comedians in Los Angeles. Born in Tehran, Iran and raised in Southern California, his comedy is a hilarious blend of character work, storytelling and improvisation shaped by a multi-cultural upbringing. Amir’s raw talent is showcased on a nightly basis at various venues including comedy clubs and playhouses in and around the Los Angeles area.

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Mozhan Marnó

Mozhan Marnó is an Iranian American film and television actress who recently starred as Soraya in The Stoning of Soraya M. She won rave reviews for her performances as nine Iraqi women characters in the Heather Raffo play 9 Parts of Desire at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre and at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles. She has also had roles in such feature films as Charlie Wilson’s War and Traitor. She attended boarding school at Phillips Academy, Andover in Massachusetts. Soon after, she earned a BA in Comparative Literature from Columbia University and an MFA in Acting at the prestigious Yale School of Drama. Additionally, Marnò received training at the Guthrie Theater in Minnesota and at the Public Theater’s Shakespeare Lab in New York. Marnò has lived in France, Germany, Sweden and Argentina, and speaks French, German, Farsi, and Spanish. She resides in Los Angeles.

Maryam Mottahedeh

Maryam Mottahedeh is an Iranian American poet who is passionate about inner and outer freedom. Her path began with escaping the tensions of the Iran-Iraq war (in the ’80s) and her family life and migrating to Israel. In 1990 she moved to the States to encounter acceptance, abundance, healing and transformation. Her poetry narrates her colorful emotions and creativity on migration, women and love.

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Stephanie Satie

Stephanie Satie is an actor/playwright who has appeared on and off, Broadway, in regional theatres and in L.A.,  and on TV. Her two critically-acclaimed solo plays—Refugees, published by Samuel French, and Coming to America – transformations—were developed with grants from the LA Department of Cultural Affairs, California Council for the Arts and the California Council for the Humanities. Much of her work evolves out of interviews, and world events, especially with women who’ve transformed their lives in America. In addition to touring two solo shows, she teaches Literature and Writing at California State University, Northridge. Her non solo play, Leon’s Dictionary will be performed by Celebrity Play Readings at the West Side and West Hills JCCs in March. For Bookings contact Jeannine Frank: jeannine-at-frankentertainment.com.

Sheila Vossough

Sheila Vossough is an Iranian-American actress, comedian and producer who immigrated to the US with her family as a child at the onslaught of the 1979 revolution. She began a career of acting on stage for the Iranian community in 1998, graduated from the Ruskin School of Acting in 2003, a three year Meisner technique program in Santa Monica. More recently she studied with Lesly Kahn and at the Ivana Chubbuck Studio. Since 2004 to the present, she has been touring internationally, performing plays in Persian, with the Los Angeles based theatrical company, Workshop 79, spearheaded by famed Iranian playwright and director, Houshang Touzie. Her theater credits include: Farar-e Bozorg, Az Mahvareh ba Eshgh, and Matique, all of which toured internationally and were performed in Persian. She appeared as the emcee, along side Maryam Sayyad, and headlined as the stand-up comedian for the Festival of Peace, produced by Beyond Persia, at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco in 2007. Her film credits include: Susan Miller, Liberation, Love Francesca, and Starwatch.

Sholeh Wolpé

Sholeh Wolpé is a poet, visual artist and playwright. She is the author of Sin—Selected Poems of Forugh Farrokhzad (University of Arkansas Press), The Scar Saloon (Red Hen Press),  Rooftops of Tehran (Red Hen Press, Jan. 2008), Shame (a play in three acts) and has a Poetry CD featuring poems read by the author to traditional Persian music (Refuge Studios). She is the associate editor of Words Without Border (Norton, 2010), the editor of The Atlanta Review– Iran Issue (2010), and her poems, translations, essays and reviews have appeared in scores of literary journals, periodicals and anthologies worldwide, and have been translated into several languages. Sholeh was born in Iran and has lived in the Caribbean, Europe and the U.S. , She holds Masters degrees in Radio-TV-Film (Northwestern University ) and Public Health (Johns Hopkins University ). She lives in Los Angeles.

Sunny Zia

Sunny Zia is the founder and chair of Humanity Unites, an Irvine-based humanitarian organization focused on building bridges of understanding and advocating community action and projects in support of causing peace and unity locally and globally. Ms. Zia is also the CEO of a Civil Engineering consulting and management firm based in Orange County. As an Iranian American raised both in the U.S. and Iran, and having lived through the Iran-Iraq war, the aftermath of the American hostage crisis, and the tragedies of “18 of Tir (Kooyeh Daneshgah)” in the 1999 University of Tehran uprisings, she believes that it is her duty to not only raise awareness about oppression but to transform it and work towards solutions. Her past efforts include working with inner city at-risk youth, with legislators in implementing policies advocating human rights, and on international relief efforts for Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Israel, Palestine, Afghanistan, and Darfur. She is the recipient of local and congressional distinctions for her work in the U.S. & abroad.

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Free to the public, donations requested. Doors open at 7 pm. Open Bar.
Levantine Cultural Center
5998 W. Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles CA 90035
one block east of Crescent Heights Blvd.
ample street parking

http://www.levantinecenter.org/

Related Posts:

1. Human Rights as a way of life
2. Human Rights World Report 2010: Iran Targets Human Rights Messengers

For four weeks, this one of a kind festival turns San Francisco into a Mecca for innovative, spirited, and thought-provoking theatre from around the world. Providing a rare opportunity for artists and audiences alike to engage deeply and directly with the Middle East in a creative and supportive setting that displaces misinformation and encourages understanding.

Golden Thread Productions’ hallmark event is ReOrient, a festival of plays exploring the Middle East. Debuted in 1999, more than thirty plays have been presented at the ReOrient festival, majority of them world and or U.S. premieres.

Series 1 – Thursdays & Saturdays at 8:00 PM

World Premiere
Series 1: No Such Cold Thing by Naomi Wallace (2009)
An American soldier has an unexpected encounter with two afghan sisters who are ready to embark on a new life. Their fate – and his – get more complicated as the line between their different realities becomes dangerously blurred.

Nora el Samahy and Basel Al-Naffouri in No Such Cold Thing by Naomi Wallace. Photo by Gohar Barseghyan.

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Series 1: Tamam by Betty Shamieh (2002)
From one of the most highly praised Arab-American playwrights comes this story of a young Palestinian woman: Her name is Tamam; it means enough!

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Series 1: Coming Home by Motti Lerner (2003)
A compassionate inquiry into the fragility of the human spirit by one of Israel’s most vocal voices against the occupation.

Charles Isen, Raffi Wartanian and Leah Herman in Coming Home by Motti Lerner. Photo by Gohar Barseghyan.

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Series 1: Call Me Mehdi by Torange Yeghiazarian (2005)
A cultural divide erupts in this bedroom comedy between an Iranian woman and her American husband.

Ahou Tabibzadeh and George Psarras in Call Me Mehdi by Torange Yeghiazarian. Photo by Gohar Barseghyan.

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Series 2 – Fridays at 8:00 PM & Sundays at 5:00 PM

Series 2: I’m Not a Serial Killer by Caveh Zahedi (1999)
From the independent filmmaker responsible for I Am a Sex Addict and I don’t Hate Las Vegas Anymore, comes a kooky comedy about a lovable loser’s futile attempts at picking up the woman of his dreams.

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Series 2: Abaga by Torange Yeghiazarian (2001)
A lyrical tale of forbidden love between an Armenian man and a Turkish woman in Istanbul of 1915 repeats itself in Jerusalem of 1935 when their offspring falls for a Jewish immigrant.

Raffi Wartanian and Vida Ghahremani in Abaga by Torange Yeghiazarian. Photo by Gohar Barseghyan.

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Series 2: A Marriage Proposal by Yussef El Guindi (2001)
Chekov’s classic comedy of class conflict and lemons adapted to an Egyptian family setting.

Dina Mousawi, Michael Sommers and Afif Houssain in A Marriage Proposal by Yussef El Guindi. Photo by Gohar Barseghyan

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Series 2: Compression of a Casualty by Kevin Doyle (2004)
Two CNN anchors find themselves stuck in the news report of an American soldier’s death in Iraq. They can neither tell the deeper tale, nor move on.

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Series 2: The Monologist Suffers Her Monologue by Yussef El Guindi (2007)
A Palestinian-American explores her identity in this poignant and comedic monologue. In the dialogue of nations, do you ever get the feeling that Palestine is just a monologue?

Sara Razavi expresses herself in The Monologist Suffers Her Monologue by Yussef El Guindi. Photo by Gohar Barseghyan.

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General Admission – $25 at the door, $20 in advance
Students, Seniors and TBA members – $15 at the door, $12 in advance
Festival Pass (includes admission to Both Series) – $35 in advance

Note: Ballet Afsaneh will perform on Sunday, December 6th at the ReOrient Forum, at the Project Artaud Theater.

All productions at the Thick House (unless noted)
1695 18th Street
between Carolina and Arkansas Streets on Potrero Hill in San Francisco
http://www.goldenthread.org

Golden Thread Sponsors:

Related Posts:

1. Exhibition: Tehran-New York
2. Payvand’s Top 10 Flickr Photos of 2009

The U.S. Census counts every resident in the United States, and is required by the Constitution to take place every 10 years. The 2010 Census will help communities receive more than $400 billion in federal funds each year.

In March of 2010, census forms will be delivered to every residence in the United States.

Just answer the 10 short questions and then mail the form back in the postage-paid envelope provided. If you don’t mail the form back, you may receive a visit from a census taker.

Any personal data you provide is protected under federal law.

Here are the 10 questions:

1- How many people were living or staying in this house, apartment, or mobile home on April 1, 2010

2- Were there any additional people staying here April 1, 2010 that you did not include in Q1?

3- Is this house, apartment, or mobil home – owned, rented?

4- What is your telephone number?

5- Please provide information for each person living here? (First/Last names)

6- What is person 1’s sex?

7- What is person 1’s age and what is person’s 1’s date of birth?

8- Is person 1 of Hispanic, Latino or Spanish origin?

9- What is Person 1’s race?

10- Does person 1 sometimes live or stay somewhere else?

Race is key to implementing many federal laws and is needed to monitir compliance with the Voting Rights Act and the Civil Rights Act. Race data are also used  to assess fairness of employment practices, to monitir racial disparities in characteristics such as health and education and to plan and obtain funds for public services.

Iranian American 2010 Census Project recommendation : Mark “x” in the box that states “some other race” and print “Iranian” or “Iranian American” underneath it.

Payvand: Iranian American 2010 Census Coalition Mobilizes
US Census: One of the shortest forms in history – 10 Questions in 10 Minutes

Related Posts:

1. A 19 Question Poll on the Iranian Green Movement’s Charter
2. Corruption Perceptions Index 2010 – Iran ranks 146 out of 178