Burbank, CA. May 29th, 2025 – At Cinema Without Borders Foundation, we are proud to announce a new partnership with Spain’s esteemed Evolution Mallorca International Film Festival (EMIFF) to present our Bridging The Borders Award—a distinguished honor celebrating global cinema that builds bridges across cultures, geographies, and communities. Since its inception fourteen years ago, the Bridging The Borders Award has been a symbol of international solidarity and cinematic diplomacy, offered at both local and global film festivals. “The idea behind the award has been to connect people across the globe through the power of film,” said Bijan Tehrani, Editor-in-Chief of…
Author: Bijan Tehrani
Bijan Tehrani
Bijan (Hassan) Tehrani Founder and Editor in Chief of Cinema Without Borders, is a film director, writer, and a film critic, his first article appeared in a weekly film publication in Iran 45 years ago. Bijan founded Cinema Without Borders, an online publication dedicated to promotion of international cinema in the US and around the globe, eighteen years ago and still works as its editor in chief. Bijan is has also been a columnist and film critic for the Iranian monthly film related medias for 45 years and during the past 5 years he has been a permanent columnist and film reviewer for Film Emrooz (Film Today), a popular Iranian monthly print film magazine. Bijan has won several awards in international film festivals and book fairs for his short films and children's books as well as for his services to the international cinema. Bijan is a member of Iranian Film Writers Critics Society and International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI). He is also an 82nd Golden Globe Awards voter.
On Saturday May 17th 2025, East Los Angeles College & Cinema and Without Borders will celebrated the 10th anniversary of the annual ELAC International Animation Day Festival, dedicated to Latvian Animation. This event was held at East Los Angeles College The goal of the ELAC International Animation Festival is to give an in-depth and entertaining introduction to contemporary international animation. Screenings of short, animated films from around the world, analyses, and Q&As with a panel of well-known animation experts, and a tribute to an international animation artist working in the U.S. animation industry are all part of the festival program.…
Dissident Iranian director Jafar Panahi has won the Palme d’Or for best film for It Was Just an Accident at the 78th Cannes international film festival. Panahi, who just a few years ago was imprisoned in Tehran and under a 20-year travel and work ban, returned triumphantly to Cannes, accepting his award from jury president (and vocal Panahi fan) Juliette Binoche. Panahi’s film, his first since being released from prison in 2023, is a direct assault on Iran’s authoritarian regime. The thriller follows a former political prisoner who kidnaps a man he believes to be his torturer and then debates with other dissidents whether to kill or…
On Saturday May 17th 2025, East Los Angeles College & Cinema and Without Borders will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the annual ELAC International Animation Day Festival, dedicated to Latvian Animation. This event will be held at East Los Angeles College, located at 1301 Avenida Cesar Chavez, Monterey Park, CA 91754. Screenings will be held at the Building S1 Screening Room 112. Free parking will be available in Structure 4. On the corner of W Floral Drive and Collegian Avenue. To easily get to the parking and the screening room please use this address for the parking: 2138 Collegian Ave,…
May 7th 2025 – Cinema Without Borders announced DJ Ahmet (North Macedonia, Czech Republic, Serbia, Croatia) By Georgi M. UnkovskiBridging as the winner of the Bridging The Borders Award at 2025 SEEfest. When Santa Was a Communist (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia) By Emir Kapetanovic also received the Honorary Mention Diploma of CWB jury. Cinema Without Borders Bridging the Borders award is sponsored by 360 MEDIA DJ Ahmet – Ahmet, a 15-year-old boy from a remote Yuruk village in North Macedonia, finds refuge in music while navigating his father’s expectations, a conservative community, and his first experience with love —…
The Samuel Jordan Center for Persian Studies at the University of California, Irvine, in collaboration with the Iranian American Women Foundation, invites you to a screening of movies by Rakhshan Bani-Etemad, a prominent Iranian filmmaker. Nargess May 10, 3 PM Reception 5 PM Nargess is a 1992 drama film, the fourth feature of Rakhshan Bani-Etemad. The movie tells the story of a love triangle, two women are in love with the same young man, Adel, a thief, who is loved by the aging Afaq, also a thief. The story of the gang of thieves changes direction when Adel meets Nargess,…
THE TEACHER is the feature debut of Palestinian British filmmaker Farah Nabulsi who endeavours to take audiences on an intense, emotional journey into the lives and experiences of those living in occupied and colonised Palestine, and lift the curtain on the hardships and difficult choices they have to make. The film stars Saleh Bakri (“The Blue Kaftan,” “The Present,” “Wajib” and “The Band’s Visit”), Imogen Poots (“Outer Range,” “Green Room,” “28 Weeks Later” and “This Much I Know is True”) Muhammad Abed El Rahman, Stanley Townsend, Paul Herzberg, Mahmoud Bakri and Andrea Irvine. https://vimeo.com/1074389476 The feature follows a Palestinian school…
Cinema has long been fascinated with the idea that beneath the surface of idyllic suburban life, darker truths often lurk. Holland (2025), directed by Mimi Cave, is another addition to this tradition—a psychological thriller that explores deception, paranoia, and the fragility of trust. With Nicole Kidman leading an impressive cast, the film takes us into the heart of a seemingly peaceful town, where suspicions unravel a sinister reality. While Holland is visually captivating and thematically rich, its execution leaves room for debate. The film teeters between suspense and satire, but does it manage to maintain its delicate balance? In this…
PRAGUE: The main award of the 14th East Doc Platform was presented to the Polish project Inner Landscapes by Zofia Sawicka. In all, 19 awards were announced at the biggest industry event for Central and Eastern European documentaries. East Doc Platform took place 13 – 19 March 2025 at the French Institute in Prague, organised by the Institute of Documentary Film in association with the One World Film Festival (12 March – 24 April 2025). FULL LIST OF WINNERS: East Doc Platform Award 2025: Inner Landscapes (Poland) Directed by Zofia Sawicka Produced by Telemark Sp. z o.o. Special Mention: Always Far Away (Slovakia, Czech Republic) Directed by Roman Ďuriš Produced…
In the Shadow of Cypress from Iran wins the OSCAR for the Best Short Animation Film https://youtu.be/7sVmX8EzOkM?si=ebCuYb9FJYNOMy0O In the Shadow of the Cypress has ridden a challenging road to being nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short. Made in Iran out of the pockets of directors Hossein Molayemi and Shirin Sohani, the duo found themselves having to deal with the limitations of their budget alongside a lack of governmental support, sanctions imposed on the country and the devaluation of the Iranian currency. Despite these challenges, In the Shadow of the Cypress is a beautiful film that uses gorgeous, geometric 2D animation…