Israeli cinema, much like the country itself, is deeply entangled in the complexities of conflict, identity, memory, and moral reckoning. Among its most powerful contributions to global film is a notable strand of anti-war and self-critical works that dare to look inward—films that question the nation’s actions, interrogate its history, and expose the psychological cost of endless war, occupation, and militarization. These films stand in stark contrast to nationalist narratives, choosing instead to confront uncomfortable truths and challenge the official myths that shape collective consciousness. In a country where military service is not only compulsory but culturally valorized, the very…
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.
War cinema has always been a stage for reflecting the darkness and light within humanity—from the voiceless cries of victims to the hope that survives beneath the rubble. Among these works, Life Is Beautiful (La vita è bella) by Roberto Benigni stands out as one of the most brilliant examples of anti-war cinema—a film that, through poetic language, bitter humor, and a deeply human perspective, offers a unique portrayal of the horrors of World War II. Life Is Beautiful unfolds in two halves.In the first, we witness the love story of a man named Guido—a witty, imaginative, and endlessly hopeful…
In these bitter days of Israeli army invasion of Iran, perhaps the only thing left to speak of is anti-war cinema. Alongside Rome, Open City, Rossellini made other films in this domain as well. The film Il Generale Della Rovere (General Della Rovere) is one of the most outstanding examples of anti-war cinema, both in Italy and worldwide. Made in 1959, it marked Rossellini’s proud return to narrative filmmaking after several semi-documentary and television experiments. The story not only opposes war and violence but, with a humanistic yet bitter tone, exposes moral corruption and the duality of human behavior under…
Now that Iran is caught in a devastating and inhumane urban war in the Middle East, I want us to take a look at the images portrayed in some of the world’s films that depict the disasters of war — a body of work that can be called anti-war cinema. This is one of the most important artistic and moral movements in the history of world cinema — a movement that stands against the glorification of violence and the creation of military heroes, striving instead to reveal the true and terrifying face of war: a face covered in dust, blood,…
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…
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,…