Author: 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.

Honeyland is an amazing and beautiful documentary directed by Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov. The freshness and importance of the topic of the film, honesty of the filmmakers dealing with their subject and the magical structure of Honeyland makes it one of the best and exceptionally entertaining and informative documentaries of our time. I had the opportunity to speak to Tamara Kotevska & Ljubomir Stefanov in a Skype video interview.and ask them about making of Honeyland: Bijan Tehrani https://vimeo.com/351211822 Hatidze lives with her ailing mother in the mountains of Macedonia, making a living cultivating honey using ancient beekeeping traditions. When an…

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The Mountain a film by Rick Alverson happens in 1950s America. Since his mother‘s confinement to an institution, Andy (Tye Sheridan) has lived in the shadow of his stoic father. A family acquaintance, Dr. Wallace Fiennes (Jeff Goldblum), employs the introverted young man as a photographer to document an asylum tour advocating for his increasingly controversial lobotomy procedure. As the tour progresses and Andy witnesses the doctor’s career and life unravel, he begins to identify with the institutions’ patients. Arriving at a California mountain town, a growing center of the New Age movement, they encounter an unconventional French healer who requests a lobotomy…

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Jasmin Mozaffari’s directorial debut, Firecrackers, was named one of TIFF’s top ten Canadian films last year. The film follows two teenage friends, Lou and Chantal, who plan to ditch small-town life for the big city. These plans are thwarted when Chantal’s possessive ex-boyfriend assaults her, leading the women to take revenge. Jasmin Mozaffari’s directorial debut, Firecrackers, was named one of TIFF’s top ten Canadian films last year. The film follows two teenage friends, Lou and Chantal, who plan to ditch small-town life for the big city. These plans are thwarted when Chantal’s possessive ex-boyfriend assaults her, leading the women to…

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Big World Pictures presents the US theatrical release of “I DO NOT CARE IF WE GO DOWN IN HISTORY AS BARBARIANS”, a film by Radu Jude. Named Best Feature at the 2018 Karlovy Vary International Film festival; official selection at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival, and Romania’s official selection for the 2019 Academy Awards (Best Foreign Language Film), “I DO NOT CARE IF WE GO DOWN IN HISTORY AS BARBARIANS” will open at IFC Center in New York on July 19 and at Laemmle Monica in Los Angeles on July 26. Other cities will follow. “I do not care…

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Surrounded by extravagant luxury, Sofía de Garay (Ilse Salas) lives in a dreamlike cloud of opulence in 1980s Mexico City. Her days are filled with lavish soirees, designer dresses, country-club tennis matches, and all the pleasures reserved for the upper crust. In this world, appearances are everything and friendships are only as strong as your financial status. However, when Mexico’s 1982 economic crisis hits her husband’s business hard, the elegant lifestyle Sofia is accustomed to falls to pieces right before her eyes. Soon, her arrogance turns into desperation, as she is forced to confront her new reality. It’s only in…

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Celebrating the life of rock star and activist Rita Guerrero, this intimate and music-fueled documentary by Arturo Diaz Santana captures the energy and artistry of a brilliant performer who was taken too soon. As the lead singer of famous band La Santa Sabina, Guerrero became a central figure in Mexico’s 90s rock scene and a fierce advocate for social justice who supported the Zapatista movement. Blending footage from her role as an entertainer that the audience came to love, with personal moments highlighting her off-stage personality, as well as interviews with those who were touched by her magic, the film…

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Palm Springs SHORTFEST has announced Ahmed’s Song,  directed by Foued Mansour, as the winner of GoE’s 2019 Bridging the Borders Award, presented by Cinema Without Borders and sponsored by Go Energistics . This year’s award ceremony festival was held at Grand Ballroom of Riviera Hotel in Palm Springs. The Editor-in-Chief of CWB, Bijan Tehrani, jury member and Executive Director of Neda Nobari Foundation, Keely Badger and representative of award sponsor and Exacutive Director of Go Energistics, Chris Rhea presented the award for this year’s GoE Bridging the Borders  honorable mention and award winner. The winner  received  a cash award of $2500 courtesy of…

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Burbank, CA – June 4th, 2018: Today, Cinema Without Borders announced jury members  for GoE Bridging The Borders Award at  the 2019 Palm Springs International ShortFest Film Festival and Market. The Bridging The Borders Award at the 2019 Palm ShortFest will be given to the most successful film in bringing the people of our world closer together. GoE Bridging The Borders Award  is presented by Cinema Borders and award sponsored and prize provided by GoEnergistics. The winner of Bridging the Borders Award will receive a cash prize of $2500. Palm Springs ShortFest award ceremony will be held on June 23th at Palm…

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Featuring a star-making performance by Sótera Cruz, a young actress who plays the title character, this unique coming-of-age narrative explores the racism encountered by indigenous people in Mexico. Guie’dani (Cruz) is a Zapotec teenager who moves to Mexico City with her mother to work as a housekeeper for an upper-middle-class family. There, their language is mocked, and psychological subjugation is inflicted. Yet, Guie’dani rejects the life of servitude and seeks her own identity through a friendship with another rebellious teen. GUIE’DANI’S NAVEL, a brilliant film directed by Xavi Sala is among the films screened in Other Mexico  section of 2019…

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2019 HOLA Mexico Film Festival will run from May 31st to June 8th in Los Angeles. The 11th edition of HOLA Mexico will open with the Los Angeles premiere of THE GOOD GIRLS (LAS NIÑAS BIEN). The film, directed by Alejandra Márquez Abella and will close with the Los Angeles premiere of MIRREYES VS GODINEZ (MIRREYES CONTRA GODINEZ), in addition to announcing the programing for its sections Documental, MX Ahora, and Nocturno. MIRREYES VS GODINEZ directed by Chava Cartas is a comedic social critique on Mexico’s polarized society. The film stars Regina Blandón and Daniel Tovar and is produced by Francisco…

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