THE SQUARE captures the immediacy and intensity of the revolution from the nexus of Cairo’s Tahrir Square, catapulting us into the action from the 2011 overthrow of Hosni Mubarak, through military rule, and culminating with the ousting of Mohamed Morsi in the summer of 2013. The film provides a kaleidoscopic, visceral portrait of the events as they unfold through the eyes of several passionate activists—including one member of the Muslim Brotherhood and a young liberal, Khalid Abdalla, who has acted in films like THE KITE RUNNER. Armed with nothing more than cameras, social media, videos posted to YouTube, and a…
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.
THE UNAFRAID is a feature length documentary that follows the personal lives of three DACA students in Georgia, a state that has banned them from attending its top state universities and disqualifies them from receiving in-state tuition at any other public college. Shot in an observational style over a period of four years, this film takes an intimate look at the lives of Alejandro, Silvia and Aldo as they navigate activism, pursuing their right to education, their personal struggles and triumphs, and fighting for their families and communities. THE UNAFRAID shows us what it means to grow up both American and undocumented in today’s…
Today the legendary Iranian/American actress Vida Ghahremani passed away after battling cancer for many years. She was born on May 27, 1937 in Tehran, Iran. Miss Ghahramani began acting in films as a teenager. She has a long list of credits as an actress and producer. She is known for films such as “Love and Vengeance” (1965), “Storm in Our Town” (1958) and “The Midnight Terror” (1961). She went beyond taboos of her time to have the very on-screen kiss in Iranian film history. After leaving Iran, Miss Ghahramani moved to California, became a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) member, and…
Burbank, CA – May 29th, 2018: Today, Cinema Without Borders announced jury members for GoE Bridging The Borders Award at the 2018 Palm Springs International ShortFest Film Festival and Market. The Bridging The Borders Award at the 2018 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 24th at Camelot…
The Honest Struggle tells the story of a Muslim convert that after 25 years of incarceration, re-enters society in the South-side of Chicago to face the same streets that ruined his life. The film is a raw portrait of a man struggling with his past as a gang chief while trying to survive an honest life and redefine himself in a world in which he feels no belonging. To learn more about this film we had a text and video interview with Justin Mashouf, director of The Honest Struggle. Justin Mashouf is a filmmaker and artist based in Los Angeles.Justin’s work…
In the last three years, since online live TV services started to have a serious presence in broadcasting market, we have tried to cover them for our visitors that have proved to be pioneers in the field of cord cutting. For a new series of live online TV coverage, we first conducted a survey among 165 visitors of Cinema Without Borders, we asked them about what they expect most from an online live tv provider. 32% of those that participated in our survey, picked streaming and picture quality, 28% the offering of a reliable cloud DVR, 18% a comprehensive and…
Michael B. Jordan (“Black Panther,” “Creed,” “Fruitvale Station”) and Michael Shannon (HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire”; Oscar nominee for “Nocturnal Animals” and “Revolutionary Road”; Golden Globe nominee for “99 Homes”) star in HBO Films’ FAHRENHEIT 451. Directed by Ramin Bahrani (“99 Homes”) from a screenplay by Ramin Bahrani & Amir Naderi (“Vegas: Based on a True Story”), the drama is based on Ray Bradbury’s classic novel of the same name, depicting an alternate tomorrow in which media is an opiate, facts and history are rewritten, and “firemen” burn books. FAHRENHEIT 451 debuts SATURDAY, MAY 19 (8:00-9:30 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO. https://youtu.be/mNKwe9k55fs…
The Human Rights Watch Film Festival will present 15 timely and provocative films, from June 14-21, 2018, that shine a bright light on bravery and resilience in challenging times. In a year when women collectively raised their voices against discrimination and abuse, Human Rights Watch will present films offering incisive perspectives and critical insights on human rights issues impacting people around the world. 12 of the 15 films are directed or co-directed by women. Now in its 29th edition, the Human Rights Watch Film Festival is co-presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and IFC Center. All screenings will…
Burbank, CA – May 3rd, 2018: Tonight at the closing ceremony of 2018 SEEfest, (South East European Film Festival LA.), POMEGRANATE ORCHARD, from Azerbaijan, directed by Ilgar Najaf, won GoE Bridging The Borders Award, presented by Cinema Without Borders and sponsored by GoEnergistics. Nominees for the Bridging The Borders Award were: HAWAII, COMIC SANS, ENEMIES, GOGITA’S NEW LIFE, THE GREY WAR, MEN DON’T CRY, THE MARRIAGE, THE MINER, POMEGRANATE ORCHARD, SECRET INGREDIENT and UNWANTED. POMEGRANATE ORCHARD Azerbaijan, 2017, 90’ Director/Producer: Ilgar Najaf Producer: Mushfiq Hatamov Main Cast: Gurban Ismayilov, Samimi Farhad, Ilaha Hasanova Even with the help of his daughter-in-law and grandson, Shamil is too old to take care of his vast and lush pomegranate orchard, which…
A real friend of cinema, who devoted his life into finding the real meaning of cinema as art, is not among us anymore. Hooshang Azadivar, an Iranian filmmaker, poet, and film scholar, passed away on April 27 In Tehran at the age of 76. We were friends for almost half a century. Hooshang was found of pure cinema with no ties to politics, he was a man of culture and his world was crushed when he did not find a chance to make the kind of movies he liked. The world after Iranian revolution was the world of compromises and…