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…
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.
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…
Tonight, Thursday April 26th SEEfest celebrates the opening night of its 13th edition at Writers Guild Theater in Beverly Hills. Doors open at 6 PM and after the red carpet, screening of the opening night film HAWAII, a Romanian film directed by Jesús del Cerro starts at 7 PM. The opening gala will continue with a reception after screening of the film. https://vimeo.com/262390626 HAWAII. Suspense mounts after Andrei and his father Vasile receive news of an inheritance that communist Romania won’t let them claim. As they try to get travel documents to go to Yugoslavia, a cat and mouse game ensues with…
SEEfest, South East European Film Festival LA, is an important film festival for fans of international cinema. SEEfest growth over the last 13th years is just amazing and Vera Mijojlic, Founder and Director of the festival has managed to transform it from a small event to a major local film festival. To learn more about the upcoming SEEfest we had a video interview with Vera Mijojlic. https://vimeo.com/263033128 2018 SEEfest with the theme of “Passport to Trieste,” runs for 8 days from April 26 to May 3rd. SEEfest 13th will include film screenings, gala opening and closing events, international speakers, Q&A…
East Los Angeles College, and Cinema and Without Borders are proud to present the Latin American Animation Day, the fourth edition of the annual East Los Angeles College International Animation Festival. 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&A’s 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. Latin American Animation Day will be held on Saturday,…
A Fantastic Woman Wins Best Foreign Language Film Oscar. Other nominees were The Insult (Lebanon), Loveless(Russia), Body and Soul (Hungary) and The Square (Sweden). Chile, A Fantastic Woman , Director: Sebastián Lelio A Fantastic Woman (Spanish: Una mujer fantástica) is a 2017 Chilean drama film directed by Sebastián Lelio. It was selected to compete for the Golden Bear in the main competition section of the 67th Berlin International Film Festival. https://vimeo.com/258549064