AWAKE: The Life of Yogananda is an unconventional biography about an Indian Swami who brought yoga and meditation to the West in the 1920s. This feature documentary explores the life and teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda, who authored the spiritual classic Autobiography of a Yogi, which has sold millions of copies worldwide and is a go-to book for seekers, philosophers and yoga enthusiasts today. It was the only book that Steve Jobs had on his iPad, and he arranged to give away 800 copies of it to the dignitaries who attended his memorial service. It was also a point of entry…
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.
To review the finding out about the success of 2014 Polish Film Festival, Los Angeles we had an interview with Vladek Juszkiewicz, director of the festival.Bijan Tehrani: Looking back at the 2014 Los Angeles Polish Film Festival, how happy are you with the outcome?Vladek Juszkiewicz: As the organizer of the Festival, I will never be fully satisfied with the outcome. Attendance was very good, but I would like it to be better. People like the program, but there were some films missing. For example, I could not get this year films about the Warsaw Uprising which happened 70 years ago.…
Strong Coffee Isn’t That Bad winner of Cinema Without Borders award for the Best Short Film at Polish Film Festival, LA, is about relationship between a father and a son. In this comedy-drama, the son comes back home after 18years abroad. Now you have two men that are too stubborn to admit their true feelings for each other. Alek Pietrzak director and writer of Strong Coffee was born in 1992 in Plock, Poland. Alek first graduated from the Music School in piano class. Then he studied at the Warsaw Film School and worked as volunteer at the Camerimage International Film…
LIFE FEELS GOOD is about the life story of Mateusz that has cerebral palsy. In addition to his obvious physical handicap, he was diagnosed at a very early age as a mentally disabled person with no communicative ability. After twenty five years, however, it turned out that apart from his physical problems, he was a perfectly normal, even quite intelligent person. The film is a chronicle of his life. We get to know Mateusz now, when he is 30 and is institutionalized at a clinic for the mentally disabled. He is about to be examined by a committee which will…
Set in 1969, ONE WAY TICKET TO THE MOON, written and directed by Jacek Bromski, centers on two brothers as they travel across Poland in search of a few instant life experiences. When Adam is drafted into the Polish army and is sent to serve in the submarine section of the Navy, he sets off for the military base in Swinoujscie, along with his older brother Antoni. The two head for the Polish coast, a journey across Poland lasting several days and bringing about visits with old friends, as well as new acquaintances. Antoni’s plan is to make sure that…
BIG LOVE happens in a big city in Poland. Emilia, 16 years old, meets handsome and manly Maciek (played by Antoni Pawlicki) who is seven years older than her. Maciek introduces the girl to the fascinating world of passion. However, the fascination gradually fades away. Emilia gets admitted to university, she wants to discover the world, to get to know other people, to become independent of Maciek. The romantic idyll is coming to an end, the relationship becomes toxic for both sides… BIG LOVE will be screened at 2014 Polish Film Festival, Los Angeles. Antoni Pawlicki (playing Maciek in BIG…
Based on Mosab Hassan Yousef’s bestselling memoir Son of Hamas, THE GREEN PRINCE exposes a complex world of terror, betrayal, and impossible choices. Through exclusive first-hand testimony, dramatic action sequences, and rare archival footage, decades of secrets come to light in this unflinching exploration of a profound spiritual transformation and the transcendent bonds of friendship. THE GREEN PRINCE directed by Nadav Schirman, will challenge much of what you know about the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Bijan Tehrani: What originally motivated you to make “The Green Prince”?Nadav Schirman: A friend of mine had alerted me to the book and I started reading…
2014 The Strindberg Laboratory’s project is to work with different communities to bring their voice and experiences on stage. The Strindberg Laboratory first works via email, phone etc. to encourage collect and share the participants’ stories. The second stage of the workshop is to work with the participants and develop their stories into an original play that will be performed for community members. Hustlin is the first play from The Strindberg Laboratory play writing program that’s been produced as a public performance. Before Hustlin we’ve created and performed four plays in LA County jails. The Strindberg Laboratory is also in…
MAY IN THE SUMMER follows sophisticated New Yorker May Brennan to her childhood home of Amman, Jordan for her wedding. Shortly after reuniting with her sisters and their long-since divorced parents, myriad familial and cultural conflicts lead May to question the big step she is about to take. MAY IN THE SUMMER, written and directed by Cherien Dabis (AMREEKA), stars Dabis, Alia Shawkat, Nadine Malouf, Ritu Singh Pande, Hiam Abbass and Bill Pullman. The film was produced by Dabis, Alix Madigan-Yorkin and Christopher Tricarico. Cherien Dabis is an award-winning feature filmmaker who received her MFA in film from Columbia University.…
Devin “Super Tramp” Graham is a YouTube celebrity who first started creating video content for a friend in college. Since his first video, he’s shot to internet superstardom, earning over 300 million views, gaining 1.78 million followers, and directing commercials for brands like Ford, Mountain Dew and Panasonic. Bijan Tehrani: How did you come up with the idea with these series of videos?Devin “SuperTramp” Graham: I was going to film school at BYU in Utah and my dream was to do feature films. At the time my roommatewas using YouTube and social media to basically promote their company. So from…