Author: Bijan Tehrani

DISLECKSIA: THE MOVIE is an engaging documentary that weaves vintage classroom footage, celebrity interviews and the comedic touch of dyslexic director Harvey Hubbell V into an engrossingly entertaining film on a serious subject. In the first film to discuss dyslexia as a learning difference, not a learning disability, Hubbell rallies a team of celebrated neuroscientists, heroic educators, high profile celebrities and business leaders with dyslexia who are advocates of Harvey’s beliefs. The subjects of the film showcase the most up-to-date information and in doing so, a blueprint emerges on how best to manage this learning difference that up to 1.4…

Imagine, directed by Andrzej Jakimowski will be screened on October 12 and 13 during Polish Film Festival, Los Angeles Ian, a spatial orientation instructor, arrives at a world-renowned Lisbon clinic for the visually impaired to work with blind patients. It is his task to help them become more confident and allow them to explore their surroundings without feeling vulnerable or afraid – and without a white cane. The clinic’s international community greets his unorthodox methods with both anticipation and skepticism. For Ian, orientation flows from the mind and imagination – then sensory perception follows. He quickly wins the trust of…

Inspired by real events, The Closed Circuit, directed by Ryszard Bugajski is a compelling, strongly performed political thriller about greed and corruption in contemporary Gdansk, Poland, where some high-flying new entrepreneurs fall victim to the machinations of the city’s entrenched powers. The action begins in 2003, as young businessmen throw a grand fete to open their new factory. They’re partners in a fast-growing, highly successful company called Navar, which produces high-tech electronics using state-of-the-art equipment from Denmark. Lurking on the fringes of the festivities like some malevolent spider is district prosecutor Andrzej Kostrzewa (Janusz Gajos). A Communist Party stalwart from way…

CELEBRATION OF PALESTINIAN CULTURE is an enlightening cultural festival that shares stories of the Holy Land and celebrates Palestinian creativity. To enrich participants’ experience of Palestinian culture, CELEBRATION is a multimedia experience with an art exhibition, feature film screenings followed by Q&As with the directors, public conversations, and live performances by the avant-garde Diyar Dance Theatre from Bethlehem, and the international Palestinian hip-hop sensation, DAM. To learn more about this event we talked to Jordan Elgrably, director of the Levantine Cultural Center. Bijan Tehrani: Could you please tell us about your involvement in the Palestinian events and what motivated you…

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and the Historic Sign Trust announce “The White Party” celebrating the 90th Anniversary of the Hollywood Sign presented by the Hollywood Museum. The historic event will be held on Thursday, Sept. 19th, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Drai’s Hollywood.To learn more about the event we talked to Donelle Dadigan, President of Hollywood Museum. Bijan tehrani: Please tell us a little bit about the Hollywood sign event?Donelle Dadigan: We are celebrating the 90th anniversary of the Hollywood sign, it is so thrilling because in its entire life it has had one bit facelift in…

The Goethe-Institut Los Angeles, and the American Cinematheque will celebrate the 7th edition of German Currents on October 4th through 7th, 2013 at the historic Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. Fareed C. Majari director who talked to Bijan Tehrani about 2013 German Current, is the director of the Goethe-Institute Los Angeles . He studied English and Slavonic Studies in Marburg, Germany, and Coventry, U.K. and Film at the All-State Film Institute in Moscow. He worked as visiting professor at the University of Connecticut and taught German at the Goethe-Institute Munich. For the Goethe-Institute he developed software for Computer Assisted Language Learning…

14th Edition of Polish Film Festival, Los Angeles opens on October 8 and continues until October 17. In order to learn more about 2013 the Polish Film Festival, Los Angele, we had the opportunity of talking to Vladek Juszkiewicz director and founder of the festival. Bijan Tehrani: Please tell us about Polish Film Festival , LA and what will be new in 2013 edition of the festival?Vladek Juszkiewicz : This is the 14th edition of the Festival. We will be screening 56 features, shorts, documentaries and animations.For the first time ever we will be screening films at two different locations,…

WADJDA is a movie of firsts. This first feature film shot entirely in Saudi Arabia is the story of a young girl living in a suburb of Riyadh determined to raise enough money to buy a bike in a society that sees bicycles as dangerous to a girl’s virtue. Even more impressive, WADJDA is the first feature film made by a female Saudi filmmaker. In a country where cinemas are banned and women cannot drive or vote, writer- director Haifaa Al Mansour has broken many barriers with her new film.WADJDA had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, was…

Last week and during the HP Workstations Global Launch event in New York, I had the opportunity of speaking to two new HP customers on camera. Mark Russell, Director/Visual Effect Supervisor and Henric Larsson, founder and CEO of Chimney, they both had switched from using Apple computers to use HP workstations. Mark Russell. Director/Visual Effect SupervisorAfter attending the University of Southern California, Mark began his career in film production in Los Angeles, working on groundbreaking films such as Saving Private Ryan, Minority Report, and Hellboy. Since moving to New York, he has supervised the visual effects in independent projects like…

Terraferma happens on a tiny, remote Sicilian island, where a local woman and an immigrant find themselves at odds with each other and yet are united by the same dream: a better future for their children, their very own Terraferma. Terraferma is not only a navigator’s point of arrival; it is also an island with deeply rooted traditions which appear to have stopped in time. And it is the issue of time standing still that is creating upheaval in the Pucillo family. Ernesto is 70 years old; he hates change and doesn’t want his fishing boat to be scrapped. His…