Author: Bijan Tehrani

On Saturday May 17th 2025, East Los Angeles College & Cinema and Without Borders will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the annual ELAC International Animation Day Festival, dedicated to Latvian Animation. This event will be held at East Los Angeles College, located at 1301 Avenida Cesar Chavez, Monterey Park, CA 91754. Screenings will be held at the Building S1 Screening Room 112. Free parking will be available in Structure 4. On the corner of W Floral Drive and Collegian Avenue. To easily get to the parking and the screening room please use this address for the parking: 2138 Collegian Ave,…

May 7th 2025 – Cinema Without Borders announced DJ Ahmet (North Macedonia, Czech Republic, Serbia, Croatia) By Georgi M. UnkovskiBridging as the winner of the Bridging The Borders Award  at 2025 SEEfest. When Santa Was a Communist (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia) By Emir Kapetanovic also received the Honorary Mention Diploma of CWB jury. Cinema Without Borders Bridging the Borders award is sponsored by 360 MEDIA DJ Ahmet – Ahmet, a 15-year-old boy from a remote Yuruk village in North Macedonia, finds refuge in music while navigating his father’s expectations, a conservative community, and his first experience with love —…

The Samuel Jordan Center for Persian Studies at the University of California, Irvine, in collaboration with the Iranian American Women Foundation, invites you to a screening of movies by Rakhshan Bani-Etemad, a prominent Iranian filmmaker. Nargess May 10, 3 PM Reception 5 PM Nargess is a 1992 drama film, the fourth feature of Rakhshan Bani-Etemad. The movie tells the story of a love triangle, two women are in love with the same young man, Adel, a thief, who is loved by the aging Afaq, also a thief. The story of the gang of thieves changes direction when Adel meets Nargess,…

THE TEACHER is the feature debut of Palestinian British filmmaker Farah Nabulsi who endeavours to take audiences on an intense, emotional journey into the lives and experiences of those living in occupied and colonised Palestine, and lift the curtain on the hardships and difficult choices they have to make. The film stars Saleh Bakri (“The Blue Kaftan,” “The Present,” “Wajib” and “The Band’s Visit”), Imogen Poots (“Outer Range,” “Green Room,” “28 Weeks Later” and “This Much I Know is True”) Muhammad Abed El Rahman, Stanley Townsend, Paul Herzberg, Mahmoud Bakri and Andrea Irvine. https://vimeo.com/1074389476 The feature follows a Palestinian school…

Cinema has long been fascinated with the idea that beneath the surface of idyllic suburban life, darker truths often lurk. Holland (2025), directed by Mimi Cave, is another addition to this tradition—a psychological thriller that explores deception, paranoia, and the fragility of trust. With Nicole Kidman leading an impressive cast, the film takes us into the heart of a seemingly peaceful town, where suspicions unravel a sinister reality. While Holland is visually captivating and thematically rich, its execution leaves room for debate. The film teeters between suspense and satire, but does it manage to maintain its delicate balance? In this…

PRAGUE: The main award of the 14th East Doc Platform was presented to the Polish project Inner Landscapes by Zofia Sawicka. In all, 19 awards were announced at the biggest industry event for Central and Eastern European documentaries. East Doc Platform took place 13 – 19 March 2025 at the French Institute in Prague, organised by the Institute of Documentary Film in association with the One World Film Festival (12 March – 24 April 2025). FULL LIST OF WINNERS: East Doc Platform Award 2025: Inner Landscapes (Poland) Directed by Zofia Sawicka Produced by Telemark Sp. z o.o. Special Mention: Always Far Away (Slovakia, Czech Republic) Directed by Roman Ďuriš Produced…

In the Shadow of Cypress from Iran wins the OSCAR for the Best Short Animation Film https://youtu.be/7sVmX8EzOkM?si=ebCuYb9FJYNOMy0O In the Shadow of the Cypress has ridden a challenging road to being nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short. Made in Iran out of the pockets of directors Hossein Molayemi and Shirin Sohani, the duo found themselves having to deal with the limitations of their budget alongside a lack of governmental support, sanctions imposed on the country and the devaluation of the Iranian currency. Despite these challenges, In the Shadow of the Cypress is a beautiful film that uses gorgeous, geometric 2D animation…

 Hossein Molayemi and Shirin Sohani, that their “In the Shadow of the Cyprus” is an Oscar nominee as the Best Short Animated Film, are finally on their way to Los Angeles to attend the OSCARS Ceremony.  These two Iranian artists had to wait for long time to get an interview appointment from a US Embassy and then wait for days in MUSCUT, Oman, in order to receive their entry Visas to the US. Finally, on Saturday March 1st they received their visas, just a day before the Oscars ceremony. Will they make it on time? We hope so And lets…

CASH FOR GOLD tells the story of a struggling Army widow who finds work with a Muslim family at Christmas time, facing a secret that could unravel her whole life. Set against the backdrop of Christmas in America’s heartland, CASH FOR GOLD is a poignant feature film about loss, forgiveness, and hope as it follows Grace (Deborah Puette), an Army widow hiding a dark secret and fighting to support herself and her young son (Sawyer Gacka) while clinging to her recent sobriety. With Christmas fast approaching, she takes a job at the local pawn shop owned by the town’s only…

Vazrik Der-sahakian, a devoted Iranian cinephile, is one of the dedicated and accomplished contributors of our time. He has translated numerous significant books on cinema and contemporary world literature into Persian. Vazrik Der-sahakian was born in 1948 in Tehran and spent his childhood and teenage years in southern Khuzestan, in the port city of Ma’shour (Mahshahr), until 1966, when he and his family moved back to Tehran. He obtained his high school diploma in Tehran and then completed his military service. Afterward, he attended the Cinema and Television College, completing a two-year program. He then joined the team of assistants working…