Author: Bijan Tehrani

Fightville examines the world of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), which over the past decade has grown from a controversial gladiatorial sideshow into a billion-dollar international industry. But Fightville looks beyond the spotlight of Las Vegas and focuses on the fighters, promoters and trainers who populate MMA’s not-quite-as-bright regional landscape in the American South, including current MMA powerhouse Dustin Poirier and veteran trainer “Crazy” Tim Credeur. It’s there—specifically in the local strip mall gyms and rodeo arenas of Lafayette, Louisiana—that a group of dedicated, determined young men enter caged arenas to brutally fight for a chance at glory, success, and a…

17 Girls is based on a headline-grabbing incident in the U.S., sister directing duo Delphine and Muriel Coulin’s provocative debut feature – which they also co-wrote – follows the fallout in a sleepy French coastal town of Brittany, when a group of 17 teenage girls from the same high school all decide to become pregnant at the same time, an act at once unexpected and incomprehensible to the adults and the boys in their world. 17 Girls one of the new French films at 2012 COL*COA Film Festival, has been directed by sister filmmakers Delphine and Muriel Coulin. Bijan Tehrani:…

A few days ago and after posting my interview with Parviz Sayyad, the Iranian filmmaker, Shannon Kelley, Head of Public Programs at UCLA Film & Television Archive, contacted me to clarify a few issues that was discussed in my interview with Mr. Sayyad.I also used this opportunity to ask a few questions from Shannon about UCLA Celebration of Iranian Cinema. Bijan Tehrani: I know one of the reasons we are doing this interview is to give more information about the UCLA Celebration of Iranian Cinema for 2012 and also you had some comments on CWB’s interview with Parviz Sayyad’s I…

After several years of absence we can see again a special presentation of Croatian films at American Cinematheque in Los Angeles. The new series, called Kino Croatia, will take place April 13th through April 15th at the Aero Theater in Santa Monica. It is presented in co- operation with Consulate General of Croatia in Los Angeles and their partners, and supported by E.L.M.A. (European Languages and Movies in America).We had a conversation about Kino Croatia with Mr. Marijan Orešnik, consul for culture and media at the Croatian Consulate in Los Angeles and two people who helped compile the series: the…

City of Lights, City of Angels (COL•COA) was created in 1996 by The Franco-American Cultural Fund, a unique collaborative effort of the Directors Guild of America, the Motion Picture Association, the Writers Guild of America West, and France’s Society of Authors, Composers and Publishers of Music (SACEM). COL•COA is also supported by l’Association des Auteurs-Réalisateurs-Producteurs (ARP), the Film and TV Office of the French Embassy in Los Angeles and UNIFRANCE. COL•COA is committed to promoting new French films in the U.S. and to showcasing the vitality and the diversity of French cinema in Hollywood: comedies and dramas, box office hits…

Parviz Sayyad actor, writer, film, theater and television director and producer is one of the most famous actors among the masses in Iran while among the film fans and film critics he is known films that he has directed and produced. Sayyad that started his career at 1960 in Iranian National Television is an Iranian example of what French new wave critics called an “author”, he creates his characters, writes his own screenplays and directs them with a recognizable style. One of the memorable acting performances in history of acting in Iran was by Parviz Sayyad, playing a leading part…

Harper Lee: Hey, Boo illuminates the phenomenon behind Lee’s first and only novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, and the 1962 film version, celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Offering an unprecedented look into Lee’s mysterious life, Emmy winning filmmaker Mary McDonagh Murphy (author of Scout, Atticus & Boo: A Celebration of To Kill a Mockingbird) interviews Lee’s friends and family, including her centenarian sister Alice, who share intimate recollections, anecdotes and biographical details for the first time: her rise from small-town Alabama girl to famous author, her tumultuous friendship with Truman Capote, and the origin of her most memorable characters:…

Margaret Mitchell: American Rebel engages leading historians, biographers and personal friends to reveal a complex woman who experienced profound identity shifts during her life and struggled with the two great issues of her day: the changing role of women and the liberation of African Americans. A charismatic force until a tragic accident lead to her death at age 48, Mitchell rebelled against the stifling social restrictions placed on women: as an unconventional tomboy, a defiant debutante, a brazen flapper,one of Georgia’s first female newspaper reporters, and, later, as a philanthropist who risked her life to fund African American education. Emmy®-winning…

LAST DAYS HERE, the new documentary from Don Argott and Demian Fenton (THE ART OF THE STEAL, ROCK SCHOOL), is a raw, yet unexpectedly touching chronicle of cult metal legend Bobby Liebling’s bid to resurrect his life and career after decades wasting away in his parents’ basement. Bobby Liebling made his mark in the ‘70s as the outrageous frontman of Pentagram, a “street” Black Sabbath whose heavy metal riffs once blew audiences’ minds. But various acts of self-destruction, multiple band break-ups and botched record deals eventually condemned his music to obscurity. Now in his 50’s, wasted by hardcore drug use…

The subtle graze of fingertips against cool skin. The comforting warmth of a familiar embrace. The fiery heat of a sensual caress. These elements of human touch between family and strangers are explored in Touch. Set against the vibrant and colorful backdrop of modern Los Angeles, an unexpected friendship blossoms between Tam (Porter Lynn), a newly hired manicurist at VIP Nails, and Brendan (John Ruby), a timid, dejected mechanic. Brendan’s oil-stained hands are the basis of his wife’s rejections and he seeks Tam’s help in a desperate attempt to re-kindle the flame in his marriage. Through Tam’s advice and aid,…