Author: Bijan Tehrani

I met Alberto Di Mauro, director of the Italian Cultural Institute, LA, in his office in Westwood Village. Italian Cultural Institute, LA, has a mood of Italy in its architecture and has also been beautifully and tastefully decorated. Mr. Di Mauro, a knowledgeable, cultural and humble man is very Italian in every manner (from his nice Italian accent to the dance of his hands when he talks and his deep love for Italy) and has a great sense of humor. But most importantly, he shares our love to cinema. The second time I met Mr. Mauro was at the opening night…

German Current screenings run by The Goethe-Institut Los Angeles is an annual event, where you can watch the latest movies from Germany. To provide you with more information about this exceptionally great event, we interviewed Annette Rupp, Director of The Goethe-Institut Los Angeles.Bijan Tehrani. Please tell us about German Currents 2011 program.Annette Rupp: The Goethe-Institut Los Angeles, German Films and The American Cinematheque are pleased to announce an exciting slate of films set for their 5th annual German Currents Showcase, a film series being held from October 26-30, 2011 and featuring many of the best German films of 2011 and…

“Calypso Rose – The Lioness of the Jungle” is as much an intimate portrait about the “Grande Dame” of Calypso as it is a road movie. Travelling from Trinidad and Tobago to New York, Paris, all the way to Africa. Along the way, Calypso Rose reveals her personal story, her groundbreaking musical achievements, her commitment to defend women´s rights, her faith, her worries and fears and above all her strong love of life and people. For the past 16 years, Jean Michel Gibert has been working in Trinidad and Tobago as an executive producer and producer for films such as “Calypso…

2011 marks the 12th year of Polish Film Festival, LA, a great and amazing film festival carried on Vladek uszkiewicz shoulders. Polish Film Festival from the first year has turned to be a very important event in calendar of film fans and film critics. Without any doubts, Polish Film Festival, LA, shows more film than any otherlocal film festival dedicated to cinema of a country. It has an award ceremony and runs for nine days, matching length of major international film festivals. Vladek director of the Polish film Festival, LA was born in Glogow, Poland. He graduated from the Szczecin…

5 Days of War is inspired by the real events of the swift-but-devastating, five-day war between Russia and Georgia in 2008. An American journalist (Rupert Friend) and his cameraman (Richard Coyle), have been caught in the combat zone during the first Russian airstrikes against Georgia. Rescuing Tatia (Emmanuelle Chriqui), a young Georgian schoolteacher from the attack, the two reporters agree to help reunite her with her family in exchange for her services as their interpreter. As the three attempt to escape to safety, they witness—and document—the devastation from the full-scale crossfire to the cold-blooded murder of innocent civilians. They desperately…

The Family Tree is the story of the dysfunctional Burnett family – Bunnie (Hope Davis), Jack (Dermot Mulroney) and their twin 17-year-olds, Eric (Max Thieriot) and Kelly (Britt Robertson). When a freak accident leaves Bunnie with a case of amnesia, the Burnetts get an unexpected second chance at happiness. Meanwhile, next door neighbor Simon (Chi McBride) is relieved that his tryst gone wrong with Bunnie remains undetected, at least for the moment. Before long, a slew of past relationships, kids with guns, a suicidal teacher, a very zealous religious club, misinterpreted advances, corporate down-sizing, and one fateful squirrel combine to…

The Goethe Institute of Los Angeles will have a screening of a series of German short films on Wednesday, August 24, under the title “Low Budget – High Energy”. I was lucky to get ahold of Teymour Tehrani (Yes, we share the same last name, but this is just coincidental!), producer of Light Years, and have a chat with him about the Wednesday screenings and filmmaking in Germany.Teymour was born on 1978 in Stuttgart, Germany. He has studied filmmaking at some of the top international film schools in the world and his films as director and producer have been nominated…

Senna is a very powerful documentary on life of Brazilian Formula One racing driver Ayrton Senna, who won the formula1 world championship three times before his death at age 34. Asif Kapadia, director of Senna is known for his visually striking films. He has an interest in exploring the lives of ‘outsiders’, characters living in timeless, extreme and unforgiving circumstances or landscapes. His films have been awarded and distributed internationally and shown how versatile and expressive British cinema can be. Born in Hackney, London in 1972, Kapadia studied filmmaking at the Royal College of Art where he first gained recognition…

Koran By Heart is about three 10-year-old kids – two boys and a girl – who come from all over the Islamic world to compete in Cairo’s prestigious Koran-recitation contest during Ramadan. The recitation of the Koran is a revered and deeply religious tradition, and this “Olympics of Koranic recitation” draws Muslim children from over 70 countries around the world.Nabiollah from Tajikistan, Djamil from Senegal and Rifdha (one of the few girls participating) from the Maldives must memorize 114 chapters, over 6,200 verses, and 200,000 words in Arabic – and not one of them is a native Arab speaker. Moreover,…

Honest Man: the Life of R. Budd Dwyer is a movie about politics and corruption, suicide and survival. Four years in the making, it explores the scandal that led an honest, hardworking man to take his own life. This independently produced feature-length documentary follows Budd Dwyer, a Pennsylvania politician who infamously committed suicide at a televised press conference.The film chronicles Dwyer’s meteoric rise to political power and examines the bribery scandal and subsequent trial that pushed him to his breaking point. Honest Man also delves into the controversy and consequences of the uncensored airing of Dwyer’s death on television stations…