Author: Bijan Tehrani

Rose Kuo is serving in her second year as Artistic Director of AFI FEST. During her first year, Kuo introduced “Showcases” to highlight global trends in cinema and created the “Milestones” section to honor filmmakers who had passed away. Kuo has a wealth of experience in film festival programming as well as production. In addition to serving as a programming consultant specializing in Asian cinema, Kuo has worked for San Francisco, Santa Barbara and Mill Valley Festivals.Kuo also possesses an extensive background as a filmmaker, working for Oscar-winning editor Thelma Schoonmaker and on the camera crew of famed cinematographer Haskel…

From New York City’s sensational Russo-disco scene to a non-stop touring marathon with his band Gogol Bordello, Eugene Hütz takes us deep into his artistic life and influences. The story unfolds over five years, beginning in 2001, and follows Eugene and Gogol Bordello’s progress from underground legend to international phenomenon.Ranging in age from 25 to 50 years old, and hailing from five different countries, Gogol Bordello’s members share their tales of immigration, of how they became part of the band, and how they quit their day jobs to go on tour. Taking pride in his Roma (or Gypsy) background, Hütz…

Angels Die in the Soil is the story of an Iraqi-Kurdish girl who earns a living for her ill father by selling the bones of Iranian soldiers martyred during the Iran-Iraq war. One day she stumbles on a terrorist incident involving an American soldier on her way back home, and she decides to try to help him.Babak Amini , director of the Angels Die in the Soil, was born in 1978 in the Kurdestan province of Iran. He went to school in Tehran and graduated with a degree in philosophy. Babak worked for 10 years as assistant to director Bahman…

Approaching their tenth anniversary, Billy and Breda Farrell seem to have the ideal marriage. But at night behind closed doors, Breda knows that their intimate bond is slowly unravelling: she tells a friend can’t remember how long it’s been since they’ve made love, as Billy seems to have lost interest. In fact, Billy has also become fascinated with Imelda Egan, the vivacious daughter of a colleague. His brief social exchanges with her leading to unexpected thoughts that distract him from Breda. Breda hopes that the upcoming anniversary will provide the couple a chance to relive their earlier, carefree days together.…

Born in Hong Kong, Wayne Wang is an accomplished director of American cinema best known for exploring the issues of East Asian diasporic identity in films like The Joy Luck Club, but he is also the director of Smoke, Last Holiday, and Maid in Manhattan. His new film, A Thousand Years of Good Prayers was released in the US September 19, 2008 after premiering at last year’s Toronto Film Festival. Bijan Tehrani: Your film, A Thousand Years of Good Prayers, is a film that contains many different layers. How did you come up with the idea of this film? Is…

The Amazing Truth About Queen Raquela tells the story of Raquela, a transsexual – or “lady-boy” – from the Philippines who dreams of escaping the streets of Cebu City for a fairy tale life in Paris. In order to make her dreams come true, she turns from prostitution toward the more lucrative business of Internet porn. Her success as a porn star brings new friends, including Valerie, a transexual in Iceland, and Michael, the owner of the website Raquela works for. Valerie helps Raquela get as far as Iceland. From there, Michael offers her a rendezvous in Paris. Olaf de…

Lisa McLaughlin- Strassman spent a traditional Irish childhood in Inishowen, County Donegal, Ireland, an area rich in Celtic history. Her education led her not only to receive a degree in Philosophy but also to become an accomplished designer.  However, her overriding passion for film induced her to accept the sage advice of a veteran filmmaker who suggested that, rather than go on to film school, she should “buy yourself a car and get yourself a trainee assistant director ticket.” Lisa duly bought herself an old Citroen CV and embarked upon a career as an Assistant Director, working on numerous films…

Bernd Desinger was born in 1962 in Oberhausen, Germany. He studied German language and literature, History, Psychology and Film. Bernd Desinger joined the Goethe-Institut in 1990. After postings in Germany and Athens, Greece, he became deputy director of the Goethe-Institut Toronto. In 2000 he was transferred to Germany, where he became director of the Bonn branch of the central office, serving in a parallel capacity as head of the Department of Audiovisual Media. In this position he was responsible for the acquisition and co-production of documentary films. In addition, he produced an internationally distributed program series on German art and…

Filmmaker, college professor, wife and mother, Yael Katzir was born in Tel Aviv in 1942. Studied at Hebrew University, Jerusalem and at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA received her Doctoral Degree in History. She completed a Masters at Boston University MFA in Broadcasting and Film.(Cum Laude) Director of Beit Berl College: Communal Cable Television Center Broadcasting regularly on Israel Cable TV Channel 98, country wide.Prof. of film and history at the Art School. Independent Documentary filmmaker director and producer; she is also a published author.Her Award winning films are: Company Jasmine, Shivah for My Mother, A place for everyone. A glimpse…

Maria Repole supervises all brand marketing and product campaigns supported by print and online advertising, Public Relations, sponsorships, literature, events and trade shows, company web sites and e-commerce initiatives, market research, environmental efforts and corporate social responsibility programs.In addition to managing Toshiba’s communications team, Repole also collaborates with Tokyo headquarters to maintain a consistent worldwide message and brand image. Her involvement in communications in the consumer electronics industry extends beyond Toshiba; she serves as chair on the Consumer Electronics Association’s communications committee, participates on the Communications Committee with the Hollywood Digital Entertainment Group and is a member of the National…