Author: Bijan Tehrani

Bam 6.6 is the story of the human condition. The film weaves together stories of survival, loss, and healing, as we explore the humanity of the Iranian people through the prism of the devastating 2003 earthquake that struck at the heart of Bam, an ancient Iranian village.Bam 6.6 subjects come from different walks of life – A Jewish-American woman, an American businessman, and the Iranian residents of Bam. Through their experiences, viewers will witness how a natural disaster can overcome religious and political barriers, dispel stereotypes, and unite disparate members of the human family.Jahangir Golestan-Parast, producer/director of Bam 6.6, was…

Roger Durling has been at the helm of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival for the past five years. He was born and raised in Panama and has a graduate degree from Columbia University. He has been teaching Film Studies at Santa Barbara City College for the past three years. He writes a column about film entitled Roger Durling¹s THE BIG PICTURE in Santa Barbara¹s weekly paper the Independent and serves on the Board of Directors of Santa Barbara’s Downtown Organization. In 2004, he was recognized as Santa Barbara¹s Citizen of the Year.Bijan Tehrani: Congratulations on a wonderful 2008 festival.…

BIG RIG is a broad portrait of modern America as seen through the eyes of long-haul truck drivers. Spanning 21,000 miles, 45 states, and dozens of truck stops, director Doug Pray and producer Brad Blondheim (the team who created SCRATCH) went far beyond just stereotypical chrome and coffee culture and made a film that delves deeply into the lives and personal struggles of these working-class heroes, who are, literally, carrying the nation upon their backs. From New York City’s Hunt’s Point Market, where semis arrive at 3am to deliver produce to feed the entire Northeast, to California’s San Joaquin Valley,…

Hollywood – February 24 – Tonight The Counterfeiters , directed by Stefan Ruzowitzky from Austria won the Best Foreign Language Film Award. Before the Academy Awards ceremony Stefan Ruzowitzky told Bijan Tehrani, Editor in Chief of Cinema Without Borders: “Even becoming nominated was very important. The Counterfeiters is opening in the US and also in a few European and Asian countries in the past few weeks. The Academy Awards are an important mean in promoting a film. It brings a lot of awareness towards the nominated films. If we get to the stage tonight, it’s a great win, and if…

Hollywood – February 24 – Tonight Freeheld , directed by Cynthia Wade won the Best Documentary Short Film Award. Here is a Cinema Without Borders exclusive interview with Cynthia Wade. Cynthia Wade is a NYC-based documentary filmmaker. Her short documentary “Freeheld” won a Special Jury Prize at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, and her award-winning HBO documentary “Shelter Dogs” was broadcast in seven countries. Wade directed the 1999 Cinemax Reel Life documentary “Grist For The Mill”, which The Hollywood Reporter called “a delight…full of quirky moments and clever humor” and Variety called “a jewel … extremely comical.” She was co-producer and…

XXY is about Alex is a 15-year-old teenager with a secret. Soon after her birth her parents decide to leave Buenos Aires to make a home out of an isolated wooden cabin tucked away in the dunes of the Uruguayan shoreline. XXY begins with Alex´s parents receiving a couple of friends and their 16-year-old son Álvaro from Buenos Aires. Álvaro´s father is a plastic surgeon who accepted the invitation because of his medical concern for their friend´s daughter. The inevitable attraction between both teenagers forces them all to face their worst fears… Rumours are spreading around town. Alex gets stared…

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 the Head Office in Germany, where he was in charge of film and media. In 2002 he became director of the Bonn branch of the Head 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…

Foreign Language chair Mark Johnson won the Best Picture Academy Award for Barry Levinson’s poignant 1988 drama Rain Man. It was one of several films Johnson made with Levinson during a 12 year span, and it won four Oscars, including one to Dustin Hoffman as Best Actor, and also captured a Golden Globe for Best Picture. Born in Maryland, Johnson spent 10 years of his youth in Spain. He earned his undergraduate degree in drama from the University of Virginia and his M.A. in Film Scholarship from the University of Iowa. From there, he moved to New York and entered…

Phil Donahue and the DONAHUE show have been honored with 20 Daytime Emmy Awards, including nine for Outstanding Host and a George Foster Peabody Broadcasting Journalism Award. Phil Donahue used the television talk show format he pioneered in 1967 to interview world leaders, celebrities, newsmakers and people from all walks of life. For over 29 years, DONAHUE examined human behavior, focused national debates on political and social issues and has provided a democratic forum for presidential candidates. As host of Donahue, Mr. Donahue has presided over nearly 7,000 one-hour daily shows, many on-location broadcasts and several historic broadcasts from Russia.For…

Joe Byron, the Director of Education for The Los Angeles Film School, is in his eighth year with the school. During his tenure with LAFS, Byron has held various titles including Associate Director of Education, Associate Dean of the LAFS Immersion Filmmaking Program, and Director of Technology.Byron joined The Los Angeles Film School in 1999 as Director of Technology, overseeing the acquisition of all portable filmmaking equipment. In addition to being a member of the creative committee that supervised the creation of the Immersion Filmmaking Program, he also taught the first class ever offered by the school.In 2001, Byron served…