Author: CWB News Department

Kaveh Mazaheri’s Iranian short film Retouch was nominated for not just one but two awards at the Michael Moore founded Traverse City Film Festival. Nominated for the “Audience Award” and “Best Fiction Short Film,” the movie walked away from the film festival as a winner, taking home the award for “Best Fiction Short Film.” Produced by the Iranian Young Cinema Society, the film depicts a poignant portrait of a woman (Maryam) who has to face the choice of life and death, freedom and captivity in the world where no rights exist. Retouch has been on a roll, previously racking up…

Three world premieres have been added to the lineup of the 74th Venice International Film Festival to complete the program. John Woo returns to the crime thriller genre where he started his career with his latest film, Manhunt, set to premiere in Venice in an out-of-competition slot. In the remake of a 1976 Japanese classic, a Chinese man is framed for murder in Japan and hunted by the authorities and a group of mystery killers. Woo (A Better Tomorrow, Face/Off) is a Lido favorite and was feted at the festival in 2010 with a Golden Lion for Career Achievement. Andrea…

RETOUCH written and directed by Kaveh Mazaheri won Best Live Action Film Award (over 15) minutes at the Palm Springs International ShortFest Film Festival and goes for 2018 Best Short Film Oscar consideration, a great success for this film. Film critics give RETOUCH a good chance to get the Oscar nomination as it has also won an award at Tribeca Film Festival. RETOUCH In the corner of the home, Maryam’s husband does weightlifting. Suddenly, the weight falls on his throat and puts him between life and death. Maryam tries to save him, but she just decides to stop helping and…

Actor, director, writer and icon Diane Keaton was honored with the American Film Institute’s 45th AFI Life Achievement Award — America’s highest honor for a career in film — on Thursday, June 8, in an evening filled with laughter, stories, song and surprises at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. The televised special, AFI LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: A TRIBUTE TO DIANE KEATON, will air on TNT June 15 at 10:00 p.m. (ET/PT), followed by an encore presentation on sister network Turner Classic Movies (TCM) on July 31 during a night of programming dedicated to her career. Keaton’s Tribute brought to the…

Today the 22nd Annual Cine Gear Expo opens at Paramount Pictures Studios in the heart of Hollywood, California, USA. Cine Gear Expo presents an opportunity for artists and technicians in the moving image industry to converge, learn and discuss their latest innovations and share industry news while enjoying the ambiance of Hollywood’s oldest and most historic studio lot. Members of the entertainment industry view Cine Gear as the must attend event of the year for maximum exposure and impact. On June 1, the event begins with the Film Competition Finalist Screenings of Student Shorts, Independent Shorts and the Commercial/Music Video…

Today directors of AN INCONVENIENT SEQUEL: TRUTH TO POWER, Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk come with a statement on Today’s Decision by the Trump Administration to Withdraw from the Paris Agreement: “We were shocked and disappointed to hear President Trump’s announcement today regarding withdrawing the U.S. from the historic international deal reached in Paris. In our new film, An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power we filmed behind-the-scenes in Paris to show the hard work, finesse, and passion that went into making the agreement happen.  We hope that the hard work of those who made the deal happen will not be…

The Un Certain Regard sidebar of the 70th Cannes Film Festival announced its winners on Saturday, with the jury awarding the top prize to A Man of Integrity (Lerd) by Mohammad Rasoulof. The film is a drama about endemic corruption in provincial Iran and shows how it’s an uphill climb for a righteous man. “We are proud to present an aesthetically diverse and beautiful palmares,” said Uma Thurman, Un Certain Regard jury president, to open the ceremony. April’s Daughter by Michel Franco won the jury prize. Tim Roth executive produced the Spanish-language film by his Chronic director, which stars Julieta…

Spring 2009: the two Norwegian citizens Joshua French and Tjostolv Moland cross the border to Eastern Congo. Only few days later the news of the death of their driver spreads, and after several nights on the run in the vast Congolese jungle, the two men are caught and sentenced to death. In the following months, the events in the jungle turn into an unsolvable political and diplomatic crisis – known as the “Congo-case”. In the ensuing trial, French and Moland are sentenced to death for espionage and the murder of their driver. The Norwegian state is accused of sending Moland…

SEEfest 2017 announced festival’s Jury Awards last week on its closing night. Presentation of the SEEfest 2017 awards took place on May 4 at the Writers Guild theater in Beverly Hills. Special “Ambassador of International Cinema” award was presented at the Opening of the festival to Bijan Tehrani, editor-in-chief of Cinema Without Borders. Winners of the Jury Awards: Best Feature Film, Grand Jury Prize – Cinema Without Borders’ Bridging the Borders Award went to the Croatian-Slovenia-Macedonia-Czech-UK co-production The Constitution, an extraordinary and very funny “love story about hate” by veteran Croatian director Rajko Grlić. It was acquired for U.S. distribution…

Come and  meet author Bahiyyih Nakhjavani this Saturday evening, 7 pm in Westwood. What will be the fate of refugees and immigrants to the United States, following Trump’s executive orders—challenged though they’ve been by the federal judiciary? And what of the Iranian and Arab diaspora already in this country; how have they managed? This Saturday, April 22 at 7 pm, The Markaz and the Pacific Arts Center present an exclusive occasion to meet acclaimed international author Bahiyyih Nakhjavani on the occasion of her new novel Us & Them out from Stanford University Press, following her 2015 success, The Woman Who…