Members of the selection board of the 26th Fajr International Film Festival have been announced.
According to MNA, the board includes nine cultural experts and cineastes, namely Mohammad Bozorgnia, Mohammad Reza Takhtkeshian, Pouran Derakhshandeh, Majid Reza-Bala, Jamal Shourjeh, Mohammad Ibrahim Salavatifar, Darioush Farhang, Mojtaba Moshiri and Mohammad Hossein Niroumand.
The board began reviewing 90 films submitted to the festival’s competition and peripheral sections from Sunday.
The festival’s top prize ’Crystal Simorgh (phoenix)’, will go to the best films in the competition section of Iranian Cinema, the best feature film of filmmakers (first view) as well as the best film in the non-competition section.
The 26th Fajr International Film Festival is slated for February 1-11 in Tehran.
Meanwhile, a total of 37 feature documentaries have been submitted for the competition section of the 26th Tehran International Fajr Film Festival which is scheduled for February 1 to 11.
Announcing this, director of Farabi Cinematic Foundation’s festivals section Masoud Ahmadian said that the attention given to documentary cinema in recent years encouraged documentary makers to show greater interest in the event.
The number of feature films produced in the country has also increased.
He further stated that 50 titles of short documentaries and semi-feature documentaries, which were selected as the best in the earlier round, have also been forwarded to the festival’s secretariat.
Some 54 short films have been nominated for the festival, he noted.
The selection board for the short films and documentaries competition and festival of festivals includes Mahmoud Zendehnam (documentarist), Bijan Mirbaqeri (film director) and Mehdi Homayounfar (film producer).

Archeological excavations in Kolaleh city, Golestan province, have so far led to the discovery of 130 historical sites and mounds dating back to 7,500 years ago.
According to CHN, during studies, which were undertaken as part of the program draw up an archeological map of the country, a Sassanid dam and a mosque and school from the Qajar period (1790-1925) were also unearthed.
Director of excavations at Kolaleh, Esmaeil Safari said that numerous settlements sprung up in the city during different eras due to the existence of several rivers in the city.
While Kolaleh City covers one fourth of Golestan province, so far a small section of the city has been explored due to constraints in time and funds for the project.

One of the paintings by Mokarameh Qanbari

Columbia University plans to study indigenous designs from Iran’s Mazandaran province and contrast them with paintings by Mokarrameh Qanbari, announced the artist’s son.
Speaking to CHN, Ali Bolboli, a university instructor said, “Following an exhibition of my mother’s works in the university, the authorities proposed holding a meeting under the title of ’Comparison of Qanbari’s Works and Mazandaran Indigenous Designs’.“
He added, “For this reason, we are currently taking photos and slides of my mother’s paintings and designs from the province.“
The meeting will be organized in the form of symposium and workshops to be attended by students, he noted.
Bolboli further said that he plans to conduct research in the field in the country, if it is approved by Arts Academy.
Mokarrameh Qanbari was born in 1928 in Darikandeh village, Mazandaran province in north of Iran.
Her flair for creative patterns and designs since childhood emerged in the from of playing with mud and clay. Her interest then extended to bridal make-up for women from nearby villages. Strange to say, however, she began painting on paper at the ripe old age of 70.
Qanbari’s first painting exhibition was held in Seyhoun Art Gallery, Tehran, in 1995. A number of her works were also displayed in Los Angeles in 2005. She died in 2005 at the
age of 77.

A sample of maestro Amirkhani's calligraphy

An exhibition of the latest works by noted Iranian calligrapher Gholamhossein Amirkhani featuring quotations and supplications attributed to Imam Ali (AS), first Imam of infallible Household of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), opened in Saba Cultural Artistic Complex on Friday and will continue until January 11.
According to www.aftab.ir, the event titled ’Manifestations of Supplication’ includes 57 Nastaliq calligraphies.
The exhibit is taking place at a time when Amirkhani has recovered from an illness. It will provide an opportunity for his students to meet their master.

A frame from 'Half Moon' directed by Bahman Qobadi

Iranian film ’Half Moon’ directed by Bahman Qobadi was selected among the best films of the year in Spanish cinema.
Reporting this, IRNA quoted Moj Film Institute as saying that the film ranked 23rd among the 40 best Spanish films in 2007.
’Half Moon’ was screened in that country in July last year.
The film, which was earlier awarded in different cinematic event, introduces ethical, cultural and environmental features of Iraq and the current lifestyle there.
Meanwhile, a book focusing on ’Turtles Also Fly’, another film by Qobadi, as well as an interview with him was recently published in Turkey and Germany.
The film deals with the US invasion of Iraq and the ensuing sufferings of children.

For the first time, the script for ’Heritage’, written by eminent Iranian poet and author Ahmad Shamlou, will be published.
Announcing this, Shamlou’s son, Siavash told ISNA that the script was earlier at the disposal of noted Iranian director Masoud Kimiaei.
However, due to the high costs involved, he refused to make a film about it.
He added that a collection of stories and poems by the author will be published for the first time under the title ’My House at the End of the World’.
’Myths of 72 Nations’ is a collection of articles by the author which will be published for the second time.
A number of Shamlou’s works, including ’Aida, Tree, Dagger and Memory’, ’Names and Signs in Persian Grammar’, ’Forgotten Songs’ and ’A Stonehearted Man’, will also be reprinted.

Concurrent with the 61st founding anniversary of Tehran University Press, 88 authors and translators will be honored in a seminar on January 8.
Announcing this, secretary of the event, Mehdi Jahromi told MNA that those on the honor list are all graduates of the university or are currently on its payroll.
Commenting on the activities of Tehran University Press, he said that since its inception, it has published more than 5,000 titles of books, 2,850 of which are first editions.
A considerable number of these publications have won Iran’s Book of Year Award and most of them are best-sellers, he noted.
Winners of Book of the Year Award, translators and authors who have created books with high circulations will also be honored at the event, he said.
The seminar will open with a lecture by Tehran University Chancellor Ayatollah Amid Zanjani.
Several music bands will also perform at the event.

A seminar on cinema and architecture will be held by Arts Academy on January 8-9.
According to www.honar.ac.ir, at the event, the topics of discussion will include relationship of cinema with space and time, identity of space and its role in cinematic structures, role of architecture and cinema in the development of collective and historical memories, dramatic effects in cinema and architecture, educational commonalities in cinema and architecture, similarity of cinema and architecture in terms of development of idea and process of production.
A news conference to be attended by Seyyed Mohammad Beheshti, academic secretary of the event and Mohammad Mehdi Heidarian, deputy director of the academy for artistic affairs will also be held on Tuesday.

Poster of 'Color of Africa' photo exhibition

A group exhibition of photos named ’The Color of Africa’ is underway at Artists’ House’s Momayyez Gallery.
According to aftab.ir, the exhibition displays 60 photos of the African continent taken by Ali Rafiei, Ali Aqa-Rabi’ and Amir Kholousi in the past four years.
The photos, which have sociocultural themes, depict the people in Gambia, Uganda, Nigeria and Senegal.
The exhibition, which runs through January 10, is open to the public everyday from 10:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m., except for Thursdays when it is open from 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.