The 26th Fajr International Film Festival opened in Interior Ministry’s Auditorium late Thursday by honoring two noted film artists, actress Parvaneh Masoumi, and director Masoud Jafari-Jozani as well as paying tribute to the late artists Ali Hatami and Rasoul Molla-Qolipour.
Addressing the gathering, deputy minister of culture and Islamic guidance for cinematic affairs, Mohammad Reza Jafari-Jelveh described the event as a source of hope for the cinema industry and called for greater attention to this branch of art, according to ISNA.
Masoumi said while receiving a plaque of honor from Cinematic Department of Culture and Islamic Guidance Ministry, “I do not know why I am considered mother of Iranian cinema but it is a source of pride for me as a mother is the most perfect being on earth.“
She also hoped to be a good and worthy mother for the cinema.
Also at the event, clips about the two artists were screened and a music piece ’Stone Lion’ was performed live.
Jafari-Jozani, for his part, paid tribute to the late Hatami and said, “I am grateful that my name was mentioned along with the name of such the great man of Iranian cinema.“
Secretary of the festival, Majid Shah-Hosseini also said that it’s better for cineastes go through the ideals for achieving the goals of national cinema.
In the publicity section of the festival, Abdollah Abdi-Nasab, Heidar Rezaei, Behzad Khorshidi and Amir Sheiban-Khaqani were presented crystal Simorghs (phoenix) for photographing in the film ’A Place Faraway’, designing poster of the film ’Outcasts’, preparing billboard for the film ’Rule of the Game’ and announcements for the films ’Night Bus’ and ’Stone, Paper and Scissors’ respectively.
Elmira Moqaddas was also awarded a diploma of honor for photographing the film ’Boss’.

Parviz Yahaqqi

A ceremony to mark the first death anniversary of the late musician and violinist Parviz Yahaqqi was held on Friday in Tehran’s Behesht Zahra cemetery.
According to MNA, a number of artists, music enthusiasts and his colleagues attended the ceremony.
Born in 1936 in Tehran, Yahaqqi began his artistic activities at the age of 18 when he was invited to join the state radio program ’Golha’.
His pieces were mostly performed by contemporary old hands in Iranian music such as Abolhassan Saba, Hossein Yahaqqi, Morteza Mahjoubi and Nasrollah Zarrin-Panjeh.
The virtuoso composed numerous inspiring works during his career, including ’My Beloved, Where Are You?’ sang by the late vocalist Golam Hossein Banaan.
Yahaqqi died of complications arising from heart problems on January 31 in Tehran.

Fifth Biennial of Tehran Contemporary Sculpture themed ’Peace, Life and Future Horizon’ is underway in Tehran Museum of Contemporary Arts and will continue until February 8.
According to Fars news agency, the event sponsored by the Office for Visual Arts of Culture and Islamic Guidance Ministry features 112 works by 105 artists in the competition section and 17 works by the same number of artists in the guest section.
The exhibition, which opened in late November, seeks to create conditions for sound competition and identify young talents while helping develop sculpture in the country.
Awarding ceremony held in Tehran in late December presented 20, 15 and 10 gold coins for the top three works respectively. In addition the winners received statuettes of the event as well as one-month sabbatical in France.
Meanwhile, special prize for under-35 artist and special prize of Arts Academy were presented at the event.
Artists and instructors will deliver lectures on sculpture on the sidelines of the biennial.

Lecce, a province in the Italian region of Apulia is hosting an exhibition of miniatures and calligraphies by artists from Shiraz, Fars province. The event will continue until February 17, reported ISNA.
Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, Iran’s cultural attachŽ in Rome, Alireza Esmaeili referred to the age-old Iranian culture and civilization and said that Iranian civilization has been intertwined with art from ancient times.
This is Iran’s first cultural and artistic presence in Lecce which significantly began with an exhibit featuring artworks from Shiraz--itself a historical and cultural city.
He hoped that the exhibit will herald a new chapter in cultural exchanges between the two countries.
Meanwhile, governor of Lecce described the exhibition as a suitable opportunity for visitors to become familiar with Iranian civilization.
He said that Iran is an ancient country but unfortunately, proper conditions have not been created for introducing it in Europe.

An exhibition of acrylic paintings by two lady artists is underway in Shahrzad Gallery and will continue until February 5.
The event features artworks by Homa Negar-Rakei and Padidieh Entekhabi in the abstract and figurative sections. Both the artists graduated in painting from Islamic Azad University, said a fax received by Iran Daily.
Inspired by nature in her works, Rakei said that humans can perceive the main essence of nature by focusing on it carefully.
Entekhabi for her part said, “Contemporary human and its spirit states were my main concerns in this collection.“
Shahrzad Gallery is located #2, western 15th Alley, Sabouri St., Kashanak, Niavaran St., Tehran.

Three theater complexes which underwent reconstruction works will reopen in Tehran on the eve of the 26th Fajr International Theater Festival next week.
According to ISNA, Mehrab Hall, Sanglaj Hall and City Theater Complex Hall will open on February 4 to 6 respectively.
Maintenance works on Mehrab Hall began in 2002 but were suspended due to lack of funds. However works resumed recently following assistance from the Culture and Islamic Guidance Ministry’s Office for Development Projects.
Sanglaj Hall, which is the oldest theater complex, underwent thorough reconstruction after the Thirteenth Devotional Traditional Festival last September.
Based on earlier predictions the complex was to have been commissioned late October but due to changes in the trend of operations, its reopening was postponed.
This is while, City Theater Complex, which is the largest and most important hall in the capital, is yet to be completely restored to host the country’s leading cultural event--Fajr International Theater Festival. Only Chaharsou and Main halls have been made available to cultural officials for the purpose.

Some 180 computers will be made available to libraries across Khorasan Razavi province as part of a project to digitalize the books maintained in them.
Announcing this, director general of provincial Public Libraries Seyyed Javad Sadat-e Fatemi said that hardware and software will be required to implement the project, reported IRNA.
He added that all the 82 public libraries in the province will be equipped with computers. “We will propose the construction of six central libraries and 19 second grade public libraries during the cabinet’s second visit to the province,“ he said.
According to him, members of the 82 libraries borrow some 180,000 books per month.
There are sufficient reference books in provincial libraries but the number of some newly-published publications does not meet the demand, he said.
Given its five million plus population, provincial libraries should, according to international standards, contain 16 million volumes of books but the figure stands at three million together with the books at Astan-e Qods Razavi Library.
“Confronting cultural inroads which has been complicated due to development of modern technologies requires all-out interaction among cultural institutes,“ he said.
Based on standards, each 20,000 people should have a library but Chenaran city has a library for a population of 107,000, Sadat-e Fatemi concluded.

Abbas Kiarostami

Italian producer Angelo Barbagallo will produce Abbas Kiarostami’s ’The Certified Copy’, starring Juliette Binoche.
Pic shooting is set to start in March in Tuscany, Variety wrote.
Barbagallo’s Rome-based Bibi Film will co-produce the Iranian auteur’s first feature shot outside his native country, and also his first work toplining a Western star, which Gaul’s MK2 is producing.
Binoche will play a French art gallery owner who falls for an older novelist, played by French thesp Sami Frey, as they travel around the Chianti countryside.
Binoche spent some time in Iran with Kiarostami this month to prepare for her role in the romantic drama.
’Certified Copy’ will be Kiarostami’s first feature since ’Ten’, shot in 2002, which was about women in Tehran.

First Artistic Festival on Praying and Supplications will be held in Tehran in June with the aim of benefiting from the language of art in promoting valuable concepts in the field.
According to a press release sent to Iran Daily, head of Niavaran Cultural House, Asghar Mehr-Aein said that the event will be organized by Artistic Department and Headquarters for Prayers of Culture and Islamic Guidance Ministry as well as Niavaran Artistic Creations Foundation.
The event seeks to depict the role of praying and supplication in physical and psychological health of the society, tackling social maladies as well as the impact of supplication on individual and social morality.
He further said that those interested should send their works to the secretariat of the festival no later than March 10. The materials should not exceed 30 pages, he noted.
Selected works will receive valuable awards.