(Photo by Marzieh Soleimani)

Funeral for violin virtuoso Homayoun Khorram was held in front of Tehran’s Vahdat Hall on Sunday morning with acclaimed artists as well as officials in attendance.

Iran Illustrations for Bologna Book Fair

The Italian Bologna Children’s Book Fair has selected a number of artworks by Iranian illustrators to exhibit at this year’s Illustrators Exhibition.
A collection of illustrations by eight Iranian artists, including Ali Reza Goldouzian, Rashin Kheyrieh, Ghazaleh Marsousi, Seyyed Hassan Mousavi, Pejman Rahimizadeh, Amir Sha’abanpour and Seyyed Fazlolah Tabatabaei, will be displayed at the 50th edition of the event.
The Iranian illustrators are to present their works in the fiction section of the annual exhibition, according to Mehr News Agency.
The 2012 edition of Bologna Children’s Book Fair honored Iranian book illustrator Ali Bouzari by the New Horizon Award.
Established in 1963, the exhibition selects a number of illustrations from among the received works from all over the world for two sections of fiction and non-fiction.
The Bologna Children’s Book Fair is the most important international event dedicated to the children’s publishing and multimedia industry.
The event aims to help authors, illustrators, literary agents, licensors and licensees, packagers, distributors, printers and booksellers to find the very best of children’s publishing and multimedia production and discover new business opportunities.
The 2013 Bologna Children’s Book Fair-Illustrators Exhibition is slated to take place from March 25 through 28.

Rotterdam Festival To Screen ‘Taboor’

Iranian director Vahid Vakilifar’s ‘Taboor’ will be vying in the 42nd edition of Rotterdam International Film Festival in Netherlands.
The film will be screened at the Modern Iranian Cinema section of the festival.
‘Taboor’ which means the naval of the earth in old mythology is about human beings trapped in the surrounding environment, Press TV said.
The movie is also to be presented at the 30th International Environmental Film Festival in the French capital of Paris in February, 2013.
Vakilifar’s second feature-length ‘Taboor’ recently won the First Special Mention of the 53thThessaloniki International Film Festival in Greece held in November.
The movie was presented at the ‘A Window on Asian Cinema’ section of the 2012 Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) in South Korea.
Vakilifar’s film was also screened at the Festival du nouveau cinéma, which was held in Montreal, Canada, from October 2 to 14.
Born in 1981, Vakilifar graduated in film directing from Iran’s Soureh University and worked as an assistant director on several features before starting his filmmaking career.
He has been honored in several international events particularly for his first feature-length production Geshe.

Fajr Film Jury Named

The 2013 Fajr International Film Festival has announced this year’s jury members.
The introduced jurors are to serve at the jury panels of
‘Looking for Simorgh’ (Iranian cinema), ‘New Vision’ (the first films competition) and ‘Cinema Vérité’ (documentary competition).
Rasoul Sadr-Ameli, Mehdi Fakhimzadeh, Behrouz Afkhami, Seyyed Davoud Mirbaqeri, Seyyed Ziaeddin Dorri, Jamal Shourjeh and Mostafa Shayesteh are slated to judge at the ‘Looking for Simorgh’ section.
The jury panel of the ‘New Vision’ section will host Hossein Zandbaf, Ibrahim Fayaz, Masoud Farasati, Minou Farshchi, Fereydoun Hassanpour, Mani Haqiqi and Mohammad Reza Arab, according to Press TV.
Mohammad Reza Aslani, Reza Pourhossein, Mehrdad Oskoui, Habib Ahmadzadeh and Morteza Sha’abani have been selected to serve at the jury panel of the ‘Cinema Vérité’ section.
Supervised by Iran’s Ministry of Culture, the annual event is comprised of two competitive sections as well as two non-competitive categories.
Meanwhile, this year’s festival is also set to host a Non-Aligned Movement meeting on filmmaking and cinema.
Switzerland, Romania, Russia, Macedonia, France, Germany, Chile, Egypt, Japan, Poland, the United States, Croatia, Argentina and Denmark are among the countries that applied for representing their cinema at the Iranian film event.

1001 Books Released in a Week

A total of 1001 book titles were released in Iran during the period of January 5-9.
The field of religion and practical sciences released the highest number of publications.
According to IBNA, the fields of religion and practical sciences published 186 and 161 books respectively.
Other books were marketed in fields such as philosophy and psychology, language, natural sciences, arts, history and geography as well as education.
Among the released books, 730 were compilations and 271 were translations. Moreover 442 first prints and 559 reprints were marketed.

Original Batmobile Sold for $4.2m

The Batmobile used by actor Adam West in the original TV series of Batman has sold for $4.2m (£2.6m) at a US auction.
The car was bought by Rick Champagne, a logistics company owner from Phoenix, Arizona. The 56-year-old, who was just 10 when the high-camp TV series began in 1966, said it “was a dream come true”.
The Batmobile design was based on a 1955 Lincoln Futura, a concept car built in Italy by the Ford Motor Company, BBC wrote. It was the first time that car had come up for public sale since it was bought in 1965 by car-customiser George Barris, who transformed it in 15 days, at the cost of $15,000 (£9,400), into the superhero’s famous vehicle.
It had a V-8 engine, arguably one of the first in-car phones, and parachutes, which were deployed to help Batman turn sharp corners.
Mr Barris told reporters at the auction: “The car had to be a star on its own. And it became one.” Since the show was cancelled in 1968, he has toured the Batmobile and was eventually housed in a private showroom in California.
Adam West, now 84, played the caped crusader in 120 episodes in four years of programming, with Burt Ward starring as the “boy wonder” Robin and comedian and actor Cesar Romero as Batman’s arch nemesis, The Joker.
The 60s show was camp in its portrayal of Batman. More recent incarnations of billionaire Bruce Wayne and his alter-ego - such as British director Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy - have had a much darker tone.
The newer Batmobiles have reflected the more brutal portrayal of Gotham City’s saviour, such as the “Tumbler” of 2005’s Batman Begins, starring Christian Bale.

Smithsonian Celebrates 2013 Presidential Inauguration

In celebration of the 2013 Presidential Inauguration, the Smithsonian is featuring exhibitions and public programs related to the presidency from January 18, through January 21.
The Smithsonian has participated in inaugurations since the 1800s--President Abraham Lincoln held his second inaugural ball in what is now the Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery in March 1865, and President James Garfield’s ball was held in 1881 in the US National Museum (now the Arts and Industries Building, which is closed for renovations).
In recent times, the Smithsonian has produced cultural programs and concerts for the Carter, Reagan and Clinton inaugurals, ArtDaily said.
Featured Exhibitions include: ‘The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden’ that explores the personal, public, ceremonial and executive actions of the presidents and their impact on history.
The exhibition features more than 400 objects and a number of videos and interactive displays, including the portable desk on which Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence and the microphone Franklin Roosevelt used to deliver his “fireside chat” radio broadcasts.
‘The First Ladies’ explores the unofficial but important position of first lady and the ways that different women have shaped the role to make their own contributions to the presidential administrations and the nation.
The exhibition features more than two dozen gowns from the Smithsonian’s 100-year-old First Ladies Collection, including those worn by Frances Cleveland, Lou Hoover, Jacqueline Kennedy, Laura Bush and Michelle Obama. A section titled “Changing Times, Changing First Ladies” highlights the roles played by Dolley Madison, Mary Lincoln, Edith Roosevelt and Lady Bird Johnson and their contributions to their husband’s administrations.
‘The First Ladies’ encourages visitors to consider the changing role played by the first lady and American women over the past 200 years.
‘Changing America: The Emancipation Proclamation, 1863 and The March on Washington, 1963’ highlights two events that changed the course of the nation--the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation and the 1963 March on Washington.

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH):

God is pure and loves purity.