Tehran short film fest opens, with shot at Oscars for first time

The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Friday, March 29, 2024


Tehran short film fest opens, with shot at Oscars for first time
Mansour Jahani, media officer of the Tehran International Short Film Festival (TISFF), speaks to AFP during the opening day of the 38th edition of the TISFF in the Iranian capital on October 19, 2021, next to a poster of Oscar-winning Iranian director Asghar Farhadi. Tehran's International Short Film Festival opened this week, for the first time as an Oscar-qualifying event, giving winning entries a shot at an Academy Award. ATTA KENARE / AFP.

by Ahmad Parhizi and Sammy Ketz



TEHRAN.- Tehran's International Short Film Festival opened this week, for the first time as an Oscar-qualifying event, giving winning entries a shot at an Academy Award.

The festival jury has members from the Islamic republic as well as Italy, Japan, France and Austria.

The festival, now in its 38th edition and running until Sunday, earned qualification this year as a gateway to Hollywood's annual awards showcase.

The event "was added as a qualifying festival in the Short Films categories this year," the the US Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences confirmed. "And it is the only current qualifying festival in Iran."

The designation came despite high tensions between Washington and Tehran, which have had no diplomatic relations since 1979, before the festival began.

This year's showcase also coincides with efforts to resume negotiations on reviving Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with the United States and other world powers, with the goal of ending a punishing sanctions regime.

"I am both happy and proud of the qualification of our festival," the event's president Sadegh Moussavi told AFP.

"It's a big success of cultural diplomacy," he said with a smile. "We think that culture and art can have a status more prestigious than politics."

Tehran's festival has been a springboard for the big names of Iranian cinema, including Asghar Farhadi, a two-time Oscar winner, Bahman Ghobadi and Reza Mirkarimi, said festival spokesman Mansour Jahani.

Censorship accusation

Moussavi said Tehran's application to the Academy was initially rejected because its entrants are not required to pay fees.

"We replied that our country was under sanctions and therefore it is impossible for those who want to present their films to pay registration fees," he said.

Tehran is the only short film festival without such fees among about 130 in the world which are Oscar eligible, Moussavi said.

Following recognition by the Academy, this year's festival competition received more than 6,400 entries from 128 countries -- 2,000 more than last year.

Five Iranian films and 58 from abroad were selected for the grand prize and the winner will be presented to the Academy for possible Oscar nomination.

The selections upset some young Iranian directors whose films were not accepted, and led to accusations of censorship, including from film-maker Farnoush Samadi.

"It is my duty to write to the Academy to protest this censorship, injustice and non-professional actions of the Tehran Festival," Samadi said on Instagram.

On the same social media platform Ali Asgari, a director, said that as a member of the Academy he "will not vote for a film pre-selected by the Tehran Short Film Festival in order to support all the film-makers whose films were rejected."

Moussavi denied the accusations, saying that "there was no censorship on our part. We received 1,500 films from Iranian film-makers. We have to make a choice using as criteria the themes and quality of the film."


© Agence France-Presse










Today's News

October 21, 2021

The Deering Estate Selects Mira Lehr for New Solo Exhibition to Kick Off Art Basel Season in Miami

Nine-Point Methodology for Evaluating Antique Oriental Carpets

Israeli diver finds 900-year-old crusader sword

Soundsuit by American multimedia artist Nick Cave acquired by Honolulu Museum of Art

Christie's New York 21st Century Evening Sale presents: ARCADIA

Whitechapel Gallery visitors are invited to participate in an interactive installation by Yoko Ono

Exhibition at Christopher Bishop Fine Art presents drawings on blue paper from the 16th-19th centuries

David Finn, co-founder of a public relations power, dies at 100

Stephen Friedman Gallery announces the representation of Hulda Guzman

Henry Moore bronze leads the fall offerings at Shannon's

Public Art Fund unveils Gillian Wearing's sculptural tribute to Diane Arbus

Andy Warhol's Endangered Species Portfolio sells for $1.875 million at Heritage Auctions

Agnes Hsu-Tang elected next chair of New-York Historical Society's Board of Trustees

MAXXI opens the exhibition "Thomas Hirschhorn. The Purple Line"

The five-figure gold, leather and snakeskin Kobe Bryant cap that sold out within hours reappears at Heritage Auctions

World Auction Gallery will hold a 700-lot major important estate auction

Garment District Space for Public Art presents "Stu.pe.fac.tion" exhibition by New York artist Joanne Handler

An unassuming prince dons the velvet cloak at Ballet Theater

Tehran short film fest opens, with shot at Oscars for first time

Rising out of the pandemic, City Ballet ushers in a new era

Live performance is back, with new rituals joining the old ones

Betty Lynn, Thelma Lou on 'The Andy Griffith Show,' dies at 95

A spy opera (or is it?) returns to the stage

No mask required: The joys and fears of seeing U.K. theater now

The Key Aspects Students Should Know About Essay Writing

Iconic Artworks Dedicated to Soccer

What is Little Rock Known For?

5 Reasons To Get a Shepherd Hut

What are the side effects and dangers of mixing adderall and alcohol

Google's Creator Labs Announces 20 Winners of 2021 Photo Fund Award

Home Office Chair - Boost Your Productivity

The Dos and Don'ts of What to Bring for a Day at the Museum




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful