The festival slated for August 10 to 17 will screen Farhadi’s latest movie “Everybody Knows” in its “Open Air” Section, ISNAreported.
Starring Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem, the Spanish-language film by Farhadi was premiered as the opener of the Cannes Film Festival earlier this month.
Among other awards, Farhadi has received a Golden Globe Award as well as two Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film for his films A Separation (2012) and The Salesman (2017).
This has made him one of the few directors in the world who have won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film twice, along with prestigious film directors such as Akira Kurosawa and René Clément.
His third film, Fireworks Wednesday, had won the Golden Hugo at the 2006 Chicago International Film Festival. His fourth film, About Elly, won him the Silver Bear for Best Director at the 59th International Berlin Film Festival and also Best Picture at the Tribeca Film Festival.
In 2012, he was included on the annual Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world.
Last year, Mexican filmmaker Michael Franco presided over the five-person jury of Sarajevo Film Festival during which an overall 235 films from 54 countries were screened. At least 100,000 viewers watched the movies during the ten days of the festival.
Georgian Director Ana Urushadze’s “Scary Mother” took home the festival’s top prize, the Heart of Sarajevo, for best feature film, which includes an $18,500 financial award.
In a Tuesday message, President Rouhani congratulated Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on his re-election and expressed hope that bilateral ties between Tehran and Budapest would further deepen.
Rouhani pointed to the complicated conditions of the global community, in which “we are witnessing dangerous, illegal and unilateral actions against international rules and regulations,” and said, “Efforts and actions of independent countries like Hungary can encourage observing international obligations and regulations.
He also expressed the hope that Iran and Hungary would take serious, fundamental steps to deepen and cement bilateral relations and promote international peace and security given the common will.
The Iranian president finally wished health and success for Orbán and prosperity and felicity for the people of Hungary.
Orbán on May 10 took the oath of office before the Hungarian Parliament, starting a third consecutive and a fourth overall term as the country’s leader.
Ayatollah Khamenei made the demand in a letter to Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani.
“The news of the crime in one of the schools of western Tehran caused grief and regret. It is appropriate to immediately mete out divine punishment after the trial,” the Leader wrote.
The deputy headmaster of a private boys high school accused of harassing students was arrested by police on Tuesday. The arrest was made following complaints by the families of several students.
The shocking news of widespread sexual abuse has prompted outrage among Iranians, particularly parents who fear the same fate could await their children.
Education Minister Mohammad Bathaei said the school had recruited the perpetrator without passing due legal process.
The minister vowed to tighten monitoring of the recruitment process in schools.
The head of the school was also sacked by the Education Ministry following the scandal.
In an open session of the parliament this morning, the MPs held an election to appoint the parliament’s presiding board.
During the polls, Larijani secured 147 votes out of 270 valid votes.
His initial rivals were the reformist lawmaker Mohammad-Reza Aref and the conservative MP Hamid-Reza Haji Babaei. In the first round of the election, Aref secured 114 votes, Larijani 101 votes, and Haji Babaei 54 votes, but none of them won the majority of the votes, leading the election to a run-off.
For the second round, Haji Babaei withdrew his candidacy in favour of Larijani, and that helped the latter secure the majority of votes in the run-off. 123 lawmakers voted for Aref in the second round.
In a later election, Massoud Pezeshkian and Ali Motahari were also re-elected as the vice-speakers of the Parliament.
The Iranian Parliament has currently 290 representatives, changed from the previous 272 seats since the 18 February 2000 election. The most recent parliamentary polls were held on February 26, 2016.
The lawmakers take the seats for a four-year term.
The Zoroastrians and Jews each elect one representative in the parliament, Assyrian and Chaldean Christians jointly elect one representative, and Armenian Christians in the north and the south are each represented by one lawmaker, according to the Parliament’s official website.
Dowlatabad garden, which spans an area of 72,000 square metres, attracts a wide range of visitors. It offers a memorable glimpse on the coexistence of ancient history and beautiful nature.
This is one of the nine Iranian gardens listed in the UNESCO’s World Heritage List under the common title ofPersian Garden.
The garden was built about 270 years ago as a residence for Mohammad Taqi Khan, also known as the Great Khan, who governed Yazd in the 18th century.
The complex has been built according to the original Iranian architectural style; and consists of a large garden and a number of buildings.
Like other Persian gardens, water plays an important role in the ornamentation of the Dowlatabad garden. There are indeed several qanats, waterways, and ponds within the garden.
The lush garden is a paradise where different trees. Pine and cypress, various flowers like roses and fruit trees like grape and pomegranate abound in the garden, and offer it a green carpet panorama.
This complex includes a southern frontispiece building, a vestibule building and a wind catcher, a summer building, Behesht (Paradise) building, a mirror hall building, the Tehrani building, the main frontispiece building and a double-spanned water cistern.
The soaring 34-metre-high wind catcher, the highest one in Iran, makes the estate really unique, creating a spectacular vista. Dowlatabad’s famous wind catcher has octagonal panels that guide the wind inside the building.
What follows are photos of the garden retrieved from various sources:
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A soaring 34-metre-high wind catcher, the highest one in Iran, in Dowlatabad Garden in Yazd
The Muslim holy month of Ramadan is of special importance to Iranians, and there are different traditions and customs associated with this month in different parts of the country.
One of these traditions is cooperation of people and the clergy in cleaning mosques in different neighbourhoods in late Sha’ban (the month in the lunar calendar before Ramadan).
Another tradition is to invite family and friends for fast-breaking (Iftar) time and of course holding special prayers on Eid al-Fitr, a religious holiday marking the end of Ramadan.
Muslims celebrate Eid al-Fitr with joy and happiness, thanking God Almighty for having given them the opportunity to fast during Ramadan. Muslims also pay a certain amount of money to the needy as Ramadan ends.
In addition to above-mentioned traditions, which are common in almost all parts of Iran, there are other special traditions and customs in different Iranian cities. Some of these traditions are still practiced, and some are fading away or have slipped into oblivion altogether.
The present article elaborates on some age-old Iranian traditions and customs practiced in the provinces of Lorestan, East Azarbaijan, Semnan and Kerman.
Kasemsa: An Ancient Ramadan Tradition in Lorestan
One of the common traditions in Lorestan province which people pay more attention to during the holy month of Ramadan, is locally known as “Kasemsa” where people send their neighbours part of their meal at dawn (before the daily fasting period begins) and at fast-breaking time at dusk.
The custom is a reminder of the moral duty of fasting Muslims, who take it upon themselves to reach out to the needy and deprived families.
Among the traditional foods of Lorestan usually served at fast-breaking time during the holy month of Ramadan is “Chazanak-Roqoo,” which is a kind of sweet bread.
Another local meal is “Saqdoo,” which is rice mixed with prunes and cooked inside sheep’s rumen.
Broth, Shami Kookoo (a kind of cutlet), and Samanu are among other common items on the fast-breaking table during the holy month of Ramadan in Lorestan.
Also, women in Lorestan cook different types of broth and puddings to garnish their own and their neighbours’ fast-breaking tables.
Bag Sewing: A Special Ramadan Custom Practiced in Azarbaijan
The Muslim holy month of Ramadan in East Azarbaijan province is associated with traditions and customs which have their roots in the local religious beliefs and culture and cover a whole range of practices.
Provincial residents clean their homes a few days before Ramadan begins to welcome the arrival of the holy month.
Fast-breaking tables are associated with special traditions and are set with a larger variety of foods than other areas across the country. People in the province believe the fast-breaking meal is different from other meals as it is associated with a special spiritual mood.
The 27th day of Ramadan, or the last Thursday of the month, is the day when women and girls get together from different parts of the province and sew a bag for themselves. They then put some money in their bags, say prayers and blow onto them, and keep the bags in their trunks until the next year. The bag is called the “bag of blessings.” Some believe if they practice the tradition, they will never suffer from poverty and destitution. The custom is practiced in Semnan, as well.
Memorable Ramadan Traditions in Semnan
Among the customs and traditions practiced during the holy month of Ramadan in Semnan province are night-time singing, sewing the wish bag, the henna ceremony, knocking on the doors of houses to receive broth and pudding, and cooking local foods.
Bag Sewing
Henna Ceremony
People in parts of Semnan province believe God Almighty will definitely answer the prayers of anyone who worships him with henna-dyed hands. So, a group of women in town gather at one of the locals’ home and dye their toes, hands, palms and even hair with henna.
Night-Time Singing
In some parts of the province, people go onto the rooftops of homes and mosques an hour before the sunrise, singing poems and reciting prayers to wake up others.
In the past, they would also play the drums and the trumpet in addition to singing hymns and reciting ancient poems.
Whitewashing Walls of Homes
The tradition of whitewashing the walls of houses used to be practiced in some of the provincial villages until not long ago. Based on the custom, locals would whitewash the walls of their homes with special soil before Ramadan began.
Key-Hitting Ritual in Kerman
“Key-Hitting” was one of the ancient traditions of people in Kerman during the holy month of Ramadan. The tradition was widely practiced by residents of the province, but was consigned to oblivion quite some time ago.
In this tradition, a woman would put a mirror, a sormeh (kohl) pot (sormeh was a material similar to mascara used as a cosmetic in the past), and a copy of the holy Quran inside a big strainer and go to houses in the neighbourhood. While keeping her face covered, the lady would keep hitting the strainer with a key. She would keep silent till the end of the ritual in order not to be recognised.
If the owner of the house would utter statements such as “Bring the lamp” or “Bring the sweets,” then the key-hitting woman knew that she would get some stuff. Afterwards, the owner of the house would grab the mirror inside the strainer, look at his/her face in the mirror, and then put some sweets, sugar cubes or money inside the strainer.
Speaking in an interview with Lebanon’s Al-Mayadeen television network, Ford said that Bahrain “[has] almost turned into a Saudi and American colony.”
According to him, such a transformation took place following the Arab Spring protests that broke out in the country, when Saudi Arabia and the US helped Manama cope with them, Sputnik reported.
The former envoy claims that Bahrain’s ruling royal dynasty is afraid that protests may re-emerge and is therefore sticking to the policies of the two states that helped it in the past.
Ford believes this explains why Manama is repeating Riyadh and Washington’s anti-Iran rhetoric and blames Tehran for fuelling the protests in Bahrain.
The ex-envoy also noted that Bahrain should stay away from regional disputes, since it would most likely suffer greatly if a conflict were to break out.
The popular protests began in Bahrain amid the events of the Arab Spring, mostly led by the local Shiite majority.
According to human rights activists, the clashes between demonstrators and police led to the deaths of 13 policemen and some 80 protesters. Bahrain’s government requested Saudi Arabia’s assistance in dealing with the riots and as of March 14, 2011, Saudi Arabia sent roughly 1,000 of its troops to the Arab state.
Manama has blamed Tehran for supporting the protesters, but Iran has strongly denied the allegations.
Brigadier General Esmail Kowsari, the second-in-command of an IRGC brigade responsible for the security of Tehran Province, says for the time being, all cities across Iran including the capital Tehran enjoy high security.
In an interview with Mizan News Agency, General Kowsari said all security forces in Iran are closely monitoring any terrorist move initiated from the outside to thwart nasty plans to destabilise Iran.
He also added the material and spiritual power of the Islamic Republic of Iran has endangered the status of the enemies including the US, Britain, the Zionist regime as well as a number of reactionary regional states.
The IRGC commander underlined that Iran is among the safest countries in the world.
Elsewhere in his remarks, General Kowsari downplayed the terrorist attack by five members of ISIS in Tehran last year and said the ISIS terrorists have been seeking to infiltrate into Iran for tens of times over the past two to three years to commit crimes in Iran but each time they ended up in failure after Islamic Republic security forces thwarted their plots.
“Today with effective and excellent coordination, Iranian security forces are closely watching the enemies’ moves outside the borders blocking their operations to destabilise the country,” he said.
Back in June last year, gunmen stormed Iran’s Parliament and the Mausoleum of the late founder of the Islamic Republic, Imam Khomeini, in two coordinated attacks. At least 17 people lost their lives and nearly 50 others were wounded in the assaults, which involved shootings and blasts. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks.
The individuals involved in carrying out the attacks were five elements with a history of past terrorist activities and linked to Wahhabi and Takfiri groups.
According to Iranian Intelligence Ministry, the attackers left Iran after being recruited by the ISIS and had participated in the group’s atrocities in the Iraqi city of Mosul and the Syrian city of Raqqah.
General Kowsari’s remarks came shortly after Brigadier General Mohammad-Reza Yazdi, the commander of IRGC’s Muhammad Rasuolollah Brigade, announced two teams of terrorists have been recently arrested before implementing their plot to attack the next week’s ceremonies to marks the death anniversary of Imam Khomeini in southern Tehran.
La Libre Belgique newspaper quoted a police source as saying the gunman shouted Allahu Akbar — God is greatest in Arabic — and RTBF said investigators believed the attacker may well have had a terrorist motive.
The man had taken a woman hostage at some point in the attack, the newspaper said.
The national anti-terrorist crisis centre, which Interior Minister Jan Jambon said on Twitter was monitoring the situation, said terrorism could not be excluded as a motive though it was also looking into other possible reasons.
“It (terrorism) is one of the questions on the table, but for the moment all scenarios are open,” a spokesman for the crisis centre said.
Two other police officers had been injured, Belga news agency said. A spokeswoman for the Liege public prosecutor’s office confirmed that two police officers had been shot dead and the gunman “neutralised” but could not confirm other details.
Images on social media showed people scurrying for safety on Liege’s central boulevard d’Avroy with shots and sirens being heard in the background.
Liege, an industrial city close to the German border in a French-speaking region, was the scene of a shooting in 2011, when a gunman killed four people and wounded more than 100 others before turning the gun on himself.
Almost all papers today highlighted the remarks made by the Leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei in a meeting with a group of university students in Tehran.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif’s visit to India and his negotiations with Indian officials also received great coverage.
Also a top story was the upcoming elections to choose the new speaker of Iran’s Parliament and other members of the presiding board. The three factions of the Parliament (reformists, independents, and conservatives) are expected to have a fierce competition to win the seats.
The above issues, as well as many more, are highlighted in the following headlines and top stories:
Abrar:
1- Iran Rejects Reports on Indirect Talks with Israel
Abrar-e Eqtesadi:
1- Iran Now Has World’s Most Diverse Oil Production Basket
2- Small German Banks to Continue Cooperation with Iran
Aftab-e Yazd:
1- Russians Once Again Betray Iran
Behind the Scenes of Moscow-Riyadh Oil Deal after US Withdrawal from JCPOA
Arman-e Emrooz:
1- Shocking News: Schoolboys in Tehran High School Sexually Harassed
Asrar:
1- Mogherini: JCPOA Ensures Security in Region
Donya-ye Eqtesad:
1- India Says No to US Sanctions against Iran
Ebtekar:
1- Italy Latest Destination of Domino of Europe’s Political Crisis
2- Three Factions Vying for 12 Seats of Parliament’s Presiding Board
All Speculations on Upcoming Elections
Etemad:
1- India’s Hard Test: Zarif Meets Indian Top Diplomat
Ettela’at:
1- Iran Leader: Society Not to Progress without Freedom
2- West Karoun Oil Fields to Help Iran Increase Oil Production Capacity
3- Washington, Pyongyang to Hold Talks at Korean Demilitarized Zone
Hemayat:
1- Iran Leader: Injecting Despair into Society Is What Enemies Do
2- Yemen’s Ansarullah: Saudi Arabia, UAE Seek to Occupy Yemen
Javan:
1- Leader: Majority of Problems, Barriers Originate from Inside Iran
2- Tehran Municipality Cooperating with IRGC Construction Base
Jomhouri Eslami:
1- Araqchi: Iran Entered into Talks with Europeans Only on Issue of Yemen for Humanitarian Reasons
Ka’enat:
1- Interior Ministry: Parks, Sports Complexes, Squares to Be Dedicated to Protest Gatherings
Kayhan:
1- Sources: Israeli Medical Team Dispatched to Riyadh to Cure Bin Salman
2- Israelis Shoot Palestinian Girl for No Reason
Khorasan:
1- NBC Reveals: Saudi Arabia Giving Trucks of Gold to MKO Terrorists
2- Counterattack on Trump: Increase in Types, Amount of Iran’s Oil Output
Resalat
1- Violation of Human Rights in France
Iranian Intellectuals Don’t Talk about Crackdown in Paris, Marseille
Sazandegi:
1- Ali Motahari Redd Line of Reformists
Reformist MPs Shouldn’t Lose Its Vice-Speakers in Hope of Winning Speakership
Sepid:
1- A Jump in Quality of Services after Emergence of Startups in Health Sector
Shahrvand:
1- Value of Iranian Passport Up by 5 Positions
2- Iranian Cafes to Thrive Thanks to Passion of Football, World Cup
Tehran Police Not Opposed to Football Broadcast in Cafes
Shargh:
1- Zarif in India: Consultations on Banking, Oil Issues
The Muslim holy month of Ramadan in East Azarbaijan province is associated with traditions and customs which have their roots in the local religious beliefs and culture and cover a whole range of practices.
In some parts of the province, people go onto the rooftops of homes and mosques an hour before the sunrise, singing poems and reciting prayers to wake up others.
