Cinema is not a series of abstract ideas, but rather the phrasing of moments.
 

The joint capacities of Iranian and Chinese cinema were examined in a meeting attended by the President of the Iranian Academy of Arts Bahman Namvar-Motlaq and the Chinese Ambassador to Tehran Chang Hua.
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Iran-China diplomatic relations, the meeting was held at the academy with Majid Majidi, the head of the cinema department of the Iranian academy, and Josie Howo, the cultural attaché of the Chinese Embassy also in attendance, IRNA wrote.
Namvar-Motlaq called Iran and China, as representatives of two great civilizations, adding that these two Oriental countries have historically been very influential in the fate of humanity and the world.
Regarding the principle of “common interests,” he said, “We must show our nations that there are mutual interests and if this concept is not transferred, these relations will not remain stable.”
Namvar-Motlaq expressed his happiness that an agreement was signed with China to expand cinematic cooperation.
Chang Hua considered the meeting a significant event in the history of Chinese-Iranian cinematic ties and expressed his satisfaction with his presence among Iranian cinematographers.
The Chinese envoy referred to the history of joint Chinese-Iranian film activities and recalled the second Chinese Film Week in which artists from the two countries talked to each other in face-to-face and online workshops and in the same program seven Chinese films were introduced to Iranian audiences.
Stating that the field of Chinese and Iranian cinema has a wide potential for cooperation, Chang Hua referred to the signing of a memorandum of cinematic cooperation between the National Cinema Administration of China and the Cinema Organization of Iran in the near future.
Majidi referred to the historical and cultural commonalities of the two countries, saying, “I began my cooperation with China in 2008, both in the fields of cinema and academia. There are very good capacities in the academic fields. Today, Iranian cinema is taught in major Chinese universities, and this indicates the capacity for collaboration, for intellectual, theoretical and cultural exchange.”

 

Arts & Culture Desk

The Iranian feature film, ‘Ballad of a White Cow,’ directed by Behtash Sanaeeha and Maryam Moqaddam won the Student Jury Award at the Golden Scale Feature Film Competition of the 11th International Crime and Punishment Film Festival in Istanbul, Turkey.
“Mina’s life is turned upside down when she learns that her husband was innocent of the crime for which he was executed, so she starts a silent battle against a cynical system for her own and her daughter’s sake,” reads the synopsis of ‘Ballad of a White Cow’.
The film has been screened at national and international festivals including the Tribeca Film Festival, the 74th edition of the Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) in Scotland, and the 70th edition of the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) in Australia.
The Iranian film won the Pilar Miro Prize at the 66th Valladolid International Film Festival in Spain.
‘107 Mothers,’ directed by Peter Kerekes won the Best Feature Film Award, at the Golden Scale Feature Film Competition of the Turkish festival.
‘Les Enfants Terribles,’ directed by Ahmet Necdet Çupur, received the Jury Special Award of the same section.
This year, Iranian actress-cum-director Niki Karimi was selected as the jury president of the Golden Scale Feature Film Competition section of the Turkish festival.
The festival aims to use the striking language of art and science to create social discussion on human rights and freedom.
In addition to film screenings, feature films, short film competitions, and academic programs are held.
 

An online archive bringing together information on thousands of Benin Bronze artefacts in museums around the world is expected to go live at the end of next year, one of the organisers said.
The Benin Bronzes, which are mostly in Europe, were stolen from Nigeria’s Benin City during colonialism and are among Africa’s most significant heritage objects. The statues were created from at least the 16th century onwards, according to the British Museum.
Barbara Plankensteiner, director at Museum am Rothenbaum – World Cultures and Arts, who is leading the project to document the bronzes across the world, said data had been received from 110 museums globally, Reuters reported.
“For many years we wanted to create a possibility to show all the Benin collections scattered worldwide in one digital platform,” Plankensteiner said at the Reuters Next conference.
“It will be a major source for research and knowledge about Benin art and cultural history relating to this art.”
In October the University of Aberdeen and Cambridge University’s Jesus College returned two Benin Bronzes to Nigeria.
The returns were seen as likely to increase pressure on the British Museum in London, which holds by far the largest and most significant collection of Benin Bronzes.
Abba Tijani, the head of National Commission for Museums and Monuments, said Nigeria was looking to build new museums to house Benin Bronzes that were being returned to the country.
He said he recently returned with three artefacts from the United States and that in future, Nigeria will seek to have joint exhibitions of the artefacts with some museums in the West.
“We are looking at having new museums in Benin City of international standard that will house these artefacts,” he said.

 

Director of the 15th edition of Iran International Documentary Film Festival, also known as Cinema Vérité, Mohammad Hamidi-Moqaddam, said some parts of this international cinematic event will be held in Charsou Cineplex in Tehran and the rest will be held online.
Hamidi-Moqaddam reiterated that, “Considering the general vaccination and reopening of cinemas, the Festival Policy Council has decided to hold the festival in both online and in-person formats,” irandocfest.ir wrote.
He added that “since we had a successful experience in holding the 14th edition of the festival in an online format, the infrastructure of online platforms was fully prepared and ready for this edition,” he added.
“Due to air pollution in Tehran, traffic and observance of health protocols, we recommend that those interested in documentary cinema see the festival through platforms,” he added.
Iran’s Cinema Vérité, to be held from December 9 to 16, is organized by the Documentary and Experimental Film Center (DEFC), which is the largest center for production, distribution and promotion of documentary, animated and experimental films in the Middle East.
The Iranian festival aims to promote creative documentaries and reinforce the link between documentary cinema and social facts and events.
 

Iran’s acclaimed film, ‘The Recess,’ directed by Navid Nikkhah-Azad, won an Honorable Mention at the 11th Sarno Film Festival (SFF) in Italy.
The film’s screening was its 64th international experience, ISNA reported.
The 12-minute film is the story of a 17-year-old school girl who runs away from school to watch the football match of her beloved club.
Along with three of her friends, Sahar is planning to leave school during the break in order to watch the match between Esteghlal FC and Al Ain FC at Azadi Sports Complex.
Mozhan Kordi, Reyhaneh Naieean, Niloufar Shokouhinia, and Ghazal Khalili are among the cast.
The Iranian film has won many awards including the Best Short Film Award at the Oxford Film Festival (OxFilm) in Mississippi, the Best Short Film Award from the Progeny Short Film Festival in Virginia, the Best Dramatic Short Film Award at the 15th San Francisco Frozen Film Festival, and the Best Short Film Award at the Johns Hopkins Film Festival, and the IndieFEST Film Awards, all held in the United States, the Best Performance Award at the 33rd Living Skies Student Film Festival in Canada, plus the Best Short Fiction Film Award at the 5th International Photography and Short Movie Festival (IPSMF) in Indonesia.