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Poem of the day
I N T E R N AT I O N A L D A I L Y
A flower-tinted cheek, the flowery close
Of the fair earth, these are enough for me.
http://www.tehrantimes.com/culture
Hafez
No. 18, Bimeh Lane, Nejatollahi St., Tehran, Iran
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SINCE 1979
NEWS
Doc explores nostalgia for
old days of Tehran street
By: Afshin Majlesi
TEHRAN — A documentary exploring the nostalgic recollections of residents on Si-e Tir Street in downtown
Tehran was screened for journalists and critics at Milad
Tower on Monday, the first day of the 34th Fajr Film Festival.
In “Residents of a One-Way Street”, six elderly residents recount their memories of the old days on the
street, which was called Qavam os-Saltaneh Street before the victory of the 1979 Islamic Revolution in 1979.
“The urban area is the focal concept behind all the
films that I have ever made,” director Medhi Baqeri told
the Persian service of IRNA after the screening of the film.
“Residents of a One-Way Street” turns the spotlight
on the people’s recollections of the events that occurred
on the street and of historical buildings nearby, Baqeri
explained.
However, such approaches form bilateral relationships
between the filmmaker and the residents who are willing
to share their impressions, Baqeri added.
The street located between City Park to the south and
Jomhuri Avenue to the north was originally named after Ahmad Qavam (1876-1955) -- Qavam os-Saltaneh,
a politician who served as prime minister of Iran several
times.
The documentary also chronicles the history of places
including a mosque, a church, a hospital, a synagogue,
a Zoroastrian fire temple, a bookstore, a sports club, a
movie theater, a confectionary and Ahmad Qavam’s residence that currently is home to the Abgineh Museum.
A production of Iran’s Documentary and Experimental
Film Center, “Residents of a One-Way Street” is competing with ten other documentaries in the Cinéma Vérité
Section.
“Blind Spot” directed by Mehdi Golestaneh and “It Occurred at Midnight” by Tina Pakravan, “A Very Ordinary
Citizen” by Majid Barzegar and “Coquetry” by Seyyed
Jalal Dehqani were among the movies that went on
screen on Monday and Tuesday.
Winners will be announced at the closing ceremony
on February 11.
NEWS IN BRIEF
Tehran Symphony
Orchestra to perform
“Neynava”
A
d
e
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T TEHRAN – Composer Hossein
k Alizadeh’s 1983 hit “Neynava”
will embellish the repertoire of the Tehran Symphony Orchestra Tehran at the 31st Fajr International Music Festival.
The orchestra will perform under the baton
of maestro Ali Rahbari at Tehran’s Vahdat Hall
on February 10.
Ney (reed flute) virtuosos Siamak Jahangiri
and Hossein Khoshchehreh are scheduled to
join the orchestra for the concert.
The 31st Fajr International Music Festival will
be held in Tehran from February 10 to 20.
Prayer Times
Noon:12:18
Evening: 17:52
Dawn: 5:37 (tomorrow)
Sunrise: 7:03 (tomorrow)
Printed at: Kayhan - ISSN: 1017-94
Germany’s “Hamlet”
crowned best at Fajr theater festival
A
d
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s
T TEHRAN — William Shakespeare’s
k
masterpiece “Hamlet” staged by renowned German director Thomas Ostermeier won the
grand prix of the international competition at the 34th
Fajr International Theater Festival in Tehran on Monday.
The play produced by the Schaubühne company was
performed three times at Vahdat Hall during the festival.
The play’s star, Lars Eidinger, received the best actor
award for playing the role of Hamlet.
Earlier last week, Ostermeier, who has staged “Hamlet”
in several countries, said that the play underwent massive
changes to be performed in Iran.
Hosting Ostermeier’s troupe has cost the festival
€75,000, half of which will be covered by the German Embassy in Tehran, the Persian service of MNA announced
quoting an organizer of the event.
The jury special award went to Iranian director Shahab Aagaahi for staging Henrik Ibsen’s “When We Dead
Awaken”.
Vahdat Hall hosted the closing ceremony, which began with a speech by the Iranian Minister of Culture and
Islamic Guidance, Ali Jannati who said that theater is one
of Iranian government’s main priorities.
Iman Afsharian from Iran won the award for best director for an adaptation of Russian novelist Feodor Dostoevsky’s “Crime and Punishment”, which also brought
the best actress award to Sudeh Sharhi.
Makeup artist Maria Hajiha also was honored for her
collaboration in the production.
The award for best playwright was presented to Amin
Ebrahimi from Iran for “A Song for You”.
Best set designer award went to Reza Guran for Norwegian dramatist Jon Fosse’s “Nightsongs” (“Natta syng
sine songar”) from Iran while Ehsan Falahatpisheh won
the best costume designer award for “Journey to Far End”.
The best composer award went to Ahmad Hamidian
A scene
from
“Hamlet”
for his collaboration in “The Scene of Sacrificing Sanmar”.
Performances in the international competition were
judged by a jury composed of Stefan Schmid from Germany, Jerzy Limon from Poland, Oleg Loevski from Russia, and Masud Delkhah and Farrindokht Zahedi from
Iran.
The winners in the national completion were also announced at the ceremony.
Shahbeddin Hosseinpur was picked as best director
for “The Lady’s Pistol” while writer/director Sanaz Bayan
won the award for best dramatist for “Deliberately, Romantically, Ruthlessly”.
Fariba Motakhasses received the best actress award
for her collaboration in “The Lady’s Pistol” and “There
Was No One to Awaken Us”. The best actor award went
to Mohammadreza Solati for “Darkness” and “Cold Fever
on a Hot Forehead”.
Reza Mehdizadeh won the best set designer award
for “Terror” and “There Was No One to Awaken Us”.
“There Was No One to Awaken Us” and “The Lady’s
Pistol” won Paridokht Abedin-nejad the award for best
costume designer and “Terror” brought Saeid Zehni the
best composer award.
Samin Salek won the best makeup artist award for
“The Stories of Mianrudan”.
Book series linking life to law unveiled in Tehran
C U L T U R E TEHRAN — A book series linking life
d e s k
to law was unveiled at the National Library and Archives of Iran (NLAI) on Monday.
“Law and Life” comprising six books has been authored by Mohsen Esmaeili, one of the six lawyers of Iran’s
Guardian Council.
Published by Nashr-e Shahr Publications, the collection centers on law and its relations with life, media and
civil life, the Persian service of MNA reported on Tuesday.
The unveiling ceremony was attended by a large number of officials including NLAI Director Seyyed Reza Salehi-Amiri, Majlis Speaker Ali Larijan, Head of Presidential
Office Mohammad Nahavandian, and Department of
Islamic Sciences of the Academy of Sciences of Iran Director Mostafa Mohaqeq-Damad.
In his short speech, Mohaqeq-Damad said, “People
who are far from human rights and civil rights will not be
happy. Ignoring rights and regulations in running a counPICTURE OF THE DAY
Mohsen Esmaeili speaks during the unveiling ceremony of his book
series “Law and Life” at the National Library and Archives of Iran
in Tehran on February 1, 2016.
(Mehr/Arshideh Shahangi)
try is not a proper act.”
“We need people like Esmaeili in our country that is
both bound to religious principles and has mastery over
his verbal skills,” Nahavandian next said.
“Our society needs jurisprudents that can present
solutions for development in the world of today, and we
see this in individuals like Esmaeili,” he asserted.
Expressing his thanks to the NLAI director for his efforts in organizing the event, Esmaeili said, “I am a lawyer, but I must say that law cannot solve the problems in
society on its own. If law is not accompanied by morality,
it would be like bitter medicine that people avoid using.
“We are responsible for building up the world with
things like law and morality, and both of them need the
sovereignty of law, a law along with morality,” he explained.
The ceremony was brought to an end by honoring
Esmaiali for his lifetime efforts.
MEHR/Ashraf Tabatabai
Adele tops
Billboard
Tehran photo exhibit
to spotlight Indian
customs
A
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T TEHRAN – A collection of
k photos displaying aspects of
customs, beliefs and life styles of Indian people will be showcased in an exhibition, which
will open at the Persian Idea Gallery on Friday.
The collection entitled “Shanthi” has been
created by Iranian photographer Mohammadreza Qeidi, who has been living in India
over the past few years.
The exhibit will run until February 10 at the
gallery located at 28 Allahverdi-Azar Alley,
Kolahduz St., Shariati Ave.
Fajr poetry festival
holds meeting in
Kabul
C U L T U R E TEHRAN – The 10th Fajr
d e s k International Poetry Festival
organized a poetry session in Kabul on
Monday.
Iranian poets Nasser Feiz, Alireza Qazveh,
Esmaeil
Amini
and
Mohammad-Javad
Shahmoradi recited poetry at the meeting.
They will stay in Kabul for a few days to
visit some Afghan cultural figures and to hold
other meetings to discuss the status of Persian
poetry in the world.
Director Ebrahim Hatamikia (L) reads a newspaper in the lobby of Milad Tower’s theater in Tehran during the 34th Fajr Film Festival on February
1, 2016. His political drama “Bodyguard” is competing in the festival, which runs until February 11. An unidentified person can also be seen
in the photo.
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) — British singer Adele regained the top spot on Monday
on the weekly U.S. Billboard 200 chart, while
R&B star Rihanna’s latest record sold less
than 500 copies after a million copies were
given away for free, making them ineligible
for Billboard charts.
Adele’s record-breaking “25” is still seeing strong sales three months after its release with 116,000 total units sold in the past
week, comprising album and song sales and
streaming activity, according to figures from
Nielsen SoundScan.
Rihanna’s eighth album “Anti” was released on January 27 exclusively on online
music platform Tidal, which charges users
upwards of $10 a month. It was released on
all other digital platforms, including iTunes
and Amazon, two days after the Tidal exclusive.
“Anti” sold under 500 albums but through
a deal with Samsung, a million copies were
offered free to fans who signed up for Tidal
membership, making them ineligible for Billboard charts rankings, which does not count
sales of albums priced under $3.49.
It is likely to climb the chart next week
after a full week of sales and release of the
physical album in stores on Friday.
Decades old British comedy show “Dad’s Army” gets cinema reboot
LONDON (Reuters) — Popular British
television show “Dad’s Army” gets a cinema reboot this week in a new comedy hoping to garner the same laughs
the sitcom did nearly 40 years after it
ended.
The BBC show, running from 1968
to 1977, followed the antics of an
incompetent Home Guard platoon
in the fictional English town of
Walmington-on-Sea during World War
II.
It is now a TV re-run stalwart.
In the new film, starring Catherine
Zeta-Jones, Michael Gambon, Bill Nighy
and Toby Jones, the platoon is faced
with a spy threat.
Jones, who plays the pompous
Captain Mainwaring, said he was not
originally interested in taking part in the
reboot until other cast members were
revealed.
“‘Good luck with that, I hope it all
works out for you. That sounds like a
really bad idea to me. That’s my first
response to that,” he told Reuters in an
interview when asked about when he
first heard about the project.
“(Producers later said) ‘Well we have
found these actors’ and that’s when I go
‘Ah alright, hang on I want to be part
of it’”.