IRAN October 2016 Issue No.2 FOCUS A LOOK AT REAL IRAN IN WEEKLY NEWS CULTURAL CONSULATE OF EMBASSY OF I.R. IRAN – PRETORIA 2 Introduction: Iran: A concise History “Certain regions of the world are distinguishable as being associated with a particular human culture pattern, which is at once distinctive in character and also sufficiently strong to have survived as a readily identifiable entity over many centuries… Of these regions, Iran is certainly one”. Cambridge History of Iran Known as Persia until 1935, Iran is a country with a history of over 10000 years and home to one of the oldest known civilizations. Persia, or Iran, as the country is more appropriately called, presents a lexicon of human history matched only by a handful of other countries in the world. The name Persia is derived from the Persis, a province in southern Iran from which a southern Iranian tribe, known as the “Persians” created a world empire in the sixth century B.C. The name Iran, pronounced “Eran”, however, comes from the term “Aryan” meaning “the land of nobles”, a name first used about the first millennium B.C. ‘Iran’ as a territory has multiple meanings. Broadly and devoid of any sort of political or territorial claims, one can see it as three regions. First, there is modern Iran, within its international borders. Then there is ‘Greater Iran or / ‘Iran exterieur comprising the additional areas that once formed part of the Iranian world at various times in history. Lastly, there are the areas, sometimes very remote from the center, including parts of Europe and India that exhibit Iranian influence. In the seventh century A.D. the new faith, Islam, which was based on Monotheism, offered the Iranian population an excellent opportunity whence for several centuries Iranian arts and acumen crystallized and became paramount in the Islamic world. The following centuries witnessed the development of distinctive traditions in pottery and ceramics, tile work, stucco, brickwork, metalwork, glassware, carpets, textiles, jewelry, music and poetry. In antiquity, and again during the Islamic period, Iran’s position between the West and China helped to transform this land into “a crossroad of civilizations” and one of the great sources of art and thought. Iran’s originality is such that it continuously invented new forms while maintaining its distinct character, as its influence extended over immense regions. 3 Content ART & CULTURE “Inadaptable” to compete in Vietnamese film festival Iranian docs on music to go on screen in Sweden Iranian films win awards at Beirut festival Iranian photojournalist honored with Bayeux-Calvados Award Dialogue with religions, cultures Iran top agenda: culture minister Iran’s stand at Frankfurt Book Fair to host discussions by intl. literati Nigerian festival awards Iranian films Iranian films won awards at Armenian festival London Sophia Gallery seeks to allay Iranophobia in Europe: manager “Salam Mumbai” producer invites Bollywood stars to Tehran premiere LACMA to showcase works by Iranian artist Ali-Akbar Sadeqi “Hura” wins NETPAC Award at All Lights festival “Tell Nothing”, “From Deceitful Age” honored at House of Music Celebration SOCIETY Nazri distribution, a centuries-old tradition in Iranian village Iran allots loans of up to $3,000 to bicycles, electric motorcycles Environment course to be taught at universities Iran ranks 6th in nanotechnology worldwide: official Iran-Germany environmental cooperation to pick up steam First aerial transfer of organ for a transplant in Iran Iranians welcome 1st online national census Over 5,000 South Koreans visit Iran yearly: official Iran’s first permanent handicrafts marketplace opens 4 Iran plans to halve plastic bags usage in 3 years Post-JCPOA tourist arrivals in Iran doubles global average Isfahan on track to become a city of bicycles Tehran to host high-profile hotel builders, investors Under visitors’ eyes: Blue Mosque in Tabriz ECONOMY Iran’s oil production rises 21,400 bpd in Sept.: OPEC Sweden to open trade office in Tehran Iranian crude to replace Saudi oil in Egypt OICA ranks Iran as 20th leading carmaker Permits for over 66,000 intl. flights issued in Iran in H1 Iran’s current account balance positive: IMF Iran’s oil exports around 2 mb/d in H1 3 airlines negotiating to launch direct flights to Tehran Tehran, Paris stress expansion of trade, industrial ties Iran’s H1 gas condensate exports up 25% y/y Iran plans to produce 360 tons of saffron in calendar year POLICY Zarif congratulates António Guterres as UN chief Morocco appoints new ambassador to Iran Tehran angry over Nigeria’s attacks on Ashura mourners Foreign Ministry pursuing policies of Economy of Resistance: FM Thailand, Turkey willing to expand scientific ties with Iran Erdogan calls Iran one of the most important regional players 5 Art & Culture 6 “Inadaptable” to compete in Vietnamese film festival October 14, 2016 TEHRAN – Iranian director Ebrahim Ebrahimian’s “Inadaptable” will be screened at the 4th Hanoi International Film Festival (HANIFF), which will be held in the Vietnamese capital from November 1 to 5. “Inadaptable”, which is about a university professor who comes under suspicion by his wife for disloyalty, will compete with films from India, Canada, Korea, Russia, Japan, France, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Iranian docs on music to go on screen in Sweden October 14, 2016 TEHRAN – Iranian documentaries “Crossed-Out Memories” by Nasser Saffarian and “Sassanid Enchanter” by Mehdi Baqeri will go on screen tonight during a program entitled “Love in Iranian Songs” in Uppsala, Sweden. “Crossed-Out Memories” is about love and hate in Iranian songs during the 2000s while “Sassanid Enchanter” traces the harp in ancient Iran. Ismahni, a Swedish professional harpist, is scheduled to perform at the event, which is organized by Atlas Labs, a Sweden-based Iranian film distributor. 7 Iranian films win awards at Beirut festival October 14, 2016 TEHRAN – Two Iranian films won awards at the 16th edition of the Beirut International Film Festival (BIFF), which was held in the Lebanese capital from October 5 to 13. “Pale Mirrors” directed by Salem Salavati shared the best short film award with “Motorcycle” by Mohammad Alholayyil from Saudi Arabia. “Pale Mirrors” tells the story of a woman who has only 24 hours to be pregnant. This might be her last chance to be a mother but her vague future has her confused. Iranian directors Farnaz and Mohammadreza Jurabchian received the best director award for the documentary “Overruled” while the best documentary film award went to “Robert” by Lebanese director Ghina Abboud. “Overruled” is about the lives of some young Afghan refugees in Iran. They work as ball boys in tennis clubs in Tehran, so they have learned how to play tennis. But the problem is they are not accepted in this society anyway and will always remain outsiders. 8 Iranian photojournalist honored with Bayeux-Calvados Award October 14, 2016 TEHRAN – Iranian photojournalist Hassan Qaedi has been honored with a prize at the 23rd edition of the Bayeux-Calvados Award for war correspondents. Qaedi who works for Sipa Press, an international photo agency, won the second prize for his collection entitled “War in Iraq: Al-Bashir Operation” in the official section of the competition, which is awarded by Nikon, the organizers announced last week. “I’m happy that my photos of war in Syria and Iraq had a good image and I could show part of the efforts that Muslim Iraqi soldiers are making in the war,” Qaedi said in a post published on his Instagram on Friday. The first prize in this category went to Yannis Behrakis of Reuters for his series “Aegean Sea” showing a group of Syrian refugees sailing on the Aegean Sea between Turkey and Greece. The collection also won the first prize in the Public’s Choice Award sponsored by the French Development Agency (AFD). Abd Doumany of AFP won the third prize for his collection “Makeshift Hospital in Douma” in Syria. Fifty war correspondents have gathered in Bayeux, France on October 7 and 8 to debate and award trophies in various categories. 9 Photos in the official section judged by an international jury, which was directed by Jean-Claude Guillebaud. “The Bayeux-Calvados Award for war correspondents offers a panoramic view of our profession and this is what makes this award so unique and precious,” Guillebaud said in a statement last week. Photo: A photo from Iranian photojournalist Hassan Qaedi’s series “War in Iraq”, which won the International Jury’s second prize at the 23rd edition of the Bayeux-Calvados Award Dialogue with religions, cultures Iran top agenda: culture minister October 14, 2016 TEHRAN – Iranian Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Ali Jannati has said dialogue with religions and cultures is Iran’s top agenda to help peace in the world. Speaking at the World Culture Forum, which was held in Bali, Indonesia from October 10 to 14, he said, “Due to its wealth of background in civilization and culture, my country always emphasizes the element of dialogue.” 10 Organizing bilateral meetings and festivals, as well as promoting translation movements, and making the educational systems of the countries more efficient can help dialogue among the nations, he added. He also said, “Culture is behind all individual and social behavior… and all our behavior, including political actions, is oriented by our culture.” The World Culture Forum (WCF) is an initiative organized by the Ministry of Education and Culture, Republic of Indonesia. The first edition of the meeting, also held in Bali during November 2013, was organized under the patronage of UNESCO to highlight the power of culture as the fourth dimension of sustainable development. Jannati also held a meeting with Indonesian Minister of Education and Culture Muhajir Effendi on the sidelines of his visit to Indonesia.