Understanding Persian Culture through Film

The Iranian Crystal Phoenix Award

Tehran-based film critic, festival organizer and director of Iranian Independents, Mohammad Atebbai joins a panel of scholars including Dr. Kaveh Ehsani, editor and Assistant Professor of International Studies, DePaul University, Chicago; Dr. Wimal Dissanayake, Professor of Intercultural Studies, University of Hawaii at Manoa, East West Center; Dr. Norma Claire Moruzzi, Associate Professor of Political Science (Gender and Women's Studies) and Director, International Studies Program, University of Illinois, Chicago; and Alissa Simon, film reviewer for VARIETY and senior film programmer for the Palm Springs International Film Festival. Topics of discussion include Iranian Film History, Contemporary Iranian Urban Society, Culturally Specific and Universal Experiences, and Women in Film and Society.

Generously co-sponsored by the Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute, AsiaPacificFilms, and NETPAC/USA

Persian HipHop 021 to LDN: Reveal Poison at TEDxBathUniversity

Reveal Poison

Reveal Poison is an Iranian born, London raised hip-hop artist, writer and ethnomusicologist. Growing up while travelling back and forth between such contrasting urban environments as Tehran and London has provided him with a sense of dual identity for most of his life. He is currently studying Mmus Ethnomusicology at SOAS.

www.myspace.com/revealpoison

In this TED Talk, Reveal Poison presents a short history of Iranian hip hop and Persian rap. In this account,  he talks about how underground Iranian rappers borrowed African-American rap but Iranified the tunes through employing Iranian musical instruments, tapping to old traditions of Persian poetry to write their  songs, and adding a Persian mystic colour to their music. Reveal Poison, in this presentation, speaks about the process of shaping Persian rap from the point of view of an insider, a short history of the foundation of Persian rap by a Persian-British rapper.

Amir Sadeghi Konjani: The Bone, Performance Art (2011)

Setareh Pessyani, Amir Sadeghi Konjani, Pegah Ahangarani

Amir Sadeghi Konjani, conceptual artiste, pianist and composer has received performances of his works by eminent musicians including the conductors Peter Manning, Gregory Rose , Andy Morely, violinist Darragh Morgan, harpist Sioned Williams, The Finzi Quartet, and the poet Ahmad Shamlou at prestigious venues such as The QEH London ,the Ether Festival , the USA and Canada, and on television broadcasts. Born in 1983, Amir received Masters Degree course under the tutelage of Dominic Murcott, Stephen Montague and Edward Jesson, and is the recipient of a scholarship from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. In 2005, the UNESCO National Music Committee of Iran selected him as a ‘notable composer’, and he was also an award winner at the 24th international Fadir Music Festival. His first CD released in 2009 worked with the well-known Iranianpoet Ahmad Shamlou on a creative presentation and subsequently produced further CD of contemporary music ”Metaphor till eternity” for the same Iranian company Mahoor. In recent years Amir’s work have been given much exposure both within Trinity, as well as further afield During 200910- he worked with harp players from Trinity on extended techniques, including experimenting with the use of a cello bow on the wire strings, and further exploration of sounds emanating from wire cello string tied between two harps, also played with a cello bow which has been presented at Royal Academy of Music.Concept and Composed by:Amir Sadeghi KonjaniCast:Pegah AhangaraniSetareh PesianiFlutists:Mona Taherian, Asal Hanachi, YaldaEhsani, Sachli haghighat talab,BaharBehzad, Sahar Jahantash, shararehsheikhan, shabnam sarmadi, FahimehNasiri,Shirin azadi, Elika Malek, Asalkheradyar, Pegah TaslimiPiano:Paria Shokouhi –Shahrzad SafaieCello:Maral MohammadiConsultant Director:Salar Salari, Maral Mohammadi, Amirhossein davani, Ankido Darash, FoadMokhberi, Mohsen RastegarProduction Designer:Amir Hosein Davani, Amir SadeghiKonjani, Ali SadeghiTechnical Director:Amir Hosein BabaianCostume Designer:Neda NasrPhotography:Salar SalariProducers:Maryam Sadeghi ,Aun Gallery andKh.A.V Group.Special Thanks to:Tansy Davies, Mira Calix, DominicMurcott, Nasim Bagheri, NooshinRahimi, Maryam Salari, NedaGhanizadeh, Mehran Danaie, Bahman Mazaheri. (From Aun Gallery)

Der Arzt Avicenna Ein Gelehrter aus Gondi Shapur (German)

Avicenna

   

Anatomy of the skeleton, attributed to Avicenna, 980-1037

 

A Taste of Rumi and Bach

Coleman Barks

Coleman Barks was born and raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and was educated at the University of North Carolina and the University of California at Berkeley. He taught poetry and creative writing at the University of Georgia for thirty years. He is the author of numerous Rumi translations and has been a student of Sufism since 1977. His work with Rumi was the subject of an hour-long segment in Bill Moyers's Language of Life series on PBS, and he is a featured poet and translator in Bill Moyers's poetry special, "Fooling with Words." Coleman Barks is the father of two grown children and the grandfather of four. He lives in Athens, Georgia. (From Barks' official website)

Ibn 'Arabi & Rumi - Teachings for the Modern World was presented by NEW YORK OPEN CENTER and the Muhyiddin Ibn 'Arabi Society.