News No 107
Monday
22nd April 2013

Archive

The Gardener and retrospective of Mohsen Makhmalbaf in Norway

Kosmorama international film festival which is held from 15 - 21 of April in Norway every year, has devoted its special program to Mohsen Makhmalbaf and its works.

The Gardener, Makhmalbaf’s latest film, alongside some of his previous works like Gabbeh, Salam Cinema, A Moment of Innocence and Silence went on screen during the festival.

Mohsen and Maysam Makhmalbaf attended the screening of The Gardener, which was led by a speech by Dr. Hamid Dabashi and Bahman Ghobadi about the significance of Makhmalbaf's works.

Later, Mohsen and Maysam Makhmalbaf took part in the seminar held by the festival on the Iranian cinema and Mohsen Makhmalbaf spoke about the roles of filmmakers in Iranian society.

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A full house for "The Gardener" at Rotterdam Film Festival

“The Gardener” by Mohsen Makhmalbaf went on screen at Rotterdam international film festival in Netherlands. The 42nd edition of the festival is held from 23 of January to 3 of february 2013 in the city of Rotterdam.

After the press screening of “The Gardener” on 25th, the three public screening of the film were quickly sold out.

Mohsen and Maysam Makhmalbaf attended the festival for the European premiere of the film and took part in the Q&A session after the screenings.

“The Gardener” has so far been screened in various countries in Asia including Korea, Lebanon, Japan, Georgia and India. The film is invited to many more international film festivals across the globe and it will continue its journey to France, Norway, Hong Kong, Brazil, Armenia, Kazakistan, England, America and... in the coming months.


Click the link to watch the trailer of the film THE GARDENER

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Samira Makhmalbaf head of the jury at Göteborg film festival

The 36th edition of Göteborg international film festival which is held from the 25th of January till the 4th of February in Sweden has invited Samira Makhmalbaf as the head of the jury panel to decide on one of the largest cinematic award in the world.

The competition section of the festival consist of films from north Europe which are competing for the main award of €100,000. This huge cash award is to be equally split between the production company and the director of the winning film. The aim behind the award, is for the festival to take an active part in promoting future films of high artistic quality from the Nordic countries (Finland, Iceland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark).

Göteborg international film festival, has also screened Samira Makhmalbaf’s movies “Blackboard”, “At 5 in the afternoon”, “Two-Legged Horse” in its previous editions. Over the years Samira Makhmalbaf has been member of the jury in several prestigious film festivals like, Cannes, Venice, Berlin, San Sebastian.... as well as heading the jury in Montreal international film festival in 2003.

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Retrospective of Makhmalbaf family in India

The birth candle of Kochi International Film Festival in India was lit by Makhmalbaf family this December.

The first edition of the week-long Kochi International Film Festival (KIFF) got off by paying tribute to the Makhmalbaf family. The films Kandahar, Salam Cinema, A Moment of Innocence, The Gardener by Mohsen Makhmalbaf and Two-Legged Horse by Samira Makhmalbaf , The Day I Became a Woman and Stray Dogs by Marziyeh Meshkiny, Buddha Collapsed Out Of Shame by Hana Makhmalbaf and How Samira Made the Blackboard by Maysam Makhmalbaf were screened in the course of the festival.

Also during the festival Mohsen and Maysam Makhmalbaf both held master classes on various subject in cinema for the film students and professionals participating in the Kochi International Film Festival 2012.

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Success of "The Gardener" by Mohsen Makhmalbaf across India

After the great success of “The Gardener” by Mohsen Makhmalbaf in Mumbai Film festival in India, the film is being invited to other film festivals in different cities of the country.
Following Mumbai “The Gardener” goes on screen in the 17th edition of International Film Festival of Kerala which takes place from 7 to 14th of December 2012 at Trivandrum the capital city of Kerala in India.
After that the third festival of The Gardener in India will be at Chennai film festival which is held between 13 to 20th of December in the city of Chennai.
The forth screening of the film in India will be in Kochi Film festival which takes place from 15 to 22nd of December in city of Cochin.
''The Gardener'' has so far been screened in Busan International Film Festival in South Korea, Tokyo Filmex in Japan, as well as taking part in competition section of Beirut International Film Festival where the film has won the “Golden Award” of this festival.
The actor, Maysam Makhmalbaf, will accompany the film during these festivals in India.

Click the link to watch the trailer of the film THE GARDENER

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Mohsen Makhmalbaf head of the Jury at Tbilisi film festival in Georgia

The 13th edition of Tbilisi International Film Festival which is held from 3rd to 9th of December in Georgia has invited Mohsen Makhmalbaf as the head of its international jury, this year.

The oscar winner Christopher Hampton Writer-Director , Dinara Drukarova Russian actress and Nicolas Wadimoff the film director from switzerland will be joining Mohsen Makhmalbaf on the panel of jury.

Tbilisi International Film Festival is also holding a retrospective of the Makhmalbaf families films this year.

‘The Gardener’ and ‘Salam Cinema’ by Mohsen Makhmalbaf, ‘The day I Became A Woman’ by Marziyeh Meshkiny, ‘How Samira Made the Blackboard’ by Maysam Makhmalbaf and The Korean Documentary ‘ A Filmmaker to Afghanistan’ which is about the cinematic, educational and human right activities of Makhmalbaf family in Afghanistan will also be screened.

The 2012 edition of the festival will come to an end by screening of Mohsen Makhmalbaf’s Salam Cinema at the closing ceremony on 9th of December.

Click the link to watch the trailer of the film THE GARDENER

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Samira Makhmalbaf jury of Etiuda & Anima International Film Festival in Poland

Etiuda & Anima International Film Festival which is held from 23rd to 29th of November in Kraków of Poland, has invited Samira Makhmalbaf as a member of its international jury for its 19th edition this year.
Etiuda & Anima is the oldest film festival in Poland which screens the achievements of students of film and art schools from all over the world, as well as works of fine-art animation films creators: professionals, students, as well as independent producers.

The Festival is also screening Samira Makhmalbaf’s film “The Blackboards” as well as the documentary “How Samira Made the Blackboards” by Maysam Makhmalbaf during this year of the festival.

So far Samira Makhmalbaf has made four features films as well as one short film. With her first film “The Apple”, at the age of 17, Samira holds the record for the youngest director ever to have entered the official section of Cannes Film Festival.

Also twice consecutively, she has won the “Jury Grand Award” of the main competition section of Cannes film festival for her films titled “The blackboards” and “At five in the afternoon”.

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Makhmalbaf’s "The Gardener" at Tokyo Filmex International Film Festival

''The Gardener'', Mohsen Makhmalbaf's most recent creation will be screened at Tokyo Filmex international film festival which is held from November 23rd to 2nd of December 2012 in Japan.


The film takes place in the cities of Jerusalem, Haifa, and Acre in Israel.

''The Gardener'' illustrates the clash between two Iranian generations regarding their perspectives on the positive and negative effects of religion on society. Makhmalbaf and his son, Maysam, represent each of these generations in the film as actors.

''The Gardener'' has so far been screened in Busan International Film Festival in South Korea, Mumbai Film festival in India as well as taking part in competition section of Beirut International Film Festival where the film has won the “Golden Award” of this festival.

Click the link to watch the trailer of the film THE GARDENER Trailer

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Samira Makhmalbaf jury of Amsterdam International Documentary Film Festival

International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) which is held in Netherlands every November, has invited Samira Makhmalbaf as a member of international jury for its 25th edition this year.
International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam is considered as one of the greatest and most influential documentary festivals of the world.
Before this Samira Makhmalbaf has been a member of the jury in several prestigious international film festivals like Cannes, Venice, Berlin, San Sebastián, Montréal, Locarno, Moscow, Mumbai, Qatar, Sao Paulo international film festival and many more...
IDFA, the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, was founded in 1983, and is unique for its international film program featuring a wide variety of documentary genres with political and socially conscious themes.
IDFA programmes some 250 new documentaries divided among more than twelve programmes, including five competition programmes in which films are rewarded with cash prizes.

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Samira Makhmalbaf jury of Doclisboa Film Festival in Portugal

Doculisboa film festival which is held in Lisbon of Portugal every October, has invited Samira Makhmalbaf as a member of international jury for its 10th edition this year.
Samira Makhmalbaf will be joined on the panel by Cahiers du Cinéma writer and cinema historian Jean-Pierre Rehm and Celeste Araújo the Spanish Journalist.
The 2012 competition section of the Doclisboa Film Festival will have a selection of films from new and established filmmakers across the world competing to receive its main award.

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“The Gardener” by Mohsen Makhmalbaf in Mumbai Film Festival

Mohsen Makhmalbaf’s “The Gardener” was screened in 14th edition of Mumbai Film Festival, which take place from 18 - 25 of October in India every year, and received a warm reception by the audience and the critics.
The Gardener Makhmalbaf’s latest creation, has so far been screened in Busan Film Festival in South Korea as well as taking part in the competition section of Beirut Film Festival where the film won the “Golden Award” of the festival.
The Gardener is a poetic Docufiction film which is shot in cities of Jerusalem, Haifa and Acre in Israel.The story of the film is about the clashes between two Iranian generations regarding their perspective on the positive and negative effects of religion on society.
Part of the film is shot in beautiful gardens of the Bahai faith which their designs are inspired by the ones of persian carpet. Mohsen and Maysam Makhmalbaf both also play parts in the film as actors.

Click the link to watch the trailer of the film THE GARDENER Trailer

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Variety review (The Gardener)

The Gardener
(Documentary - Iran)
By RICHARD KUIPERS

A Makhmalbaf Film House production. (International sales: M-Line Distribution, Seoul.)
Produced by Makhmalbaf Film House. Directed, written by Mohsen Makhmalbaf.
With: Maysam Makhmalbaf, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Ririva Eona Mabi, Paula Asadi, Guillaume Nyagatare, Tjireya Tjitendero Juzgado, Ian David Huang, Bal Kumari Gurung.
(Farsi, English dialogue)
Exiled Iranian filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf and his son Maysam debate the personal and political roles of religion in entertaining docu "The Gardener." Taking their cameras into the magnificent gardens of the Baha'i Faith's headquarters in Haifa and Akka, Israel, father and son gather testimony from followers of the peace-promoting denomination and combine it with their own reflections to produce a stimulating and highly accessible cinematic conversation. Although theatrical exposure will be limited following the pic's world premiere at Busan, the docu looks certain to enjoy a long fest life, and is a perfect fit for niche broadcast outlets.
Announcing in voiceover narration that he does not subscribe to Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Baha'i or any other religion, Mohsen chooses to film in the epicenter of a worldwide faith claiming 6 million members. Baha'i originated in Persia 170 years ago, and its adherents suffer persecution and exclusion in contempo Iran. Central to Baha'i is the need for peace, and the proposition that its founding figures, the Bab and Baha'u'llah, are but the most recent in a line of messengers, like Jesus and Buddha, who have delivered the word of God.
Wisely giving auds just the basics of Baha'i to get the ball rolling, Makhmalbaf Sr. decides on a filming strategy. He will look for positive aspects with his camera, and Maysam will probe for negatives. From time to time, a third camera will film them discussing their findings.
The simple technique works wonderfully well. For Mohsen, this means spending time with Eona, a believer from Papua New Guinea whose dreams have come true with a job tending the garden at Haifa. Elsewhere, Maysam hits a funny snag when he encounters an extremely enthusiastic woman who relates her story of discovering Baha'i, and joyously makes hard-to-criticize statements such as, "We are all flowers of one garden and leaves of one tree."
Expanding their lively debate on the pros and cons of Baha'i, Mohsen and Maysam consider the question of religion's role in peace, war and politics. Mohsen finds that faith is such a powerful force, it is worth having for the good it can create. Sticking to the devil's advocate role assigned by his dad, Maysam declares whatever good there might be in religion has been corrupted beyond repair by groups such as the Taliban.
Leaving the garden to expand on his thoughts, Maysam enters Jerusalem. While filming devotees praying at the Western Wall, he pessimistically wonders how it came to be that one of the most sacred sites in Judaism is located so close to the similarly important Al-Asqua mosque of the Islamic religion.
With their civilized discussion and amusing asides about the making and marketing of docus, the Makhmalbafs succeed in entertaining and engaging auds who are interested in the question of why people seek religion, and are willing to listen to all sides of a story.
Color-saturated lensing of superb foliage is pleasing to the eye, although frequent grainy, black-and-white aerial shots of the garden don't add much to the experience. Subtle, well-positioned music by Paul Collier rounds out a pro tech package.

Camera (color/B&W, HD), Maysam Makhmalbaf; editor, Maysam Makhmalbaf; music, Paul Collier; sound (Dolby Digital), Asad Rezai. Reviewed at Busan Film Festival (Gala Presentations), Oct. 8, 2012. Running time: 87 MIN.

Click here for Variety review

Click the link to watch the trailer of the film THE GARDENER Trailer

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"The Gardener" of Makhmalbaf wins the Golden award of Beirut Film Festival

The 12th annual Beirut International Film Festival presented its Golden award for Best Film to Mohsen Makhmalbaf’s latest creation, “The Gardener”.

Mohsen Makhmalbaf, who at the time of the presentation of this award was at the Busan International Film Festival in South Korea, sent a visual message to the audience in Lebanon. In this message he says “I would like to dedicate ‘The Gardener’ and this important award from the Beirut International Film Festival to all those people who are working around the world for peace and who are striving to prevent wars which are the causes of destruction committed in the name of God".
“The Gardener” is a poetic documentary made in the cities of Jerusalem, Haifa, and Akká in Israel. It is the story of a debate between two Iranian generations; it is about the positive and negative aspects of religion. The film also sheds light on the beauty of the Bahá’í gardens. According to critics at Busan Festival, “The Gardener” is reminiscent of Gabbeh and the Silence. They have praised the poetic simplicity and the peace-loving message of the film.

To see visual message, Click here

Click the link to watch the trailer of the film THE GARDENER Trailer

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Makhmalbaf's latest film "The Gardener" at Busan and Beirut International film festival

'The Gardener', Mohsen Makhmalbaf's most recent creation, was filmed in Israel in the cities of Haifa and Jerusalem. 'The Gardener' will premiere at the 17th Busan International Film Festival, to be held October 4 - 13, 2012. Following Busan the film goes on screen in Beirut Film Festival on the 9th of October 2012 in Lebanon.

The film illustrates the clash between two Iranian generations regarding their perspectives on the positive and negative effects of religion on society. Makhmalbaf and his son, Maysam, represent each of these generations.
'The Gardener' is also an exploration of the principles and beliefs of the Baha'i Faith, a religion that originated around 170 years ago in Iran and counts today with millions of followers throughout the world.
"Many of us Iranians," says Makhmalbaf, "know more about religions and schools of thought from Indian, Chinese, or Japanese origin than religions that have grown out of Iran. Maybe this has been willed by censorship. 'The Gardener' is an attempt to break this censorship."

Click the Link to watch the trailer of the film THE GARDENER Trailer

To see the Movie Page Click here

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