Iranian Documentary Maker Mojgan Ilanlou Arrested Briefly As Islamic Regime Escalates Crackdown On Dissent

Naman Ramachandran Tarsem Singh Dhandwar, the filmmaker previously known simply as Tarsem, is returning to the big screen and to his roots with “Dear Jassi,” which has its world premiere Toronto Film Festival Sept. 10. The new film is set in the 1990s and based on a real-life incident.

With Tatami, Golda helmer Guy Nattiv and Holy Spider star Zar Amir have crafted what’s billed as the first feature co-directed by an Israeli and an Iranian. The film, which bowed in the Horizons section here in Venice, is a sports drama with stakes that are far higher than winning or losing a match.

Police have responded to rumours that escaped prisoner and the country's most wanted man Daniel Khalife has been arrested.

Marta Balaga Venice Film Festival’s red carpet swapped glamour for politics on Saturday, hosting a flash mob in solidarity with the Iranian people, fighting against repression, as well as filmmakers who are being oppressed – and arrested – because of their work. Such as “Leila’s Brothers” director Saeed Roustaee, recently sentenced to six months in prison for showing the film in Cannes. He has also been banned from making movies.

Marta Balaga “Holy Spider” breakout Zar Amir Ebrahimi and Guy Nattiv are set to make history with “Tatami,” the first feature co-directed by an Iranian and an Israeli filmmaker. Premiering in Venice Film Festival’s Horizons section, “Tatami” shows Iranian female judo fighter Leila (played by “The L Word: Generation Q” star Arienne Mandi) heading to the world championships with her coach Maryam (Ebrahimi). Soon, they receive an ultimatum: in order to avoid squaring off against an Israeli opponent, Leila should immediately fake an injury and drop out.

Who can forget the delightful hitchhiking scene in It Happened One Night, or Clarence the angel earning his wings in It’s a Wonderful Life, or Mr. Smith collapsing in the midst of his epic filibuster in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington?

Ali Asgari, whose latest film “Terrestrial Verses” (co-directed by Alireza Khatami) world premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, has been banned by the Iranian authorities from leaving the country and directing movies until further notice. The sole Iranian movie to play in Cannes Official Selection this year, “Terrestrial Verses” earned a warm critical response at the festival, where it played in Un Certain Regard, and was sold by Films Boutique around the world.

EXCLUSIVE: The Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival – the country’s longest running all-documentary festival – is preparing to launch an innovative new Filmmaker Forum.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Chinese filmmaker Wang Bing is this year’s Guest of Honor at IDFA, which holds its 36th edition from Nov. 8 to 19 in Amsterdam. IDFA is also honoring filmmaker and artist Peter Greenaway with a Lifetime Achievement Award, a selective retrospective and an extensive on-stage talk.

Addie Morfoot Contributor A feature length documentary about the 2021 fatal overdose of TV relationship expert Dr. Laura Berman’s teenage son is in production via Steven Cantor’s Stick Figure Entertainment and Rubber Ring Films.Berman’s 16-year-old son, Sammy Chapman, died after taking a pill he bought through Snapchat that was laced with fentanyl.

Richard Shepard (“Ugly Betty,” “Girls,” “The Perfection,” “Welcome to Chippendales”) has announced his latest project, a documentary titled “Film Geek,” which will premiere on Sept. 22 at the American Cinematheque in Los Angeles.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent New York-based sales company Visit Films has boarded “Achilles,” the Iran-set feature debut of Farhad Delaram, a promising filmmaker whose short “Tattoo” won the Crystal Bear in the Generation 14plus at Berlin in 2019. “Achilles” is set to world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, followed by a European premiere at San Sebastian. The film follows Farid –nicknamed Achilles– a former filmmaker turned orthotic doctor, who works nights in Iran’s capital.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent The upcoming Venice Film Festival has announced it will hold a flash mob on the red carpet in solidarity with the women and men of Iran “who are fighting for their freedom and against the ongoing repression” and also “the filmmakers and artists who have been arrested or imprisoned,” the fest said in a statement on Friday. Festival organizers specified that the flash mob is partly in reaction to the conviction earlier this month in Iran of director Saeed Roustaee (pictured), who was sentenced to six months in prison for showing his latest film “Leila’s Brothers” at last year’s Cannes Film Festival and banned from making movies. Roustaee had been in the Venice Horizons section in 2019 with the film “Just 6.5.” Venice also held a red carpet flash mob last year in solidarity with then incarcerated auteur Jafar Panahi.

Rojek, writer-director Zaynê Akyol’s documentary that attempts to trace the beginning, rise and fall of the Islamic State through the personal stories of its members and their wives incarcerated in prison camps, was selected Thursday by Canada to represent the country in the 2024 Oscar Best International Feature Film race.

Paris Fury, the wife of professional boxer Tyson Fury, has announced she is releasing a new book following the success of their recent Netflix series. The couple let the cameras into their home for the very first time as they signed up for their own docuseries, At Home With The Furys.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Alireza Khatami, the Iranian director who co-helmed “Terrestrial Verses” — which denounced the country’s authority and was the only film from Iran at Cannes this year — is directing “Things That You Kill,” a political drama about the patriarchy set in Turkey and featuring a starry cast. Shooting recently wrapped in Turkey on Khatami’s new film, which stars Turkish A-listers Ekin Koç (“Burning Days”), Erkan Kolçakköstendil (“Familya,” “Magnificent Century: Kosem”), Hazar Ergüçlü (“The Protector”) and Ercan Kesal (“Once Upon a Time in Anatolia,” “The Three Monkeys”).

Scientist Yewande Biala is one of the smartest people to have been on Love Island. With a first-class honours degree in biotechnology and a masters in pharmaceutical quality assurance, she walked into the villa in 2019 looking to discover the perfect formula for love. It didn’t work out, but now the 28-year-old is applying all that brain power to a documentary exploring the secrets of the female orgasm.

After glamour model Katie Price sensationally said last week that she’d rather be "put in prison" than go to court next month, an insider source revealed that the mum-of-five believes a stint behind bars will relaunch her career. "Katie’s adamant that a stint in prison will relaunch her career," they exclusively told OK! this week. "She believes it’ll be her route to book deals, behind bars-style documentaries, television interviews." Speaking on Michelle Visage’s Rule Breaker podcast last week, Katie, 45, described a prison sentence as a "win-win" in regards to the future rewards she sees herself reaping.

Icarus Films has taken North American rights to Youth (Spring), the newest feature from Venice prizer winner Wang Bing, which earlier this year became one of the first documentaries admitted to Cannes’ main competition in decades. A release date has not yet been disclosed.

An Iranian filmmaker and his producer reportedly face prison time and being barred from filmmaking after they showcased a movie at the Cannes Film Festival without government approval, drawing immediate criticism internationally from leading American director Martin Scorsese and others.