Iran Showbiz Latest News and Updates

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Paris-based Cat&Docs has acquired world sales rights for “Grand Me” by Iranian filmmaker Atiye Zare Arandi. The documentary, about an Iranian girl in the middle of a custody battle, is set to world premiere in the NEXT:WAVE strand at CPH:DOX on March 18. Set in Esfahan, Iran, “Grand Me” follows Melina, who has lived with her grandparents since her parents’ divorce.

‘No travel’ warnings have been issued by the UK Foreign Office for 24 countries, which effectively means they are off-limits to UK travellers. On the list are some expected destinations as well as countries which may come as a surprise.

Editors note: Running until the final general election results come in, the Deadline ElectionLine podcast spotlights the 2024 campaign and the blurred lines between politics and entertainment in modern America. Hosted by Deadline’s political editor Ted Johnson and executive editor Dominic Patten, the podcast features commentary and interviews with top lawmakers and entertainment figures. At the same time, you can follow all the news in the Biden & Trump rematch and more on the ElectionLine hub on Deadline.

In a world where voices clamor for attention, the stories of remarkable women often shine the brightest. From journalism to advocacy, these six women are making waves, breaking barriers, and leaving indelible marks on the world stage. Their journeys, though diverse, are united by a common thread of courage, resilience, and unwavering commitment to positive change.

Isobel Yeung is joining CNN as an international correspondent in the network’s London bureau.

Dissident Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof has been sentenced to eight years in prison as well as flogging, a fine and confiscation of his property, his lawyer Babak Paknia announced in a post on X on Wednesday.

Anna Marie de la Fuente Multinational studio Dori Media Group (DMG) is presenting two episodes of its gripping new series “Amia” at the LA Screenings along with a notable lineup of scripted and unscripted series, encompassing various regions, languages and cultures. Filmed mostly in Uruguay as well as Argentina, “Amia” is inspired by the terror attacks of 1992 on the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires and in 1994 against its Argentinian Jewish community, specifically the Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina (AMIA), the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association. “Amia” tracks the journey of a Mossad operative grappling with the loss of his sister in the 1992 Embassy attack.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent New Dubai-based distribution and production studio The Plot Pictures is headed for the Cannes Marche du Film after snapping up Middle East, North Africa and Turkey (MENAT) rights to a slew of indie titles across different genres. They include “Locust,” a first feature film from Taiwanese American multidisciplinary artist Keff that is playing in Critics Week, and Nick Hamm’s epic “William Tell.” The Plot Pictures CEO Pratixa Shah and head of sales Ozge Conduroglu – who was previously with Starz Play Arabia – are assembling a slate spanning “different genres, regions, and languages,” as Shah put it in statement.

Alex Ritman Oscar nominees Kodi Smit-McPhee (“The Power of the Dog, “Maria”) and Djimon Hounsou (“Blood Diamond,” “A Quiet Place Part II”) are set to star in claustrophobic thriller “The Zealot.” The two-hander, being introduced to buyers in Cannes by WestEnd Films, comes from director Vadim Perelman (“House of Sand and Fog,” “Persian Lessons”) working from a screenplay by Bennett Fisher, and touches on themes involving privilege, paranoia, and the assumptions we make about one another. “The Zealot” follows Hassan, a Somali-American airport shuttle driver in Minneapolis, who is struggling to make ends meet. When Lloyd, a stranded twentysomething at the airport, offers to pay Hassan to take him overland to Chicago, it seems worth the risk.

Katcy Stephan Samuel Goldwyn Films has acquired worldwide rights to the documentary film “Somm: Cup of Salvation,” an exploration into the world of wine. “Cup of Salvation” is the fourth film in the “Somm” documentary series. It follows a father and daughter on a mission to resurrect the forgotten grapes of their Armenian homeland.

Tiffany Haddish hits back when she’s met with hate.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Iranian authorities are exerting heavy pressure on director Mohammad Rasoulof to pull his latest work “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” from the Cannes Film Festival by harassing the film’s producers and actors who have been summoned for questioning and banned from leaving the country. Human rights lawyer Babak Paknia, who is Rasoulof’s lawyer, said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that several unspecified actors and producers on “Sacred Fig” were summoned and questioned last week by authorities.

Vanessa Feltz is set to join LBC with a brand new Saturday show, following her departure from TalkTV.

Addie Morfoot Contributor Producer Ina Fichman, Oscar nominated for “Fire of Love,” was at the 25th edition of Hot Docs Forum on Tuesday to pitch her latest project “Ba’s Book.” Directed by Canadian filmmaker Ashley Da-Le Duong, the hybrid docu focuses on Duong’s father and his experiences living through both the Vietnam War and the Iranian Revolution. “Let me take you somewhere for a moment,” Duong told the Forum audience and participating distributors including Arte, A24 and Al Jazeera. “It’s 1968 and a young man stands in the middle of a rice paddy field and looks up and sees a helicopter.

Ellise Shafer The second annual Cannes Investors Circle has revealed its lineup, including films from Ruben Östlund and Lorcan Finnegan. Taking place at the Marché du Film during the Cannes Film Festival, the Investors Circle showcases 10 never-before-seen films in various stages of development to an exclusive group of film financing experts and investors.

Siddhant Adlakha A film that pivots around a court case about its own making, buried treasure documentary “A Band of Dreamers and a Judge” features hints of allure that eventually wane. Shot in Iran, where unauthorized excavations remain illegal, Hesam Eslami’s chronicle of a group of treasure hunters is an occasionally intense process piece that often loses steam, especially during its attempts at intimate portraiture.

Lily Moayeri While the United States continues to debate how and when hip-hop lyrics can be used in court, dissident Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi was sentenced to death on April 24 for lyrics that criticized the Islamic Republic’s ruling regime. The sentence, handed down by the ruling Republic Court of the Islamic Republic, overturns a decree from the higher Supreme Court which, according to the New York Times, found issues with the original ruling that sentenced Salehi to six years imprisonment and banned him from making music or singing for two years. The reason given for Salehi’s execution, which the Islamic Republic administers by hanging, is his involvement with Iran’s 2022 protests through his music.

EXCLUSIVE: France tv distribution has acquired world sales rights for Romuald Boulanger’s upcoming bio-pic Mansour, capturing the journey of celebrity tennis player Mansour Bahrami’s from post-Revolutionary Iran, to exile and poverty in France, and then fame on the international circuit.

Shargh and Entekhab.State media reported that his sentence could be reduced by a pardoning committee if he appeals again.Salehi had spent time in prison last year and was briefly released, but according to witness testimonies, he was violently rearrested and sent him to prison in Isfahan. This happened after he revealed that he was tortured and placed in solitary confinement for 252 days following his arrest in October 2022, UN experts said in a statement published by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).Salehi isn’t the only artist to have been targeted for showing opposition to the government.

A lawyer for Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi said his client has been given a death sentence for his involvement in the protests that swept Iran in 2022.

Sharareh Drury Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi has been sentenced to death by an Iranian revolutionary court over songs that criticized the Iranian government, according to his lawyer and state media. “An order for the execution of Toomaj Salehi has been issued,” Salehi’s lawyer Amir Raesian tweeted Wednesday.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor TikTok could be banned in the U.S. as soon as January 2025. Here’s what the new law means for users of the popular short-form video app.

Jamie Lang Leading French production-distribution outfit Le Pacte has boarded the upcoming 2D animated feature project “Conference of the Birds,” which will be spotlighted at the Marché du Film’s Animation Day during this year’s Cannes Festival. In addition to co-producing, Le Pacte will handle French distribution and serve as international sales agent on the film, part of the five-title Annecy Showcase at the Animation Day.

EXCLUSIVE: Oscar nominee Vanessa Kirby, BAFTA nominee David Oyelowo and BAFTA winner Sofie Gråbøl lead cast in Audible’s The Strange Case, the first audio drama from the creator of the John Wick franchise, Derek Kolstad.

The Cannes Film Festival has added 13 new titles to the selection for its 77th edition, including new films by Oliver Stone, Lou Ye and Arnaud Desplechin as Special Screenings.

The Foreign Office has updated its travel advice for two popular African holiday destinations after reports of explosions in the Middle East.

Lise Pedersen In an exclusive interview with Variety after picking up the top industry prize at Swiss documentary festival Visions du Réel, Franco-Iranian director Mehran Tamadon outlined the intention of his upcoming feature documentary “The Last Days of the Hospital.” Set against the backdrop of France’s public health crisis and shortage of personnel, the film will show patients from a psychiatric hospital on the outskirts of Paris taking charge of their own ward. Tamadon has been running film workshops with the patients at the hospital for the past eight years, and decided it was time to make a film to denounce what he describes as “the ultra-liberal policy which plans the death of the public hospital.” “French public hospitals are not doing well, nurses and caregivers are leaving because they are mistreated and poorly paid.

Kate Garraway halted proceedings during Friday's airing of Good Morning Britain to share some startling "breaking news" with viewers.

Lise Pedersen Two new cash prizes introduced this year in Swiss film festival Visions du Reel’s industry section, VdR-Industry, were among a flurry of awards handed out as the program wrapped in Nyon, Switzerland, on Wednesday. The Eurimages Co-production Development Award, created to promote the fund’s role in encouraging international co-production from the initial stages of a project, and which comes with a cash prize of €20,000 ($22,000), went to “The Last Days of the Hospital” by Mehran Tamadon (“My Worst Enemy,” “Bassidji”).

EXCLUSIVE: Brussels-based company Best Friend Forever (BFF) has acquired international sales rights for Canadian director Matthew Rankin’s Universal Language.

Iran is "within minutes" of developing a nuclear capability and "mad enough to use it", the Government has been warned.