Asghar Farhadi is an Academy Award-winning Iranian film director and screenwriter. For his work as director, he has received one Golden Globe Award and one Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
Farhadi was born in Homayoonshahr (Khomeynishahr), Province of Isfahan. He is a graduate of Theatre, with a BA in Dramatic Arts and MA in Stage Direction from Tehran University and Tarbiat Modarres University, respectively. Farhadi made short 8mm and 16mm films in Isfahan branch of Iranian Young Cinema Society before moving on to writing plays and screenplays for IRIB. He also directed such TV series as A Tale of a City and co-wrote the screenplay of Ebrahim Hatamikia’s Low Heights. Dancing in the Dust was his feature film debut which he followed with A Beautiful City.
His third film, Fireworks Wednesday won the Gold Hugo at the 2006 Chicago International Film Festival. His fourth film, About Elly won the Silver Bear for Best Director at 59th International Berlin Film Festival as well as Best Picture at Tribeca Film Festival. It is about a group of Iranians who take a trip to the Caspian Sea that turns tragic. Famous film theorist and film critic David Bordwell has called About Elly a masterpiece.
His latest film Nader and Simin, A Separation premiered on 9 February 2011 at the 29th Fajr International Film Festival in Tehran and received rave reviews from Iran Society of Film Critics. It won Farhadi four awards including Best Director (for the third time after Fireworks Wednesday and About Elly). On 15 February it also played in competition at the 61st Berlin International Film Festival which finally earned him Golden Bear for best film becoming the first Iranian film to win the Golden Bear. In June 2011, A Separation won the Sydney Film Prize in competition with Cannes Festival’s winner The Tree of Lifedirected by Terrence Malick .
On 19 December 2011, he was announced as being on the jury for the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival, scheduled to be held in February 2012.
On 15 January 2012, his movie Nader and Simin, A Separation won the Golden Globe for the Best Foreign Language Film.
The film was also the official Iranian submission for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 2012 Academy Awards where apart from getting nominated in this category, it also received a nomination in the Best Original Screenplay category. On the 26 February 2012, the separation became the first Iranian movie to have received an Oscar for the best foreign language film at the 84th edition of the Academy Awards. This marked Farhadi as the first Iranian to have won an Academy Award in any of the competed categories.
Archive for February, 2012
With good news relating to Pakistan scarce to come by, the nation basked in the spotlight that fell on documentary film maker Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, who on Monday morning became the country’s first Oscar awardee.
Though there was none of the boisterous celebration accompanying a cricket match win, Ms. Chinoy was the toast of the day and she held the headlines even through a bomb blast left seven dead even as a chief minister narrowly escaped the attack.
As she walked up the red carpet to collect her award for Saving Face — a documentary on acid victims — in a designer outfit deliberately selected to showcase Pakistan’s fashion industry, Ms. Chinoy began trending on social networking websites. And, the ‘ghairat brigade’ (honour brigade) — who would be inclined to dismiss the film as an attempt to show Pakistan in poor light — appeared to have been silenced by the moment.
“This is as good as winning the World Cup 20 years ago!” said one twitterati even as people began sharing the video clip of her short acceptance speech. It was emailed across the country, posted on websites, tweeted and repeatedly aired on television.
Acceptance speech
Her acceptance speech, like her work, was sans frills. There was none of the usual thanking the whole world and its uncle. Instead, she dedicated it “to all the heroes working on the ground in Pakistan, including Dr. Mohammad Jawad who is here with us today. The plastic surgeon working on rehabilitating all these women. Ruksana and Zakia who are our main subjects of the film, whose resilience and bravery in the face of such adversity is admirable. And to all the women of Pakistan who are working for change, don’t give up on your dreams. This is for you.”
Congratulations began to pour in; prominent being the United States diplomatic mission in Pakistan. Not just its embassy in Islamabad but also consulates in Lahore and Karachi were posting congratulatory messages. In fact, the mission has been vocally expressing support for her on social networking sites from last evening as the run-up to the awards began.
Achievement lauded
From the President downwards, Ms. Chinoy’s achievement was lauded and the government announced the decision to confer a high civil award on her, but did not specify which one. Copywriters had a busy day, but first off the mark seemed to be the predominantly chicken-serving restaurant chain “Nando’s,” which put out an advertisement saying “From one chick to another: Thanks for Saving our Face.”
As for Ms. Chinoy, she remained tuned to her nation via Twitter — beginning the “morning of Oscar day” by saying “Im proud to represent Pakistan on such a global stage — there r many stories yet 2 be told win or lose I will be bk.” And, after the usual round of thanks and the celebrations, she signed out in the evening (local time) with a “Good night Pakistan. Everyone after the Oscars came & said good things about my country 2 me! Jinnah would have been proud!”
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family drama A Separation defeated films from Israel, Belgium, Poland and Canada to win the country’s first Academy award in the foreign film category.
The award has come at a time when the tensions between the Islamic republic and the U.S. are at its peak over Iran’s nuclear programme.
Directed by Asghar Farhadi, the film also won the best foreign film at the Golden Globes. Farhadi was nominated for a best screenplay Oscar.
“At this time, many Iranians all over the world are watching us and I imagine them to be very happy,” Farhadi said, reading from prepared remarks on a piece of paper on Sunday night.
“They are happy not just because of an important award or a film or a filmmaker, but because at the time when talk of war, intimidation and aggression is exchanged between politicians, the name of their country, Iran, is spoken here through her glorious culture, her rich and ancient culture that has been hidden under the heavy dust of politics.”
“I proudly offer this award to the people of my country, a people who respect all cultures and civilizations and despise hostility and resentment. Thank you so much,” he added.
The film begins with two couple’s seeking divorce, which eventually goes onto explore themes of honour, love, lies and deceit.
The only other Iranian movie nominated at the Oscars was 1997’s Children of Heaven which lost to Life Is Beautiful from Italy.
The other films competing were Michael R Roskam’s Bullhead from Belgium; Philippe Falardeau’s Monsieur Lazhar from Canada; Joseph Cedar’s Footnotefrom Israel; and Agnieszka Holland’s In Darkness from Poland.
The Artist on Sunday won five Academy Awards, including best picture, becoming the first silent film to win Hollywood’s highest honours since the original Oscar ceremony 83 years ago.
In the black-and-white comic melodrama category, the best actor award went to Jean Dujardin and the best director to Michel Hazanavicius.
In a night of few surprises, the other top Oscars went to Meryl Streep for best actress for the filmThe Iron Lady, Octavia Spencer as supporting actress for The Help and Christopher Plummer as supporting actor for Beginners.
The Artist is the first silent winner since the World War I saga Wings, which was named outstanding picture at the first Oscars in 1929.
“I am the happiest director in the world,” Hazanavicius said, thanking the cast, crew and canine co-star Uggie. “I also want to thank the financier, the crazy person who put money in the movie.”
The other wins for The Artist were for musical score and art direction.
Martin Scorsese’s Paris adventure Hugo also won five Oscars, all in technical categories.
Streep’s win was her first Oscar in 29 years, since she won best actress forSophie’s Choice. She had lost 12 times in a row since then. Streep also has a supporting-actress Oscar for 1979′s Kramear vs. Kramer.
“When they called my name, I had this feeling I could hear half of America go, ‘Oh, no, why her again?’ But whatever,” Streep said, laughing.
“I really understand I’ll never be up here again. I really want to thank all my colleagues, my friends. I look out here and I see my life before my eyes, my old friends, my new friends. Really, this is such a great honour, but the thing that counts the most with me is the friendship and the love and the sheer joy we’ve shared making movies together,” said Streep, the record-holder with 17 acting nominations.
Streep is only the fifth performer to receive three Oscars, including Jack Nicholson, Ingrid Bergman and Walter Brennan, who won three, while Katharine Hepburn won four.
It was a night that went as expected, with front-runners claiming key prizes. Streep’s triumph provided a bit of drama, since she had been in a two-woman race with Viola Davis for The Help.
The biggest surprise may have been the length of the show, which clocked in at about three hours and 10 minutes, brisk for a ceremony that has run well over four hours some years.
The 82-year-old Plummer became the oldest acting winner ever for his role as an elderly widower who comes out as gay in Beginners. “You’re only two years older than me, darling,” Plummer said, addressing his Oscar statue. “Where have you been all my life? I have a confession to make. When I first emerged from my mother’s womb, I was already rehearsing my Oscar speech.”
The previous oldest winner was best-actress recipient Jessica Tandy for Driving Miss Daisy. She won at the age of 80.
Completing an awards-season blitz that took her from Hollywood bit player to star, Spencer won for her role in The Help as a headstrong black maid whose wilful ways continually land her in trouble with white employers in 1960s Mississippi.
Dujardin became the first Frenchman to win an acting Oscar. French actresses have won before, including Marion Cotillard and Juliette Binoche.
“Oh, thank you. Oui. I love your country!” said Dujardin, who plays George Valentin, a silent-film superstar fallen on hard times as the sound era takes over. If George Valentin could speak, Dujardin said, “he’d say… Wow! Merci beaucoup! Genial! Formidable!”
Claiming Hollywood’s top-filmmaking honour completes Hazanavicius’ sudden rise from popular movie-maker back home in France to internationally celebrated director. Hazanavicius had come in as the favourite after winning at the Directors Guild of America Awards, whose recipient almost always goes on to claim the Oscar.
The five Oscars for Hugo, which led contenders with 11 nominations, included cinematography, art direction and visual effects.
Another beloved big-screen bunch, The Muppets, finally got their due at the Oscars. The Muppets earned the best-song award for “Man or Muppet,” the sweet comic duet sung by Jason Segel and his Muppet brother in the film, the first big-screen adventure in 12 years for Kermit the frog and company.
Filmmaker Alexander Payne picked up his second writing Oscar, sharing the adapted-screenplay prize for the Hawaiian family drama The Descendants with co-writers Nat Faxon and Jim Rash. Payne, who also directed The Descendants, previously won the same award for Sideways.
Payne said he brought along his mother from Omaha, Neb., to the Oscars, and that she had demanded a shout-out if he made it onstage.
“She made me promise that if I ever won another Oscar I had to dedicate it to her just like Javier Bardem did with his Oscar. So mom, this one’s for you. Thank you for letting me skip nursery school so we could go to the movies.”
Woody Allen earned his first Oscar in 25 years, winning for original screenplay for the romantic fantasy Midnight in Paris, his biggest hit in decades. It’s the fourth Oscar for Allen, who won for directing and screenplay on his 1977 best-picture winner Annie Hall and for screenplay on 1986′s Hannah and Her Sisters.
Allen also is the record-holder for 15 writing nominations, and his three writing Oscars ties the record shared by Charles Brackett, Paddy Chayefsky, Francis Ford Coppola and Billy Wilder.
No fan of awards shows, Allen predictably skipped Sunday’s ceremony, where he also was up for best director.
Rango, with Johnny Depp providing the voice of a desert lizard that becomes a hero to a parched Western town, won for best animated feature.
Crystal got the show off to a lively start with a star-laden montage in which he hangs out with Justin Bieber and gets a nice wet kiss from George Clooney.
Crystal’s return as host seemed appropriate on a night that had Hollywood looking back fondly on more than a century of cinema history.
The top two nominees Hugo and The Artist are both love songs to early cinema.
Famous hindi film Bhimika was screened by People’s Voice at Jalandhar. Bhumika is a 1977 Indian film directed by Shyam Benegal. The movie stars Smita Patil, Amol Palekar, Anant Nag, Naseeruddin Shah and Amrish Puri. The film is broadly based on the memoirs of the well-known Marathi Stage and screen actress of the 1940s, ‘Hansa Wadkar’ who led a flamboyant and unconventional life and focus at an individual’s search for identity and self-fulfillment. Smita Patil gave the strong performance of transforming herself in its course from a vivacious teenage girl to a wiser but deeply wounded middle-aged woman. The film won two National Film Awards and Filmfare Best Movie Award, it was invited to Carthage Film Festival 1978, Chicago Film Festival, where it was awarded the Golden Plaque 1978, and in 1986 it was invited to Festival of Images, Algeria.
Dear Mr.G.L Bhardwaj,
Greeting from Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival-2012- to mark the birth anniversary of ‘father of Indian cinema’ on 30 April
With coordination to our phone conversation, I am sending you invitation to you to join the Dada Saheb Phalke film festival as jury member. Kindly find attached.
Your association with Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival-12 will boost up the morale of young, aspiring & professional filmmakers.
Together we have the power to establish a film festival in NOIDA which will be the pride of community in years to come.
I am looking forward for letter of acceptance from your end regarding the same.
Warm Wishes,
Rambhul Singh
Festival Director
Akhlaq Mohammed Khan (born 16 June 1936 Died 13 Feb 2012), who writes under the pen name Shahryar, is an Indian academician, and a doyen of Urdu poetry in India, as a lyricist in Hindi films, he is most noted for his lyrics in films, Gaman (1978), Umrao Jaan (1981) and Anjuman (1986), by Muzaffar Ali. He has been selected for Jnanpith Award-2008 which is the highest literary award in India. This prestigious award will be given to him in the recognition of his contribution for Urdu language. Khan was born at tehsil Aonla, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh in a Muslim Rajput family. His father a was teacher in a state school at Aonla. He received his early education at Bulandshahr and later studied at Aligarh Muslim University. Khan started his career as a literary assistant at Anjuman Tarraqqi-e-Urdu, thereafter he joined Aligarh Muslim University as a lecturer in Urdu, he was appointed professor in 1986, and in 1996, he retired as chairman of the Urdu Department at the Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, where he now lives and devotes his time entirely to poetry, and also co-edits the literary magazine “Sher-o-Hikmat” (Poetry and Philosophy). He was awarded the 1987 Sahitya Akademi Award in Urdu for his poetry collection, Khwab Ka Dar Band Hai (1987). In 2008, He became the fourth Urdu writer to win the Jnanpith Award. His first poetry collection Ism-e-azam was published in 1965, the second collection, Satvan dar (Satva yet in English), came in 1969, the third collection titled Hijr ke mausam was released in 1978, his most celebrated work, Khwab Ke dar band hain, came in 1987, and also won him the Sahitya Akademi Award in Urdu for the year. He has also published five collections of his poetry in Devanagari script.
