‘The Silhouettes’, by Iranian filmmaker Afsaneh Salari, won the Docs in Progress award of the Eastern Promises industry section of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in Czech Republic.

According to Screen Daily, the €5,000 Docs In Progress award was presented to Afsaneh Salari’s ‘The Silhouettes’, a co-production between Iran and The Philippines, which was one of the eight documentaries in the section.

“The Silhouettes, which is a working title at the moment, is the story of an Afghan family living in Iran, who has left Afghanistan 40 years to come and live in Iran,” director Salari told Screen. “The film follows the son of the family who wants to repatriate to Afghanistan – to live and work there – but is confronted with the opposition of his family. It’s a film about belonging, identity, separation and connecting to your roots through the past in order to reconcile with the future.”

“We are in post-production now,” she continued. “To receive such positive feedback on the project gives us more confidence that we’re really on the right track now and there’s now more hope for what comes next in the future of the film.”

The film is expected to be ready at the end of the year, according to the report.

The documentary jury consisted of Pierre-Alexis Chevit, of the Doc Corner & Doc Day industry programme of the Cannes’ Marché, Lejla Dedić, a programme producer at Al Jazeera Balkans, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Denmark’s Patricia Drati, a creative producer and film development consultant. /MNA /

Iran’s non-oil exports has increased by 483 percent over the past 15 years, the acting head of the Trade Promotion Organization (TPO) Mohammad Reza Modoudi said on Tuesday.

In a statement published on TPO website on the occasion of the 15th establishment anniversary of TPO, Modoudi noted that the country’s annual non-oil exports is currently $44.3 billion, up $36.7 billion from $7.6 billion 15 years ago when TPO was established.

According to the official, non-oil exports to the neighboring countries has witnessed an even greater increase, with the figure jumping from $3.2 billion to $24 billion.

In early June, Modoudi announced that the value of Iran’s non-oil exports reached $8.4 billion in the first two months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21-May 21), up 8.9 percent compared to the same period last year.

Meanwhile, the country’s imports during the two-month period stood at $6.7 billion, down by eight percent year on year.

The official also put the country’s exports of services at $1.6 billion, up by 17 percent from a year earlier.

According to the data released by the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA), the country’s non-oil trade stood at $4.87 billion in the first Iranian calendar month of Farvardin (March 21-April 20).

Iran’s non-oil trade registered a $1.5-billion positive balance in the past Iranian calendar year (March 2018–March 2019). / Tehran times /

Iran and Tajikistan have recently explored avenues to enhance tourism ties after the two nations experienced decline in the number of arrivals.

A drop in the number of travelers from both countries led them to enter into negotiations, Iran’s deputy chief of tourism Vali Teymouri said on Saturday, CHTN reported.

A total of 4993 Tajik nationals visited Iran during the past Iranian calendar year 1396 (ended in March 2018), however, the number fell 9 percent in 1397, reaching 4085 people, the official announced.

The number of Iranians traveling to Tajikistan reached 6261 in 1396, which decreased by 14 percent in 1397, Teymouri added.

Referring to Tajikistan’s interest in boosting tourism, Teymouri said, “Talks have been held with Tajikistan’s deputy minister of tourism in order to develop cooperation with regard to the cultural commonalities between the two countries. And Tajikistan is keenly interested in exchanging travelers bilaterally.”

The number of international tourists visiting Iran surged 52.5 percent in 1397 from a year earlier, Teymouri said earlier in April.

Outbound passengers added up to 7 million during the past year, which is less than a year earlier, when some ten million Iranians traveled oversees, Teymouri said, citing financial strains among reasons behind.

Of Iran’s attractions are hundreds of museums, ancient bazaars, mosques, bridges, bathhouses, madrasas, mausoleums, churches, towers, mansions as well as 22 UNESCO World Heritage sites. / Tehran Times /

An Iranian knowledge-based firm has produced a wound healing gel, the main ingredient of which is taken from crustaceans.

The Isfahan-based company, Mirmah, has developed the gel using nanotechnology and has reinforced it with substances taken from aquatic creatures.

The medical product, currently available in the domestic market, is able to repair open wounds, scars and pressure ulcer or bed sores, diabetic ulcer, herpes simplex, severe burns and infectious acnes much quicker than similar products.

Iran has been cutting reliance on medical imports by developing its own pharmaceutical industry.

According to officials, the country produces more than 96% of its medical needs.

The move toward self-sufficiency has been intensified, especially after the US pulled of the nuclear deal signed between Iran world powers and re-imposed unilateral sanctions on the country, scaring off many European companies from doing business with Iran. /MNA/

The Art Bureau of the Islamic Ideology Dissemination Organization in Tehran will organize an exhibition of posters and cartoons on the U.S. drone that was shot down by Iran last week.

All the artworks have been created by Iranian artists for the exhibition entitled “Hard Slaps”, the organizers announced on Wednesday.

The exhibition will take place at the Iranian Photographers Center from June 30 to July 13.

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) shot down an unmanned U.S. surveillance drone last Thursday after it breached Iran’s airspace./ Tehran times /

The 3rd Iranian Youth Filmmaking Olympiad, organized by Iran Farabi Cinema Foundation, in collaboration with the Iranian Youth Cinema Association, is calling for submissions by mid July.

Third Iranian Filmmaking Olympiad will be held concurrent with the International Children and Youth Film Festival in central province of Isfahan in 2019.

The Olympiad aims to promote moral virtues and hopeful viewpoint with regard to live among teenagers through advocacy and participation in film production, finding new ideas in the cinema of children and adolescents, creating the right conditions for the discovery and introduction of artistic talents of adolescents in the field of the specialized cinema of children and adolescents and pave the way for expanding activities in the field of children’s and youth cinema.

The Third Iranian Youth Teachers Film Festival is divided into two parts:

1- Idea: After accepting by the festival selection board, the preliminary plot becomes the general plan of script, which contains beginning, body and ending, in collaboration with the adviser and the creative group.

2- Short film: The three-minute movies produced after 2017-2018.

The Olympiad’s secretariat will hold free of charge workshops tilted “Acquaintance with Cinema” at the offices of the Iranian Youth Cinema for young people who have reached their final stage before the event.

As per the Olympiad call for participation:

• The youth aged (12-16) are eligible to attend. The elected participants and participants in the previous Olympiad, subject to age, will be placed in the top priority of the course.

In the Idea section:

• Each participant can submit up to 5 ideas and, if approved, one of them will enter the production process.

• The accepted idea will be taken to the Olympiad by the selection board and will be held under the supervision of the professors at the “Idea to Script” workshops in Isfahan.

• The overall designs produced at the “Idea to Script” workshops would be judged; the accepted works would be produced by the support of the Olympiad Secretariat.

In the movie section:

1- The produced films are up to 3 minutes long.

2- The movies could be shot with a regular camera or mobile phone.

3- The fictional, documentary, or animated films could attend the section.

4- The selected films will be screened in the festival in Isfahan.

5-Selected films will be awarded at the Olympiad section.

6- Selected films in “Idea” and “Film” sections will be invited by the Secretariat of the Olympiad to attend the Olympiad Talent Training Camp, which will be held in Isfahan from August 17-21, 2019.

“My Land”, “My Dreams”, “The Dreams of Today’s Children and Adolescents”, “My Family”, “Creativity in Life”, “Children’s Fun”, “Life and Childhood”, “Media Literacy for Children and Youths”, “Hope”,” Forgiveness “and” stories from the books of children and adolescents “(preferably Iranian writers) are the suggested and priority focuses of this Olympiad.

Visit www.iycs.ir for filling in the registration form and learning more details about the event. through the portal, submit ideas and consider the idea of a maximum of two pages on the A4 page with topics that are in the focus section of the festival.

After the initial review, the idea of the owners of accepted ideas will be invited to participate in workshops designed for this purpose at the offices of the Iranian Youth Cinema Association throughout the country.

The films produced will be sent to the Secretariat of the Olympiad through the registration portal or the offices of the Iranian Youth Cinema Association.

The Third Iranian Student Film Student Olympiad will be held from August 17-21, 2019. /MNA /

Iran’s earnings from tourism contributed $11.8b to its gross domestic product (GDP) in the past Iranian calendar year 1397 (ended March 20), Tourism Chief Ali-Asghar Mounesan said on Tuesday.

“According to the Central Bank of Iran, tourism industry contributed $11.8 billion to the country’s GDP in the past year. In addition, handicrafts exports made up $600 million of the GDP [in the same year],” the official said.

“The sustainability of employment in the field of tourism is amongst benefits of this industry. Last year, the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization was one of the bodies that played a significant role in the country’s employment, we managed to create over 200 thousand sustainable jobs last year.”

According to the latest data released by the Word Bank, Iran’s GDP was $454.013 billion in 2017.

International travelers spent some $11.8 billion in 1397 (ended March 20), Mounesan said in May.

“For the time being, the tourism sector is becoming the third largest source of income in the world economy so that more attention should be paid to the sector in our country,” Mounesan said.

The number of international tourists visiting Iran surged 52.5 percent in the past Iranian calendar year from a year earlier, according to data compiled by the CHHTO. The Islamic Republic hosted some 7.8 million foreign nationals in that year, which shows a 52.5 percent increase year on year.

The 2019 Travel Risk Map, which shows the risk level around the world, puts Iran among countries with “insignificant risk”, a category where the UK, Denmark, Switzerland, Norway, and Finland are placed in.

The country embraces a good number of ancient cultural heritage and monuments including bazaars, museums, mosques, bridges, bathhouses, madrasas, gardens, rich natural, rural landscapes as well as 22 UNESCO World Heritage sites. / Tehran times /

The Iranian ICT minister said that three new satellites are under construction to be sent to space. Minister of Communications and Information Technology Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi said on Tue. that Iran has been able to record its name among 11 countries in the construction and deployment of satellite in the space regardless of failure or success of sending satellite to the space.

Iran cooperates with International Space Agency and regional countries, and continues its cooperation with them, he added.

Jahromi mentioned that Iran also has spatial cooperation with some countries in the region, especially in the area of ​​measurement including Azerbaijan.

Iran launched its first satellite, called the Omid (Hope), in February 2009. The Rasad (Observation) satellite was also sent into orbit in June 2011.

In February 2012, Iran successfully put its third domestically manufactured satellite, named the Navid (Promise), into orbit. On February 8, 2012, Iran received the first image sent by the Navid satellite. / MNA /

Iranian director Ashkan Rahgozar’s acclaimed movie “The Last Fiction” was picked as best animation at the 3rd Southern Cone International Film Festival-FICCSUR, which was held in Valparaiso, Chile from May 23 to 26.

The film is based on a story from the Shahnameh, the epic masterpiece of the Persian poet Ferdowsi. It is about Zahak’s treacherous rise to the throne of Jamshid in Persia. The young and naive hero Afaridoun wants to save the kingdom and its people from darkness. But he must first conquer his own demons in this portrayal of Persian mythology that reveals human nature.

Vocalist Shahram Nazeri has sung the closing credits song in “The Last Fiction” and members of an all-star cast, including Parviz Parastui, Leila Hatami, Hamed Behdad, Baran Kowsari, Askhan Khatibi, Akbar Zanjanpur and Farrokh Nemati, have lent their voices to the characters in the project.

“As the Earth Turns” by Richard H. Lyford from the U.S. won the award for best film, while “Days of Madness” by Damian Nenadic from Croatia was selected as best documentary.

The award for best short film went to “Sac de Merde” by Greg Chwerchak from the U.S., and “The Eve” by Luca Machnich from Italy was honored with the FICCSUR grand prize for best short./ Tehran times /