Seven Iranian shorts will be screened in the 16th edition of the Bajo la Luna International Film Festival – Islantilla Cinefórum in Spain.

The festival will take place from July 1 to August 26 in Islantilla.

A highlight of the Iranian film lineup is “Katvoman” by Hadi Sheibami.

The award-winning drama shows a mom and son playing dressed up as Batman and Catwoman before dad returns for dinner. Through the play, the child discovers a difficult truth about his parents.

The film won the award for best fiction at the Festival International du Film Amateur de Kelibia – FIFAK in Tunisia and the audience award for best short fiction at the 10th Amnesty International France’s Cinema for Human Rights Festival.

“Adam, the Ballad of Endless Suffering”, co-directed by Ali Kheiri and Kurdman Puyesh, is also among the films.

Adam has three grenades. He discovers that the first one is a dud. The second is too. Will he face the truth of the third?

Directed by Parsa Dehqanian, “Global Snow” will also be screened. It tells the story of a night driver who inadvertently gets involved in an adventure.

The lineup also features “Justifiable Murder” by Ebrahim Rahnama.

The drama follows a woman who leaves the house with confusion and intense internal conflict and goes to the information office to complain about what happened to her and ask for immediate help.

“Narenji” has also been selected to be screened in the festival. In this drama, director Ermia Rabbani shows the life of a child who is surrounded by loneliness and has a speech disorder.

Director Mohammad Kamal Alavi’s drama “The Single Horn” will be showcased.

The film tells the story of a girl who goes to the park to play with her friends without her family’s permission. Everything has changed when she returns home.

The festival will also screen “Coup de Grace” by Reza Gudazi. It is about a soldier left among the dead and wounded on the battlefield. /T.T/

Soodabeh Davaran, an Iranian female researcher and university professor, won a gold medal at the Teknofest 2023 festival held by the International Federation of Inventors’ Associations (IFIA) from April 27 to May 1 in Istanbul, Turkey.

Her research titled “Nanofibers containing antibiotic drugs and antimicrobial plant extracts for the treatment of antibiotic-resistant infectious wounds.” IFIA is a global organization that represents and supports inventors and invention associations from around the world. / T.T/

The Iranian Vice Presidency for Science and Technology is planning to launch cell therapy centers in neighboring countries and boost exports of related products as well.

The Vice Presidency is cooperating with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to establish links with the neighboring countries in the field of stem cells and regenerative medicine, IRNA reported.

In this line, a meeting was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with a number of ambassadors of the country in several countries and a group of CEOs of companies active in the field of stem cells and regenerative medicine in attendance.

The meeting aimed to support the development and transfer of technologies in the field of stem cells and regenerative medicine and interaction with the target countries.

It was also aimed to create opportunities for the development of educational and research cooperation between Iran and other countries.

In November 2022, the first phase of a national project aiming to take advantage of gene therapy for the treatment of children with cancer, known as “CAR T-cell therapy”, came on stream.

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy is a way to get immune cells called T cells (a type of white blood cell) to fight cancer by changing them in the lab so they can find and destroy cancer cells.

CAR T-cell therapy has been successful on a five-year-old boy suffering from chemotherapy-resistant leukemia.

The project took nearly seven years to be implemented, Amir Ali Hamidiyeh, head of the gene, cell, and tissue research institute of Tehran University of Medical Sciences said.

After passing cell studies and preclinical studies on animals and obtaining a license and code of ethics from Tehran University of Medical Sciences, a gene therapy product was used for a patient for the first time in the country, he added.

The method is currently in the clinical trial stage and was used on a child with leukemia who was resistant to all treatment methods, he highlighted.

The Vice Presidency for Science and Technology has implemented four important projects in order to strengthen the country’s scientific citation in the field of stem cells.

One of the keys to the development is to provide strategic infrastructure in important fields. Smart knowledge-based platforms promote the scientific citation of the country and accelerate the formation of the scientific ecosystem.

The support of university technology development projects took place in a purposeful interaction between the Vice Presidency and the large universities.

Another measure taken in this area was supporting the development of the National Network of Animal Modeling and In-Vivo Research. This support has brought significant achievements including technologies for reproducing, keeping, and breeding of laboratory animals, the development of research and translation of knowledge and technology, and the development of technologies and laboratory services for in-vivo studies.

Another important step of the Council for Development of Stem Cell Sciences and Technologies last year was the establishment of a gene production center for the Royan Research Institute. During this process, two gene therapy projects became operational.

The launch of autophagy and regenerative medicine is also one of the plans supported by the Council last year. In this program, the management of the autophagy process in order to prevent tissue damage is recognized as a functional indicator of this plan.

Iran is one of the countries that has made great efforts in the field of medicine to free itself from the struggle to supply medicine and bypass sanctions and be able to respond to its local needs by relying on knowledge-based companies. One of these areas is the production of biopharmaceuticals, which has grown to 28 items.

Iran is also ranked 12th in the world and first in West Asia in terms of biotechnology, as 9.5 percent of the income of knowledge-based companies and more than 60 percent of their exports are related to biotechnology.

Stem cells are the “parent” cells from which all other blood cells develop. These are mainly red blood cells, platelets, and white blood cells. Bone marrow, the factory that produces stem cells, is the soft tissue inside bones like the breastbone or hip bone.

Stem cells are found in the brain, blood vessels, skeletal muscles, skin, liver, bone marrow, peripheral (circulating) blood, and the umbilical cord blood of newborn babies.

The 24th International Congress on Reproductive Biomedicine and the 19th Congress on Stem Cell Biology and Technology will be held on August 30-September 1 in Tehran.

In July 2021, Iran inaugurated an advanced ion therapy center for the first time in West Asia, with the aim of providing definitive treatment for all types of cancer.

Ion therapy is a unique and innovative form of radiation therapy in the world for the treatment of cancer, as the radiation can be focused exactly on the area of the tumor, ensuring that radiation-sensitive organs are best protected. /T.T/

Iran climbed six spots in the latest FIFA Women’s World Ranking released on Friday. The Iranian team have moved to 61st place in the ranking. The U.S. stay unchanged on top, while Australia are the best Asian team in the ranking at 10th.

Japan, unchanged at 11th, are Asia’s second highest side with China PR dropping a notch to 14th. Korea Republic stayed at 17th with Vietnam, set to make their FIFA Women’s World Cup debut, improving one spot to 32.

The Philippines, the sixth Asian side headed to the FIFA Women’s World Cup, moved up three spots to 46th in the Ranking – their highest ever. Rounding off the top 10 for Asia were Chinese Taipei (37), Thailand (44), Myanmar 47) and Uzbekistan (50).

The next FIFA Women’s World Ranking will be published on Aug. 25. / T.T/

Iranian stock markets were bullish while foreign exchange prices dropped right after the country’s unveiling of a first home-made hypersonic missile which experts said had injected confidence in the markets.

The main index in Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE) rose by nearly 0.5% to 2.289 million points on Tuesday, according to a report by the official IRNA news agency.

Total trade in the TSE reached 78.812 trillion rials (over $157 million) as nearly 10 billion shares changed hands in the exchange on Tuesday.

The semi-official ISNA news agency said in a report that the unveiling early on Tuesday of the Fattah hypersonic missile by Iran’s elite military force the IRGC had positively impacted the markets in the country.

Experts said the unveiling had instilled a sense of hope in those investors who are normally wary of risks that could be posed by a military confrontation between Iran and regional or international adversaries.

Iran’s currency the rial firmed against the US dollar after the news of Fattah’s unveiling came out. The rial closed at 509,000 against the greenback late on Tuesday, up from 512,000 reported at the close of trade a day earlier.

The rise in the markets comes against the backdrop of other positive political and military development reported by Iran in recent days.

The country announced on Monday that it would finally reopen its embassy and other diplomatic missions in Saudi Arabia later in the week as part of a rapprochement deal brokered by China in March.

Iran’s Navy also announced last week that it will soon form an alliance with maritime forces of Arab countries of the Persian Gulf in a bid to boost regional security. /MNA/

Six other movies by Iranian directors will be screened at the 25th Shanghai International Film Festival. “World War III”, “Leila’s Brother”, “Scent of Wind” and “No Bear” have been selected to be showcased in the Viva la Festival section, which is dedicated to reviewing the latest award-winning or nominated films from the world’s major film festivals.

Directed by Hooman Seyyedi, “World War III” was Iran’s submission to the 2023 Oscars.

The film depicts Shakib, a hapless day laborer who finds himself cast in a film about the Nazi regime while hiding his girlfriend, a sex worker fleeing from her exploiters, on the set.

The film has been screened in numerous international events, including the 79th Venice International Film Festival, where it won the Orizzonti Award for best film and the Orizzonti Award for best actor for Tanabandeh for his portrayal of Shakib.

Another highlight of the lineup is “Scent of Wind” directed by Hadi Mohaqeq.

The film was the opening film of the 2022 Busan International Film Festival and won the Kim Jiseok Award.

The film’s story is set in a distant Iranian village where a paralyzed man collects herbal medicine in the mountains for making his living with his sick child. The electricity goes off in his house and an electrician comes to fix it. Unfortunately, the problem is bigger than what was anticipated and may take days to be resolved. When he sees the child on the sickbed, he feels committed to doing whatever he can to bring the electricity back. However, he has a tough job ahead with facing nature and some unexpected events.

It was also the winner of the Silver Balloon (Montgolfière d’Argent) award of the 2022 Festival des 3 Continents in Nantes, France.

Winner of the grand prize at the 36th Venice International Film Critics’ Week, “Zalava”, Arsalan Amiri’s directorial feature debut, will be screened in the Spectrum-Midnight Fantasy category.

The film presents a brilliant examination of faith, science and tradition based on stories told to him by his father.

In 1978, the inhabitants of a small village in Iran called Zalava claim there is a demon among them. Masud, a young gendarmerie sergeant who investigates this claim, encounters an exorcist attempting to rid the village of the demon. When he arrests the exorcist on charges of fraud, the villagers’ fear and anger escalate. Masud and his love interest, a government doctor, soon find themselves trapped in a cursed house, surrounded by villagers who believe they are both possessed by the demon.

Director Mohammadreza Aslani’s 1976 drama “Chess of the Wind” will be reviewed in the SIFF Classics-4K Restoration section.

In this film, the first lady of a noble house has died and now there is conflict among those remaining over the distribution of her inheritance.

The Iranian films “The Annoyed”, “1.5 Horsepower”, “Cause of Death: Unknown”, “Dolphin Boy” and “The Passion of Mahmoud” will be screened in different sections of the Shanghai festival, which will take place from June 9 to 18 in Shanghai, China. /T.T/

Iranian tragicomedy “Punch Drunk” has won the best screenplay award at the 16th Cheboksary International Film Festival in Russia. Director Adel Tabrizi co-wrote the screenplay with Arsalan Amiri.

After accepting the award, Tabrizi dedicated it to Ferdows Kaviani, a veteran Iranian actor who is suffering from Parkinson’s disease.

Set in Tehran in 1996, the story of the film follows Mahtab who lives along with her 10-year-old child, Erfan. She is divorced from her husband, Morteza, who is in jail. Mahtab has enrolled her child in a karate class so that he does not end up like his father as far as his character is concerned. Erfan’s only interest is cinema and could not care less about sports. Hassan Khoshnud, the tough and serious karate instructor with his dictatorial methods causes Erfan to run away one day from the karate academy in the middle of exercises.

The winners of the Cheboksary festival, which is dedicated to ethnic and regional cinema, were announced last Thursday.

The Grand Prix in the feature film competition was awarded to “Everybody Hates Johan” by Norwegian director Hallvar Witzo.

The film is a comedy about Johan, a small-town loner with a flair for horses and explosives. He finds himself in constant conflict with the community, struggling to find his place in society while coping with unrequited love for his neighbor, whom accidentally blew to bits while in his teens.

Semyon Serzin from Russia was selected as best director for his film “A Similar Man”

The best actor prize went to Paul Sverre Hagen for his role in “Everybody Hates Johan”, while Olga Lapshina and Valentina Telichkina shared the award for best actress for their roles in the Russian drama “The Garden” by Larisa Sadilova.

The Grand Prix in the Ethnic and Regional Film Competition was given to “Knots” by Russian director Oleg Khamokov)

The film was directed based on an ancient Caucasian legend about the Adiyuh tower, which is located in Karachay-Cherkessia. According to legend, the young Adiyuh was kidnapped and locked in an impregnable tower by Prince Psabida.

“How People Live” by Russian director Pavel Skorobogatov won the Grand Prix for best documentary film.

The film focuses on the inhabitants of the Buryat village of Moigoty, of which there are only six left, living for more than twenty years outside of civilization without light and electricity. Being forgotten by the authorities, they do not want to go anywhere, they are building a hotel in the hope that tourists will come to them, and they are waiting for electricity and other utilities to be brought to them. /T.T/

Iranian female taekwondo athlete Nahid Kiani has made history by clinching the coveted gold medal at the 2023 Taekwondo World Championships.

Facing off against China’s Ju Zuo in the women’s -53kg weight category, Kiani, a deserving member of the Iranian national team, emerged as the sole representative of Iran in the finals of the championships held in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan.

Kiani dominated the match on Sunday, scoring a 2-0 victory over her Chinese rival.

The remarkable victory marks the first time an Iranian female athlete has achieved a gold medal in the history of the world championships.

In the first round, Kiani delivered an impressive performance, overpowering Zuo with an emphatic 14-0 victory. She continued her winning streak in the second round, defeating Zuo 11-7 and securing the world title.

Throughout the championships, Kiani showcased her exceptional talent and athletic prowess by triumphing over formidable opponents from South Korea, Hungary, Croatia, and Russia.

In the semifinal, Kiani faced off against Russia’s Tatiana Minina, engaging in a thrilling three-round battle. Despite trailing behind until the final two seconds of the third round, Kiani delivered two powerful blows, earning a decisive 10-6 victory and securing her place in the final.

With her groundbreaking victory, Kiani has not only cemented Iran’s position on the global taekwondo stage, but has also etched her name in history as a trailblazer for Iranian women in sports.

/MNA/

Iran is the world’s second-biggest producer of dates, according to a local official. Noting that 1.3 million tons of dates were produced in the country in the last Iranian year (March 2022-23), Mohsen Rashid Farrokhi, chairman of the National Date Association of Iran, said 20-30% of the output is exported every year, Finacial Tribune reported.

He put last year’s exports at $400 million, adding that the country has the capacity to increase the figure to $1 billion.

“Among our 75 export destinations, the US and China have the lion’s share,” he said.

The official noted that per capita consumption is estimated at around 8 kilograms per year, adding that date production and related industries have created 1.5 million jobs in Iran directly and 4 million jobs indirectly.

According to Farrokhi, about 500 types of dates are grown in Iran, of which 18 are exported.

Although Egypt is the world’s biggest producer, Saudi Arabia is Iran’s major rival in the global date market. /MNA/