Author: Massoud Schirazi

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Still from the animated film "Tehran Taboo" by German-Iranian director Ali Soozandeh (copyright: Ali Soozandeh)

Ali Soozandeh's film "Tehran Taboo"

Nothing but taboos

German-Iranian director Ali Soozandeh says that he made the film "Tehran Taboo" in order to "break the silence". In doing so, however, he has sketched a portrait of Iran that is almost unbearable, especially for the critical viewer with a knowledge of Iran, says Massoud SchiraziMore

Award-winning Iranian film director Asghar Farhadi: Watching the foundations crumble "Raving Iran" - a film documentary: Agents provocateursObituary: Iranian film director Abbas Kiarostami
Iranian female students (photo: Massoud Schirazi)

The University of Tehran

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Winds of change blowing over the campus

As president of the University of Tehran, Farhad Rahbar made many enemies with his hard-line approach. His successor, Mohammad Hossein Omid, who started work in February, is seen as the great "hope" for the nation's most famous university. By Massoud SchiraziMore

Power struggle in Iran: Rouhani's balancing actIran's New President: Can Rouhani Deliver?Iran's New President Rouhani: Hopes for Reorientation
Young people in Darband, northern Tehran (photo: Massoud Schirazi)

Iranian cinema

Shining a light on inner conflicts

"Darband" and "Sar be Mohr" are two new Iranian films that offer profound insights into the lives of young urban Iranians, highlighting their inner conflicts and the turmoil that is tearing many of them apart. Massoud Schirazi went to see both films in TeheranMore

Interview with Iranian filmmaker Reza Dormishian: The rage of an entire generation on screenThe Documentary Film ''In the Bazaar of Sexes'': Temporary Marriage in IranPhoto gallery: Iran – a great cinematic nationQantara dossier: Iranian Cinema
Shahram Nazeri (source: MEHR)

Iranian musician Shahram Nazeri

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The Persian nightingale and the flowers of hope

Shahram Nazeri is the undisputed master of setting Rumi's poetry to music. At a recent concert in Teheran, the renowned musician sang his audience into a state of ecstasy and gave voice to the Iranians' hopes for a brighter cultural future. After several barren years, the cultural scene is indeed showing tentative signs of change. By Massoud SchiraziMore

Musicians in Iran: An Uphill Struggle All the WayInterview with the Iranian Virtuoso Kayhan Kalhor: For the Love of ImprovisationIranian Tombak Virtuoso Mohammad Reza Mortazavi: Flying Fingers

In brief

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Most Recent Photo Essay

Land of nomads and desert: Mauritaniaʹs extremely hot and arid climate explains its very low population density. In 2009, the country had just 4 million inhabitants spread over 1 million square kilometres. The Adrar plateau, located in the north of the country near Atar, is known for its gorges and dunes

Mauritania, land of desert and contrasts

Mauritania straddles the transition between the Maghreb and sub-Saharan Africa, its population equally divided between Africans and Arabs. By Pascal Mannaerts