Five of the World's Best Film Directors and their Documentaries about Beijing 2008 Olympics | What was going on back behind the 2008 Beijing?

After more than 600 days of planning, filming and post production work, the VISION BEIJING film project held its global premiere on February 24, 2008, in Beijing. The works of five world-famed directors who participated the project were shown to the public, serving as an audio-video record of the rich connotations of Beijing People's Olympics. Meanwhile, this event will provide the world with some insights into Beijing's history and culture in an engrossing and entertaining way.

The VISION BEIJING project is sponsored by the Information Office of the Beijing Municipal Government, the Beijing Foreign Cultural Exchanges Association and the Beijing Tourism Administration. It was organized by the Beijing Foreign Exchanges Center and Beijing This Month Publications.

Five of the World's Best Film Directors, Giuseppe Tornatore (Italy), Majid Majidi (IRAN), Patrice Leconte (France), Daryl Goodrich (England) and Andrew Lau Wai-Keung (Hong Kong), were invited to make a short film each about Beijing and its people’s preparations for the 2008 Olympic Games.

Following their own styles, these five well-known directors told five stories of Beijing in their own ways. These passionate and inspirational films portray the beauty and charm of this ancient yet rapidly modernizing international metropolis and the host of the 2008 Olympics.

It was also the first time for Majidi to China. After showed around and after visiting Beijing’s World Cultural Heritage sites, the Beijing Urban Planning Exhibition Hall, the Beijing Shichahai Sports School and the Beijing Beihai Kindergarten;

He said: “He was particularly impressed by the vitality of elder people. This was my first chance to experience Beijing, but I feel very warm here, as our cultures are connected. China is a mysterious and wonderful place, and the Chinese people make this place mysterious and wonderful.”

"I am most impressed by the middle-aged and retired people, who have great passion for life," he added later.

Despite his impression for the elderly, Majidi, Oscar-nominated for Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film with Children of Heaven in 1998, chose his favorite subject, children.

In Colors Fly, Majidi focused on children looking forward to the Games.

Children are typically Majidi’s favorite film actors and subjects. He is always inclined to portray the real lives of common people.

Majidi is known for his sensitive portrayal of children in films such as Children of Heaven and Color of Paradise.

In his short film, Majidi captures a group of ordinary Beijing students in yellow, blue, green, purple and red clothes on a morning in Beijing. The students are shown riding their bicycles as they bear their colorful wish-filled balloons through crowds, parks, streets, office buildings and public squares. On various plazas around the city, the students let fly their balloons which attract the attention of people in the area. The balloons soar before coalescing into beautiful Olympic rings. The final scene caused thunders of applause at the premiere.

In Tornatore's first trip to China, the Italian, Academy Award winner for Nuovo Cinema Paradiso in 1999, made Reunion, telling a story about how a group of students and their teacher got back together after 30 years.

Leconte was a stranger to Beijing too but he soon caught up with his knowledge for the Chinese capital, shooting Beijing -- A Film Impressionistic. Arguably France's best director, Leconte depicted Beijing through various structures including Summer Palace, Olympic venues and modern constructions.

Retired as an athlete, Goodrich found his career in a combination of sport and film-making.
After his success in his promotional film for London's bid for the 2012 Olympics, he joined Vision Beijing.
His five-minute film, entitled Belief, focused on the hard work and thrill of athletic competition.

Hong Kong director Lau, the only Chinese director invited to the project, showed his love for the Chinese food in Color, Fragrance, and Taste Beijing.
Lau, having a large group of fans in China thanks to his hit works including Storm Riders, Infernal Affairs and Initial D, showed different types of famous Chinese food and depicted relations between food and Chinese culture.

"I love food so I am the right person to make the film," said Lau half-jokingly. "The only problem is there are too many types of food for me to choose for my film. I just have to show the best of the best."

(Xinhua News Agency February 25, 2008)

The Organizing Committee also enjoyed the support of society. More than 10 cultural celebrities served as advisors to the project, such as Xu Zhihong, Liu Huan and Ma Wei; many famous actors participated, such as Zhang Yang, Tian Zhuangzhuang and Jiang Wenli. More than 100 sites were used as shooting scenes. Nearly 300 film-makers and more than 1,500 working staff, nearly 30 famous actors and sports stars and more than 2,800 extras were involved in this project.

After the premiere ceremony, these five films will be shown via CCTV-2, Beijing TV, the national TV stations of IRAN, Italy, France, and on flights of Air France, Air China, in cinemas in Beijing, via Beijing’s city TVs, mobile TVs, subway TVs, city big-screen TVs and during other cultural exchange occasions.

Hong Kong director Andrew Lau Wai Keung listens to a question during the Vision Beijing news conference in Beijing yesterday.

The project has showcased five short films by five world famous film directors, namely Lau, Giuseppe Tornatore of Italy, Majid Majidi of IRAN, Patrice Leconte of France, and Daryl Goodrich of England. The short films are about Beijing and the people's preparations for the 2008 Olympic Games.

These angles are what five internationally renowned directors took when showing to the world what Beijing was liked in preparing for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

Andrew Lau (L)

Patrice Leconte

Majid Majidi

Giuseppe Tornatore

Daryl Goodrich

In Leconte's "Beijing-A Film Impressionistic," there is no storyline but like an impressionist painting. There are many images like kites flying in the sky, the Great Wall, the Temple of Heaven, the National Stadium and people performing acrobatics in this impressionistic "painting". Watch the film

Following his signature theme of children, Majidi has them in his film to send Beijing's best wishes for the Olympics and hopes for a harmonious world. Named "Colors Fly", the short movie features a group of children who fly balloons in the five colors of the Olympic rings. As the children ride the bicycles on the street, they release the balloons with wishes written on them.
Watch the film
[Can also watch Colors Fly Here]

In comparison with Leconte's images, Andrew Lau focuses his camera on enticing food in Beijing. In the Hong Kong's five-minute movie, he shows the delicious buffet of food, including Peking duck in fancy restaurants and snack stands along the street. The shots of the food are enough to make any viewer hungry. Watch the film

Young athletes are the main theme of Goodrich's film. The British director was inspired by a local youth's three questions about China's role in the modern Olympics. The movie answers the queries by affirming China's status in the sporting world and its big contribution to the Olympics. Watch the film

Finally, compared with the other four films, Italian director Giuseppe Tornatore's work is a complete story. His film begins with a busy Beijing morning, when a bus driver surnamed Li recognizes an elderly woman doing tai chi in the park is his former teacher. What follows are scenes of people with various occupations, like construction workers, Peking opera singers and tricycle riders. The story follows with Li writing to her former classmates to organize a reunion with their teacher. Watch the film

Biography of Majid Majidi

Majid Majidi (Persian: مجید مجیدی , born 17 April 1959 in Tehran) is an internationally and critically acclaimed Iranian film director, film producer, and screenwriter.

Born in an Iranian middle class family, he grew up in Tehran and at the age of 14 he started acting in amateur theater groups. He then studied at the Institute of Dramatic Arts in Tehran.
After the Iranian Revolution in 1979, his interest in cinema brought him to act in various films, most notably Mohsen Makhmalbaf's Boycott in 1985.
As of 2004, Majidi was the only Iranian director who has been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film with the film Children of Heaven in 1998. He lost the award to the Italian film Life Is Beautiful by Roberto Benigni.

Filmography: Directing

1) Explosion (Enfejar) (1981) - documentary short
2) Hoodaj (1984) - short
3) Examination Day (Rooz-e Emtehan) (1988) - short
4) A Day with POWs (Yek Rooz Ba Asiran) (1989) - documentary short
5) Baduk (1992) - debut feature
6) The Last Village (Akhareen Abadi) (1993) - short
7) Father (Pedar) (1996) - feature
8) God Will Come (Khoda Miayad) (1996) - short
9) Children of Heaven (Bacheha-ye Aseman) (1997) - feature
10) The Color of Paradise (Rang-e Khoda) (1999) - feature
11) Baran (Rain) (2001) - feature
12) Barefoot to Herat (Pa berahneh ta Herat) (2002) - documentary
13) Olympics in the Camp (Olympik Tu Urdugah) (2003) - documentary short
14) The Willow Tree (Beed-e Majnoon; alternate English title One Life More) (2005) - feature
15) Peace, Love, and Friendship (2007) - documentary short
16) The Song of Sparrows (2008) - feature

17) Kashmir Afloat - in production.

Awards and honors

Majid Majidi has received numerous awards up to now. Here are a few:

1) Ecumenical Special Award, 25th Montreal Film Festival, 2001.
2) Grand Prix Des Ameriques, 25th Montreal Film Festival, 2001.
3) Oscar-Nominated for Academy Awards for Best Foreign Film, 1998.
4) Grand Prix of Americas Best Film, 21st Montreal Festival for World Films, 1999.

Sources:
Wikipedia, China Daily, BoomTownBeijing, china.org.cn, BTMBeijing

Yahoo finally adds the name of Iran

Yahoo removed the name of IRAN after the 2nd round of sanctions which adopted last year. But Yahoo governors finally acquiesced to re-include the name of IRAN in their Sign Up available countries list.

The frequent and intensive protests by angry Iranians started right after the Yahoo banned Persian users from creating new mail accounts and removed the name of IRAN from its list of countries in November 2007.

The Iranian users attempted a Google Bomb named “Hello Yahoo mail” which was a responsive movement against what they called “insulting the 7,500 years of Iranian civilization by the state-run portal Yahoo”.

Helloyahoomail.net provided more than 2 million visitors and users with information on Iranian culture, ancient Persian empire, Iranian literature, history of the land, its people and modern day lifestyle in IRAN to prove that Yahoo, mainstream media and other American allies are misleading public opinions by crying that Iranians are terrorists and uncivilized, they want to “conceal” the facts and realities about this ancient and historical land.
[All western politicians always through the history wanted to hide the real face of their civilization [Greece Kingdom] and the movies like 300 and Alexander are good example for their hostility and Jealousy to Great People Of Persia.



Persians were the first people who fight against slavery and wrote the first Bill of Human Rights [by Cyrus the Great] 2,500 years ago. All wars between Persia and Greece were because of, wildness of Greeks to other nations. The things that you watch in the movies about Greece Kingdom are something wrong, to deceive the other nations that have less civilization and also tell them that we are the best.

These things are not coming from my mind or someone else, ALL the things that said are coming out from the remain inscriptions and images of Persepolis which ruined by Drunk Alexander after their invasion.]

It was a dark point of Yahoo mail history to altercate with a people of ancient culture, history and peacemaking backgrounds by removing the name of their country with the pretext that IRAN is a terrorist country.

Meanwhile, the main question of Iranian cyber-activists was about the hoarding of 2,500 nuclear warheads by US that the state officials confessed to, also about the evident violation of human rights in Guantanamo jails and US government funding the terrorist groups in Iraq, bombarding Afghanistan and killing thousands of civilians etc.

It was always totally clear that which country violates human rights, boosts the terrorism and commits genocide, but the American statesmen and their mercenaries in Yahoo mail planned to alienate the global opinions from human disasters in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan by accusing IRAN and pressing its people.

Last night, following the intervention of cyber courts, internet activists and political figures Yahoo finally deferred to include the IRAN’s name in the lists again and this was a great failure for Yahoo which has already announced that it is not possible to have ties with IRAN and its people!

The page Helloyahoomail.net is a Google bomb that redirects the users searching “Yahoo mail” keyword to articles and news about IRAN, its people and their scientific, cultural progresses and mainly is a response to Yahoo men and its users who assume that they are facing with uncultured and terrorist nation.

IRAN’s Name in Signup Page

9th Iranian heritage registered to UNESCO | The Oldest Church in the World

TEHRAN – The Iranian churches St. Thaddeus, St. Stephanus, and Dzordzor (Zorzor) in East Azerbaijan Province and West Azerbaijan Province were registered on the UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

The decision was made during the World Heritage Committee session in Quebec, Canada on July 6.

The UNESCO website described the monuments as “examples of outstanding universal value of the Armenian architectural and decorative traditions” and adding, “They bear testimony to very important interchanges with the other regional cultures, in particular the Byzantine, Orthodox and Persian.”

The committee also asked IRAN to give an inclusive report on the modifications to be carried out on the Jahan-Nama Tower by February 2009, Iranian representative in the session Mahdi Musavi told the Persian service of CHN on Monday.

The tower spoils the horizontal view of the Naqsh-e Jahan Square, another Iranian complex in Isfahan Province, which was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1979.

In addition, the committee decided IRAN’s Bam Cultural Landscape will remain on UNESCO’s List of World Heritage in Danger until 2010. Bam, a historical city located in Kerman Province in southern IRAN, was almost totally destroyed by a devastating earthquake on December 26, 2003.

Bam Ancient City

—St. Thaddeus Church—

The St. Thaddeus Church, also known as the Black Church (Qara Kelissa), is probably IRAN’s most interesting and notable Christian monument, located near the Chalderan region in Maku, West Azerbaijan.

Christians from all over the world annually gather at the church on July 1 for their annual commemoration of the martyrdom of St. Thaddeus.

One of the 12 disciples, St. Thaddeus, also known as St. Jude, (not to be confused with Judas Iscariot), was martyred while spreading the Gospel. He is revered as an apostle of the Armenian Church. As legend has it, a church dedicated to him was first built on the present site in 68 CE.

Nothing appears to remain of this original church, which was extensively rebuilt in the 13th century, but some sections around the altar may date to the 10th century. Most of the present structure dates to the 17th century and is of carved sandstone. The oldest sections are made of black and white stone.

The Apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew traveled through Armenia in 45 CE to preach the word of God. Many people were converted and numerous secret Christian communities were established there.

Around that time, Abgar died after ruling for 38 years and the Armenian kingdom was split into two parts. His son Ananun crowned himself in Edessa, while his nephew Sanatruk ruled in Greater Armenia. About 66 CE, Ananun gave the order to kill St. Thaddeus in Edessa. The king’s daughter Sandokht, who had converted to Christianity, was martyred with Thaddeus. Her tomb is located near the St. Thaddeus Church.

The church is surrounded by thick walls which form the outer ramparts of some abandoned monastery buildings.

—St. Stephanus Church—

According to Hayk Ajimian, an Armenian scholar and historian, the church was originally built in the ninth century CE, but repeated earthquakes in region severely damaged the original structure.

Located near Marand in East Azerbaijan, the church was renovated during the reign of the Safavid king Shah Abbas (1588-1629).

The general structure of the St. Stephanus Church, which also known as St. Stepanos, mostly resembles Armenian and Georgian architecture and the inside of the building is adorned with beautiful paintings by Honatanian, a renowned Armenian artist.

The Armenian Orthodox primate of the diocese of Tehran, Archbishop Sebuh Sarkisian, said on Thursday that some of the remains recently discovered in IRAN’s St. Stephanus Church may be the bones of John the Baptist.

In July 2005, Shahriar Adl, the director of the team documenting three Iranian churches for registration on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, said that they had discovered a box at the St. Stephanus Church containing the bones of one of the successors of the Apostles of Jesus.

The Armenian Orthodox primate of the diocese of Tehran, Archbishop Sebuh Sarkisian, approved the report in his August 2005 interview, adding, “About the box, which contains the remains of the apostles’ bodies and was found under the altar of the St. Stephanus Church, it is said that the box contains the body of John the Baptist. According to Armenian historian Arakel Davrizhetsi (17th century), the box, which was located under the main altar of the Church of the Holy Trinity in old Jolfa and contained the sacred remains and a scroll, was given to Shamun, the archbishop of St. Stephanus Church, after the Church of the Holy Trinity was destroyed.”

“The remains may very likely have historic value. According to the tradition of the church, we know that after St. Gregory the Illuminator was consecrated as archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, in a friendly gesture, he gave some remains of John the Baptist to Quintius, the archbishop of the region, during his return trip to Armenia. The remains were transferred to the John the Baptist Cathedral in the city of Mush in Armenia.

“Now, the remains were somehow transferred to another place, as a consequence of the wars and chaotic conditions prevailing in the land over past centuries, in which believers and church fathers changed the location of the box in order to safeguard it. A French traveler (Jean Baptiste Tavernier, 1605-1689), who saw a box at the St. Stephanus Church when he visited the place in the 17th century, had said that the box contained the body of one of the Apostles,” Sarkisian said.

Some historical sources, such as some photos kept at Tehran’s Golestan Palace, and the photos taken by Ali Khan Vali, the governor of northern Azerbaijan during the reign of the Qajar king Nasser ad-Din Shah and kept in the Adl family archives, indicate that the bones of Saint Stephanus (Saint Stephen), Saint Matthew, and the Prophet Daniel, are being kept in the St. Stephanus Church.

—Dzordzor Church—

Located in the village of Barone in Zangar Valley of Chaldoran region in the north of West Azerbaijan Province, the church was built in 1315 CE.

— Iranian sites on World Heritage List–

1. Chogha Zanbil, Khuzestan Province, 1979
2. Persepolis, Fars Province, 1979 [ACHAEMENID ERA]
3. Naqsh-e Jahan Square, Isfahan Province, 1979 [SAFAVID ERA]
4. Takht-e Soleiman, West Azerbaijan Province, 2003
5. Pasargadae, Fars Province, 2004 [ACHAEMENID ERA]
6. The city of Bam and its Cultural Landscape, Kerman Province, 2004
7. Soltanieh Dome, Zanjan Province, 2005
8. Bisotun, Kermanshah Province, 2006 [ACHAEMENID ERA]

9. Northwest IRAN’s historic churches St. Thaddeus and St. Stephanus, West Azerbaijan Province; and Dzordzor (Zorzor), East Azerbaijan Province, 2008

Adapted from: Tehran Times

Know More About Iranian Culture By Our Seven Questions

1) Which country was not part of the Persian Empire under the Achaemenid era?

Except small part of China, as a whole China was not part of the Persian Empire.
With rulers such as Cyrus II (Know as Cyrus the Great, the first person whose wrote first bill of Human rights) and Darius I (the Great), the Persian Empire grew to include more than 23 different cultures (Countries).
It extended from the Mediterranean Sea to the Indus River and encompassed present-day Greece, Babylonia , Egypt, India, Turkey, Azerbijan, Armenia, Georgia, Jordan, Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Caucasus region, Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, part of Arabia, Emirate, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, and some other countries which I forgot.


2) What language is most commonly spoken in IRAN?

IRAN is home not only to Persians, but Turk, Azeri, Baluchi, and Kurd. These people speak their own language, but most can also speak Persian (Parsi).


3) Which people or groups did not invade the Persian Empire?

The prosperity and location of the Persian Empire made it susceptible to invaders, who included Drunk Alexander, the Arabs, Turks, Genghis Khan, and the Mongols and Baribarians. Egyptions were the only people which did not invade the Persian Empire and were a loyal ally for Persians.


4) What the term of "IRAN" means?

The word "IRAN" comes form the term "Aryan", which means, loosely Noble.
"IRA N" is derived from Arya and Airya, which mean "Noble" or Respectable" and are used to describe the people of Persia.
The term "IRA N" was used around the third century B.C., when a ruler described his Empire as Iranshahr-and himself as the king of kings.
And also was used around 7,500 to 10,000 years ago with term of "Aeiraniovich" to describe the region of Persians which means "The Region of Scientists People".
"Aeiran" means "Great scientist" and "Vich" means "Region or Place".


5) How the Persian Empire's ancient capital city, Persepolis, destroyed?

It was set on fire. After Drunk Alexander (Hatred character in ancient history for all Persians, like Arabs) and his army conquered the Persians, they looted the city. During a celebratory banquet, the story goes, Drunk Alexander took a woman's suggestion to join a procession to burn down the royal palace and other parts of the city. The ruins were not studied until the 1930s, when the University of Chicago's Oriental Institute sponsored an excavation of the area.


6) How long did it take a relay of couriers to travel the 1,600-mile Royal Road in Persia?

A postage stamp

Nine Days. The couriers who used the Royal Road, which ran from Susa in the southwest (Northwest of Persian Gulf) to Sardis in the north near the Aegean sea, were stopped by "neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night", according to greek historian Herodotus. It took them only nine days to deliver a message across the Empire.
Persians where the first people and first nation in the World who established "Post Organization" 2,500 years ago. [See Also]

7) Approximately what percentage of IRAN's population is Muslim?

According the eighth edition of National Geographic's Atlas of the World, 95 percent of Iranians are Muslim; the remaining 5 percent are Zoroastrians [The first religion of Persians were Zoroastrianism], Jews [It goes back to 2,500 years ago when Cyrus the Great freed 25,000 Jews whom were under rack of Babylon's governor and was slave which was opposite of Cyrus's Bill of Human Rights] and Christians.

Brown Blasted over “Persian Gulf” name distortion

A professor who is teaching an Arab a simple lesson about Persian Gulf.

IRAN, Tehran: British prime minister Gordon Brown inflamed patriotic passions in IRAN after referring to the Persian Gulf as “the Gulf of Arabia” in a speech to an energy summit on Thursday. IRAN’s embassy in London criticised the prime minister in a strongly worded letter sent to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, describing it as another example of Britain’s hostile attitude towards IRAN.

The letter noted that the name “Persian Gulf” is the historically accepted term for the body of water lying to the south of IRAN, and is officially recognised by the United Nations.

In his speech to the UK Low Carbon Economy Summit, Mr Brown said: “The North Sea, which as passed its peak in terms of oil and gas supplies, will be turned into the equivalent for wind power of what the Gulf of Arabia is for oil.”

The impure project of Persian Gulf name distortion which is being managed by the Zionist and American lobbies, established by the bribed National Geographic magazine and still continues regardless to the international regulations that forbid the use of any counterfeited term and name for the registered geographical places, body waters, islands etc.

*NB: We never withdraw about our Islands (Greater Tomb,Leaser Tomb & Bu Musa in Persian Gulf) & the name of Persian Gulf.
It's impossible to change the name of Persian Gulf. Why let Persian Gulf 's Arabs which were under control of IRA N authority till 35 years ago to rename our Gulf?
In ancient Maps this Gulf was always Persian Gulf and will remain Persian Gulf forever. And also the name of Red Sea was Arab Sea which they gave up that name and now they want to take Persian Gulf for themselves which Iranians not gonna let them...

A joint performance of Chris De Burgh and Arian for Peace

Title: Doostet Daram (I Love You)i
Singers: Chris de Burgh, Ali Pahlavani, Payam Salehi
Chorus: Sharareh Farnezhad, Sahar & Sanaz Kashmari
Album: Noori Ta Abadiat (A Light to Infinite)

One track is available, click here to Download file

Before anything at first I want to say a special thanks to Brave Chris de Burgh that decides to make a cultural joint with Iranians Pop Music.

Singer Chris de Burgh has defended his plans to stage a concert in IRAN.

A part of his discussion about decision:

The 59-year-old crooner told Sky News he would make a final decision on performing when he travelled to the country next month.
"My friends and I are not politically naive - we know what the situation has been," the Irishman said.
"I'm very fortunate that my music has been accepted there for more than 20 years."
There have been reports that de Burgh might not be able to sing the lyric "cheek to cheek" from his song, Lady In Red, due to government censorship.
"I go to sing for people, I do not go to sing for governments," he said.
"We've thought about it for a long time. It's not just 'We accept the invite, thanks very much, we're going to go'.
"Those people that say 'You shouldn't go', I say to them well, what are you doing to make a difference? I want to make a difference."
The concert has been flagged for a 12,000-seat stadium in the capital Tehran later this Summer.
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Mohsen Rajabpour, managing director of Taraneh Sharghi Cultural and Artistic Company and manager of Arian band provided information about the last stages of production of a song called a melody for peace.

This song is produced by cooperation between Chris De Burgh famous Irish musician and singer and the well known Arian Band, according to an agreement between Taraneh Sharghi and Ferryman Productions, with the theme of love and respect to human beliefs.

This song is produced with the knowledge and approval of the Office of Music of the Ministry of Islamic Culture And Guidance, effort was made to show the Iranian human loving spirit to all people of the world.

Rajabpour says about this event: "I personally wanted the opinion of Mr. Saffar Harandi Minister of Guidance about cooperation of well known foreign musicians with Iranian artists, and he commented that it is a very positive and good idea ."

Chris De Burgh, being the first foreign famous artist who performs in a joint song with an Iranian pop music band is one of the best choices for a new era of cultural connections between IRAN and the rest countries of the world.

Due to his activities which were for public benefits, Chris De Burgh was chosen by the United Nations as the Ambassador of health and campaign against malnutrition. He sang many songs about peace and presented many charity programs in all parts of the world. Due to his respectful and comforting style which always is full of love for humanity, he has become a well known face among Iranian music fans, and there is no doubt that this Irish singer is one of the most loved and popular foreign artists in IRAN. Chris De Burgh repeatedly showed his interest in Persian Culture describing it as one of the richest cultures of the world.

A Me lody For Peace is one of the songs of the forth album of Arian Band, and is distributed in IRAN by Taraneh Sharghi Company, and for the rest of Persian speakers in the world by Gemmy Music Records which belongs to Taraneh Sharghi, and in the other parts of the world by Ferryman Productions.

Arian Band's concert in Humburg



Tehran, 2002 - Sharareh Farnezhad is a guitarist in the Arian Band who also sings along with the singers

The 3 pictures below are Arian Band performing during a concert at the 23rd Fadjr International Music Festival in a hall at the Interior Ministry Hall in Tehran.

Singers Sanaz (L) and Sahar (R) Kashmari of Iranian Arian Band


Singers and musicians Ali Pahlavan (R) and Payam Salehi (L) of Iranian Arian Band

Ali Pahlavani & Sanaz Kashmari

They are so popular that their albums even sell amongst Iranians in Los Angeles.

The members includes:
Ali Pahlevan and Payam Salehi (Singers), Siyamak Khahani (Violin), Ninef Amirkhas (Keyboard), Sahar and Sanaz Kashmari (The Chorus), Bourzouyeh Badihi (Percussion), Ali Reza Tabatabaie (Drum).

ARIAN live @ Orpheum Theatre - Vancouver - Canada - Jan 2005

Sources:
Candle In The Wind, www.ArianMusic.com, www.cdeb.com, www.nancarrow-webdesk.com, www.naderdavoodi.net, www.koreatimes.co.kr

We never withdraws about islands

With the powerful leadership of Iranian authorities in the Persian Gulf region, Lesser Tunb, greater Tunb and Bu Mousa will remain ;inseparable parts of IRAN never to be removed off the country.
By grudgingly misuse of the friendly and peaceful approach of Iranian government toward the issue of triple Islands, state of UAE showed it needs more harsh and cutting reaction despite of being warned so many times from IRAN.
Because of the neighborhood considerations and religious brotherhood adjacency, the Iranian governments indulges the Arabic states counterfeiting the name of Persian Gulf and their claim of sovereignty on the Persian islands, but the political analysts say its likely that Tehran takes a serious action against the disturbances.

Protesting Iranian holding up the slogan: “Great Persia including UAE under the flag of IRAN”

IRAN had also regularly condemned the Russian and American intervenes to the controversy and warned against the aftermaths.
The triple islands of Persian Gulf (lesser Tunb, greater Tunb and Bu Mousa) were historically definite parts of IRAN under the ownership of IRAN but the young state of Emirates which is still a very small province of IRAN, made some tumults about the Iranian administration, being motivated by the western powers such as US and Canada.
Iranian government frequently states strongly that there will be no withdrawal and negligence about the historical rights of IRAN, Persian Gulf and triple islands.
Last week, a large crowd of Persian youth and students held up a protesting demonstration in front of the UAE embassy in Tehran, conveying the message of national anger toward the hostile actions, carrying banners with the slogan: “Oooo you the Emirates, a tiny land of 37 years old!!” =))

We lost our provinces by damn west tricks and also stupidity of some kings;

1)We lost Afghanistan, probably 200 years ago by jerk policies of England.
2)We lost Half of our Azerbaijan by cunning Soviet Union, probably 120 years ago by Ghajar dynasty and again 20 years ago for second time by some unknown reason. Now half of Azerbaijan is in IRAN, and other half is now an independent province.
3)We lost Armenia, Georgia & also Leaser Ararat and Greater Ararat which are now a part of Turkey.
4)We lost Emirates 37 years ago & Qatar, Bahrain, Oman like that.
30 years ago there were no cement building in Emirates , which now the most tall towers are in that.

Stupid kings gave up our provinces and lands which now we will never.
And we will get back all of our provinces ONE by ONE.

Passion of Rumi, Mevlana of IRAN

Shahram Nazeri is internationally distinguished by the ephitet fans gave him, the “Iranian Pavarotti”, due to his clear, noiseless and tenacious sound.
He was prized the Legionn d’honneur medal by French government and hold up many concerts in Europe and US which concluded global popularity and fame for him.
Shahram Nazeri is the most outstanding singer of Mevlana poems with the assistance of Hafez Nazeri, his son.
They lodge at the pinnacle of “Rumi music ensemble” as the premier of orchestra, getting aid from a large group of musicians and chorus, playing Persian instruments such as Santur, Setar, daf and Gheychak.
As a predominant singer of Persian traditional music who is also known as the originator of the new generation of Iranian national music, he made lots of trips and travels to Konya where the Iranian national poet, Mevlana is buried.
Mevlana known to world as Rumi, is a main rector of Persian poem, revived the Iranian literature by his collection of poetic tales in ethics, morals and daily life (Mathnavi).
There is not remaining any verse or couplet of Mevlana except in Persian, while he confesses frankly that he knows only the translation of word “water” in Turkish language.
The poems of Mevlana, this reputable Iranian poet are mystic, impressive and they become more rapturous when being sung by Shahram Nazeri and heard by those who understand Persian language and understand its delicacies.
“Passion of Rumi” stands in a golden berth among Nazeri’s albums since granted by Boston Globe for the 2007 world top 5 albums ranking.

Shahram Nazeri & his son, Hafez Nazeri

Arian: the fascinating ray of love

Arian group members with the IRAN flag painted on their faces

“Immortal IRAN” is what the Arian music band frequently sings about and clamors for. The Immortal IRAN which belongs to eternal Persian Gulf, the eternal glory, the eternal faith.
Arian Music Band which ranks in the first 100s among the top world popular music bands is an Islamic-Persian pop music ensemble with an experience of about 10 years, consisted of nine talented youth, each of them expert in a specified field of musical instruments and techniques.

Chris de Burgh and Arian band - Collaborat press conference - Tehran

Ali Pahlavan and Payam Salehi are the founders of group, Ninef Amirkhas, Siamak Khahani, Borzooye Badihi, Alireza Tabatabaei, Sanaz and Sahar (Kashmari sisters) and Shahrareh Farnejad the other members.
The band uses percussions, electric guitar, local drums, keyboard and violin which compose astonishing rhythms and pieces in the school of innovative Persian music.

Sanaz Kashmari known to fans az “Sani” singing in the concert

Until 2004, they released 3 albums named “Sun flower”, “So the love” and “Till eternity” and their latest album quivered the market a few days ago called “With you, without you” enjoying Chris de Burgh as guest vocalist.
The most delightful tracks of their latest album are “dandelion”, “a light for eternity” (featuring Chris de Burgh) and “immortal IRAN” while there are 10 other tracks which really worth hearing at least for once.

Sani during the Montreal concert

Arian held about 400 various concerts in different parts of the world, totally attracting more than 2 million audiences, the most outstanding of them toke in London, Munich, Berlin, Montreal and Arab countries of Persian Gulf part.
They dedicated the benefits of their concerts to many charity purposes, the Bam earthquake surviving for instance.
Arian is moving quickly toward the gateway of international music markets, proving the idea that Muslim Iranians are capable of doing anything and climbing any eminent mountain they want.
I officially invite you to make a short trip to IRAN for the upcoming summer which will be of course a memorizing season for all the Iranians to attend the common concert of Arian band and Chris de Burgh.

Sani, Sheri (Sharareh) and Sahar

Source: Yahoo! Mail