The Iran national men’s volleyball team won the title of the Asian Men’s Volleyball Championship 2021 after winning the national team the hosts Japan 3-0 in the final match on Sunday.

National Iranian volleyball team became champions of Asia after defeating Japan in three straight sets (27-25; 25-22; 31-29).

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The 21st Asian Senior Men’s Volleyball Championship was held from Sept. 12 to 19 in Chiba, Japan, and the participating teams vied for two spots in next year’s FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship in Russia.

At the end of the competitions, the Iranian coach Behrouz Ataei was introduced as the best coach in Asia, while the Iranian player Saber Kazemi was also named the most valuable player in the competitions.

This was Iran’s fourth win in the Asian championships, while Japan have won the title nine times so far.

By advancing the final, both Iran and Japan booked their tickets at the 2022 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship already on Saturday.

The FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship will be held in Russia from Aug. 26 to Sept. 11, 2022 with the participation of 24 teams.

Iran ‘s Health Minister Saeed Namaki has issued an emergency permit to use COV-Iran Barakat in the current vaccination of the population.

Speaking to Iranian state TV on Sunday night, Health Minister Saeed Namaki issued an emergency permit to use COV-Iran Barakat in the current vaccination of the population.

He also said that the necessary permit to use Iran-Cuba jointly produced COVID vaccine will also be issued as early as next week.

The move comes amid reports of a shortage of vaccines in Iran as the vaccination of elderly aged above 60 is underway.

This is while, Jafar Sadegh Tabrizi, Director General for PHC Network Management at the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Ministry of Health said on Sunday that the country needs 120,000,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccines. He also said that a new shipment of vaccines containing a million doses will enter the country in the coming days.

Meanwhile, Head of Iran’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Dr. Mohammad-Reza Shanesaz, said Sunday the Iranian citizens who have been injected with a foreign-made coronavirus vaccine might be injected with an Iranian-made vaccine for their second dose. He assured that the Iranian and foreign-made vaccines are made in the same way and with the same quality.

The National Task Force for Fighting Coronavirus in Iran has announced that the second dose of Chinese vaccine will be distributed from Saturday and the second dose of Sputnik V will also be available.

Iranian Sputnik vaccine to be unveiled

Iran’s Health Minister Namaki informed that the Iranian version of the Sputnik Covid-19 vaccine will be unveiled on Sat.

Iranian Minister Masoud Namaki vowed that all Iranians will be vaccinated by the end of Autumn by domestically produced or imported vaccines.

The Spokesman of the Iran Food and Drug Administration (IFDA) said in mid-June that the Islamic Republic of Iran joined the club of manufacturers of coronavirus, COVID-19, vaccine.

In a tweet, Kianoush Jahanpour wrote, “Islamic Republic of Iran joined the coronavirus, COVID-19, vaccine manufacturers’ club by issuing a license for emergency use of COV-Iran Barakat; Iran, Russia, United States, China, UK, and India.”

Cuban Soberana 02 COVID-19 vaccine showing 62% efficiency

The Cuban biopharmaceutical corporation BioCubaFarma announced that the Soberana 02 vaccine against COVID-19 has an efficacy of over 60 percent.

“With only 2 doses, #Soberana02 reached 62% efficacy,” BioCubaFarma tweeted on Saturday.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel tweeted that the result has been confirmed by an independent committee with the Instituto Finlay de Vacunas, but the emergency use of the vaccine is yet to be approved by the Cuban regulatory agency CECMED, Sputnik reported.

“The efficacy of #Soberana02, in its two doses, exceeds the requirements of the World Health Organization for a vaccine candidate against #COVID19 to become an effective vaccine, which is 50%,” Diaz-Canel tweeted, adding that data on the three-shot Soberana Plus vaccine will be available soon.

Cuba has developed five promising vaccine candidates: Soberana 01, Soberana 02, Soberana Plus, Mambisa and Abdala. Over 4.3 million people have participated in trials of the Soberana 02 and Abdala vaccines, according to Cuba’s health ministry.

Some 750,787 tons of goods were exported from the northern Iranian province of Mazandaran to the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) countries during the previous Iranian calendar year (which ended on March 19), indicating a 76 percent growth year-on-year.

Ali Yousefi, the head of Nowshahr Customs Office, added main exported items included dairy products, plastic products, cement and minerals, putting the value of the annual overseas sales at $32.92 million, Mehr News Agency reported.

The official noted that over two million tons of different products worth $685.77 million were imported from the EAEU member states to the province during the same period.

The imports witnessed an increase of 97 percent and 17 percent in terms of weight and value, respectively, he added.

Earlier, the ‎spokesman for the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) said the value of Iran’s trade with the EAEU exceeded $1.4 billion in five months ‎following the going into effect of a preferential trade agreement between the two sides.

Rouhollah Latifi added the agreement went into force on October 27, 2019, IRNA reported. ‎

Putting at $1.48 billion the exact value of the trade transactions between the two sides during October 27, ‎‎2019-March 25, 2020, he noted that of this figure, 67 percent pertained to Iran’s imports from the EAEU‎ ‎members and 33 percent to the country’s exports.

Latifi said the weight and value of Iran’s overseas sales to the EAEU countries stood ‎at 1.15 million tons and $489 million, putting Iran’s imports at 2.95 million tons in terms of weight and $999.3 million value-wise. ‎

Seeking to substantially increase trade, Iran and the EAEU signed a three-year provisional ‎agreement in Astana, Kazakhstan, in May 2018. ‎

Based on the preferential trade agreement the two sides have three years to upgrade the treaty into a full-‎fledged free trade deal that lowers or abolishes customs duties.

As part of the provisional preferential trade agreement, the average tariff set by the EAEU for imports of ‎Iranian goods stands at 3.1 percent, while Iran’s average tariff for imported commodities from the EAEU ‎amounts to 12.9 percent, according to the deputy head of Iran’s Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines ‎and Agriculture for international affairs, Mohammadreza Karbasi.‎

In September 2017, Iran lifted the customs tariffs on certain agricultural products exported to the EAEU states to encourage overseas sales to countries such as Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Mazandaran accounts for 40 percent, 50 percent and 10 percent of Iran’s rice, citrus and poultry meat production.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says friendly countries should exert pressure on the United States to lift its “cruel and one-sided” sanctions against Tehran at the current juncture that the Islamic Republic is diligently fighting the deadly new coronavirus pandemic.

In a phone call with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, on Monday, the Iranian president emphasized that it is more difficult for Iran in comparison with other countries to battle the coronavirus when it is under the US sanctions.

“The US administration has not only violated international regulations by imposing illegal sanctions on Iran, but is also breaching health regulations ratified by the World Health Organization in 2005 through its measures under the current circumstances,” Rouhani said.

The Iranian president once again expressed the country’s readiness to return to full compliance with its commitments under the nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), it clinched with major world powers in 2015 only if all sanctions against the country are removed.

“The removal of sanctions and fulfillment of its commitments by Europe are a necessity, which has become more significant at the current specific situation,” the Iranian president pointed out.

The United States reinstated its sanctions against Iran in May 2018 after leaving a United Nations-endorsed nuclear agreement with the Islamic Republic and five other major powers — the UK, France, Russia, China plus Germany.

Since then, Washington has corded other countries to follow suit and mount pressure on Iran or face punishment.
Former world officials: US sanctions compromising Iran healthcare system amid pandemic

The United States has refused to lift sanctions on Iran and even tightened them several times in recent weeks, making it almost impossible for the Islamic Republic to access life-saving medications and medical equipment necessary in the fight against the deadly new coronavirus pandemic.

Iran says the unilateral US sanctions have seriously hampered its fight against the pandemic.

Anti Coronavirus operation all over IRAN/Photo+Video

Presenting the latest update on Monday, Iran’s Health Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour reported 2,274 new infections and 136 more deaths from the virus over the past 24 hours.

In total, 60,500 Iranians have tested positive for COVID-19 while 3,739 have died, he pointed out, adding that 24,236 patients have fully recovered so far.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the Iranian president welcomed an initiative by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to declare a global ceasefire amid the coronavirus pandemic, expressing hope that it would also include the economic war on Iran.

The UN chief on Friday renewed his call for a global ceasefire, urging all parties in conflict to lay down arms and allow war-torn nations to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

“The worst is yet to come,” Guterres said, referring to countries beset with fighting like Syria, Libya, and Yemen, adding, “The COVID-19 storm is now coming to all these theaters of conflict.”

Rouhani also described as “positive but insufficient” the initial steps taken to implement INSTEX, a trade mechanism set up by Britain, France and Germany in 2019 to protect companies doing business with Iran from Washington’s sanctions. He emphasized that the mechanism should not be limited only to medical equipment and food, but must be also implemented in a way that would enable Iran to “use it to meet all our country’s requirements.”

The three European signatories to the JCPOA unveiled the long-awaited direct non-dollar payment mechanism meant to safeguard their trade ties with Tehran following the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal and in the face of the “toughest ever” sanctions imposed by the United States against the Islamic Republic./ Press TV

Iranian farmers managed to produce up to 30 million tons of vegetable products in the previous Iranian calendar year of 1398 (ended on March 19), according to a senior official with the Agriculture Ministry.

“In addition to meeting the needs of the domestic markets, over $1.4 billion worth of vegetable products were also exported to other countries during the last year,” ILNA quoted Hossein Asqari as saying.

According to the official, considering the potentials of the country’s agricultural sector, it is possible to increase the capacity of vegetable production by more than 10 billion tons within three years.

“Using modern production methods like systematic irrigation, seedling cultivation and mulching (creating a cover to prevent water evaporation), we can achieve this increase in production without increasing the water consumption,” he said.

The increase in the production will ultimately lead to an increase in the volume of exports, so appropriate measures should be taken in order to prepare the grounds for such an increase.

Iran exported 3.27 million tons of vegetables worth $935 million during the first ten months of the previous Iranian calendar year (March 21, 2019 – January 20, 2020), Asqari added.

He said neighboring countries especially Russia were the major export destinations of the Iranian vegetables during the mentioned period.

He noted that 65-70 percent of the country’s seed requirement is domestically met and put the annual need for seed at about 4,000-4,500 tons.

According to the country’s Horticultural Science Research Institute, Iran has nearly 900,000 hectares of land under vegetable cultivation and produces over 28 million tons of different kinds of vegetables per year, making it the seventh and fifth in the world in terms of land under cultivation and volume of production respectively.

The value of trade between Iran and the members of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) reached $1.489 billion in the five-month period after the implementation of the preferential trade agreement on October 27, 2019, IRNA reported.

According to the spokesman of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA), Ruhollah Latifi, 67 percent of the mentioned figure has been the share of Iran’s imports and 33 percent was gained from exports.

The official put the weight of the exports to the EAEU countries at 1.15 million tons with a value of $489.9 million, while the imports from the zone were 2.95 million tons at the value of $999.3 million.

He further noted that the preferential exports of Iran to the EAEU zone have been 123,960 tons with a value of nearly $136 million, while the preferential imports stood at 2.38 million tons with a value of nearly $750 million.

Iran’s biggest export destination among the EAEU countries has been Russia which accounted for about 50 percent of the total trade with the region.

Armenia and Kazakhstan occupied the second and third places with 24.6 percent and 16 percent shares, he said.

The biggest EAEU exporter to Iran has also been Russia, accounting for 71.4 percent of EAEU export to Iran followed by Kazakhstan and Belarus, according to the official.

Iran’s exports to the EAEU members were mainly fresh apples, fresh and dried pistachios, liquefied natural gas, fresh kiwis, cucumbers and fermented cucumbers; and the main preferential-tariff goods exported to the zone has been kiwis, fresh pistachio, dried grapes, lettuce, cauliflower, and broccoli.

The main imported items from the EAEU zone have been barley, livestock corns, sunflower seed oil, meat, and newsprint.

After several years of negotiations, Iran and Eurasian Economic Union finally reached a free trade agreement in 2018 based on which about 862 commodity items are subject to preferential tariffs.

The interim agreement enabling the formation of a free trade area between Iran and the EAEU was signed on May 17, 2018, and officially came into force on October 27, 2019.

Iran is a very important market in the region and the development of ties with this country is of high significance for the EAEU members (Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan).

The free trade agreement between Iran and this union has laid the ground for the expansion of trade ties between the two sides.

EF/MA

Iranian acclaimed film director and screenwriter Rakhshan Bani-Etemad was picked by the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) among the women whose work contributed to the history of cinema.

Celebrating Women’s History Month (March 1-31), IMDb published a video on Twitter to take a look back at “cinematic history in salute of the pioneering women directors and their groundbreaking work,” the online entertainment database tweeted along the video that featured scenes of Bani-Etemad’s 2014 drama, Tales (Ghesseh-ha).

Born in Tehran in 1954, Bani-Etemad – who holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in film studies from the Dramatic Arts University in Tehran – is widely considered as the most important female director in Iran, titled ‘First Lady of Iranian Cinema’.

Her movies and documentaries picture social and cultural issues and complications in modern-day Iran.

The Tales – which adopts an episodic narrative – portrays the fates of seven characters of Bani-Etemad’s previous flicks.

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گزارش امروز فرانك آرتا در روزنامه شرق از مجموعه #كارستان : بنی‌اعتماد: معتقد نیستم ایده‌ها جرقه‌ای هستند که ناگهان به ذهن آدم خطور می‌کنند. طبیعتا دغدغه‌ها و موضوعاتی که پیش‌تر به دلایل مختلف ذهن را به خود مشغول کرده‌اند، زمانی بعدتر به صورت یک ایده خود را نشان می‌دهند. درواقع «کارستان» وجه دیگری از دغدغه‌های من در کارهای دیگر سینمایی و مستندم است. به همان اندازه که اعتقاد دارم در سینمای اجتماعی مستند یا داستانی پرداختن به معضلات، نارسایی‌ها، کاستی‌ها و آسیب‌ها مهم‌اند، در کنارش این ایده که خواهم گفت چطور شکل گرفت هم اهمیت دارد. زمانی فکر می‌کردم در برابر همه این نارسایی‌ها، مشکلات و معضلاتی که وجود دارد کسانی هستند که با دغدغه‌های شخصی، ولی با رویکرد بهبودبخشی وضعیت جامعه با همه موانعی که پیش‌رویشان وجود دارد سعی می‌کنند جهان خود و پیرامونشان را بهبود ببخشند. البته اینها کسانی نیستند که از اول فکر می‌کنند رسالتشان تغییر جهان است؛ ایده‌ای که فکر می‌کنم الان به اشکال مختلف در تفکرات مختلف جهان مدرن هم شکل می‌گیرد که اگر از اصلاح پیرامون خودمان شروع کنیم، جزیره‌های کوچک به اقیانوس تبدیل می‌شوند. شروع شکل‌گیری این ایده به آشنایی من با «بنیاد توسعه کارآفرینی زنان و جوانان» از طریق خانم «فیروزه صابر»، زمانی که تازه ‌تأسیس شده بود، برمی‌گردد.

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The film won the award for Best Screenplay (written by Bani-Etemad and Farid Mostafavi) at the 71st Venice International Film Festival.

It also brought Bani-Etemad the Golden Royal Bengal Tiger Award – dedicated to best film – at Kolkata International Film Festival in 2014, as well as the Special Jury Prize at Asia Pacific Screen Awards (Australia) in the same year.

Also featured in IMDb’s short video were the likes of Sofia Coppola, Jodie Foster, Meryl Streep, Chinese-American film director Lulu Wang, Sarah Polley, and Barbra Streisand.

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Rakhshan Banietemad

Rakhshan Banietemad, born in 1954 Tehran, began to make documentaries for the Iranian National Television in 1979, right after graduating from the University of Dramatic Arts, Tehran. From 1979 to 1987 she focused on making only documentaries. In 1987, she directed her first feature film Off the Limits. In 1991, she became the first woman recipient of the Best Director award for Nargess at Fajr International Film Festival in Iran. In 1995, she won the Bronze Leopard for The Blue Veiled at the Locarno Film Festival. Under the Skin of the City, her next film, was the highest grossing film in Iran in 2000. This film along with Gilaneh (2005) and Mainline (2006), garnered major awards in more than 50 film festivals.

While Banietemad’s feature films have been acclaimed and honored worldwide, her documentaries have also been successful and popular internationally. Our Times …, was the first documentary ever to be released in the movie theatres in Iran in 2002. It was also screened in highly prestigious and prominent festivals and TV channels such as IDFA, Sundance Film Festival and ARTE.

Banietemad started her work by making documentaries and has never ended the strong connection she has always had with her works. Making documentaries have been her main way of connecting with the society and social issues. Her approach and in depicting social issues has been so strong and effective that her works have always resulted in causing change in the lives of her documentaries’ characters.

In 2008, she received an honorary doctorate from University of London, in 2010, she was awarded the Prix Henri Langlois from Vincennes International Film Festival. Her latest feature film, Tales, was awarded the Best Screenplay prize in the main competition section of 2014 Venice International Film Festival.

More recently, she has joined the Academy Oscar, Writers branch in 2017.

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روز خبرنگاران واقعي مبارك ? مبارك تر وقتي امنيت حرفه اي شان تضمين شود . مبارك تر وقتي حرمت شغل مقدس شان بيشتر حفظ شود . مبارك تر وقتي عدالت اقتصادي در برابر كار پر مسئوليت شان رعايت شود. مبارك تر وقتي اهميت كار پر خطرشان در محدوديت بايد و نبايد ها ، دانسته شود . درود بر خبرنگاران واقعي و قلم به دستان مسئول و دغدغه مند كه علمداران آگاهي بخشي هستند . بازهم روز خبرنگار بر خبرنگاران واقعي مبارك باد . رخشان بني اعتماد ? ? نسیم روحانی #خبرنگار #روز_خبرنگار #رسانه #خبر

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Feature Films

• Tales (Ghesseh ha), 2014
• Heiran (producer), Director: Shalizeh Arefpour, 2009
• Mainline (Khun bazi), 2006
• Gilaneh, 2005
• Under the Skin of the City (Zir-e pust-e shahr), 2000
• Baran and the Native (Baran va bumi), part of feature-film Kish, 1998
• The May Lady (Banu-ye ordibehesht), 1997
• The Blue Veiled (Rusari abi), 1994
• Nargess, 1991
• Foreign Currency (Poul-e khareji), 1989
• Canary Yellow (Zard-e qanari), 1988
• Off the Limits (Kharej az mahdudeh), 1987

DOCUMENTARIES

• Touran Khanom, Co director, 2018
• Karestan Documentary films as follows (Artistic consultant), 2013 -17  Film 1. Poets of Life
   Film 2. Puzzleys
   Film 3. Mother of the Earth
   Film 4. MAHAK: A World She Founded
   Film 5. Friends at Work
   Film 6. Flax to Fire
• Hey, Humans (Ay, Adamha), 2016
• A Lifetime in an Hour (Yek saat az yek omr), 2015
• All My Trees (Hameh derakhtan-e man), 2015
• The Other Side of Mirrors (An sooy-e ayeneh ha), 2014
• The Mirrors Recital (Concert-e ayeneh ha), 2014
• The Concert of the Lords of Secrets (concert-e khodavandan-e asrar), 2014
• Mahak My Home (Khaneh man Mahak), a teamwork, 2014
• Keep Children in School (Bacheh ha ra dar madreseh negahdarim), a teamwork, 2012
• The Room No. 202 (Otahgh-e 202) Part of “Kahrizak 4 Views”, 2012
• See you Tomorrow Elina (Farda mibinamet Elina), 2010
• We Are Half of Iran’s Population (Ma nimi az jameiat-e Iranim), 2009
• Angels of the House of Sun (Hayat khalvate khaneh khorshid), 2009
• Second Home (producer), Director: Mahvash Sheikholeslami, 2008
• 3D Carpet (Farsh-e 3 Bodi), Part of “Iranian Carpet”, 2007
• Our Times… (Ruzegar-e ma…), 2002
• Under the Skin of the City (Zir-e pust-e shahr), 1996
• The Last Visit with Iran Daftari (Akharin didar ba Iran Daftari), 1995
• To Whom Do You Show These Films? (In filmha ra beh ki neshun midin?), 1993
• Spring to Spring (Bahar ta bahar), 1993
• The 1992 Report (Gozaresh-e 71), 1993
• Centralization (Tamarkoz), 1986
• The War Economic Planning (Tadbirha-ye eqtesadi-e jang), 1981
• Occupation of Migrant Peasants in the City (Mohajerin-e roustai dar shahr),1980
• The Culture of Consumption (Farhang-e masrafi), 1979

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رخشان بنی اعتماد داور جشنواره «وزول» فرانسه شد رخشان بنی اعتماد در جمع داوران بیست و سومین جشنواره فیلم «وزول» فرانسه حضور دارد. به گزارش «پایگاه خبری فیلم کوتاه» این جشنواره یکی از قدیمی‌ترین جشنواره‌های مربوط به سینمای آسیاست که در اروپا برگزار می‌شود. رخشان بنی اعتماد یکی از داوران بخش رقابتی اصلی جشنواره است. در همین بخش فیلم سینمایی به دنیا آمدن به کارگردانی محسن عبدالوهاب با دیگر آثار جشنواره رقابت می‌کند. ضمن اینکه جشنواره در بخش جنبی فیلم‌های گاو به کارگردانی داریوش مهرجویی و دلبران ساخته ابوالفضل جلیلی را به نمایش می‌گذارد. بیست و سومین جشنواره فیلم «وزول» 7 تا 14 فوریه در فرانسه برگزار می‌شود.

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Awards

• Diploma of Honor of Child Book Council’s, Tehran, Iran, March 2018
• Diploma of Honor of ‘Children’s Research Institute, Tehran, Iran, December 2018
• Special Cinema Section Award, 2nd  Davood Rashidi Commemorative Award, Tehran, Iran, August  2018
• Honorary Award, 7th Int’l Malatya FF (Turkey) 2017
• Honorary Golden Cyclo, 23th Vesoul Film Festival (France), 2017
• Ethics and Prayer Award for social and civilian activities (Iran), 2016
• Cinema Honorary Award, 4th Int’l Women FF (Afghanistan), 2016
• Cinema Honorary Award, 6th Int’l Crime & Punishment FF (Turkey), 2016
• Best Film, Tales, Prague Iranian FF (Chezk), 2016
• Audience Award, Tales, Gene Siskel Film Center (USA), 2015
• Best Film, Tales, London Iranian FF (UK), 2015
• Special Jury Prize, Tales, Asia Pacific Screen Awards (Australia), 2014
• Best Film, Tales, Golden Royal Bengal Tiger Award, Kolkata Int’l FF (India), 2014
• Best Screenplay prize, Tales, Venice Int’l FF (Italy), 2014
• Special Jury Prize, Kahrizak 4 views, Dubai Int’l FF (UAE), 2012
• Prix Henri Langlois, Vincennes Int’l FF (France), 2010
• Special Jury Prize, We Are Half of Iran’s Population, (WIFTS) (USA), 2009
• Special Jury Prize & Best Actress, Mainline, Dhaka Int’l FF (Pakistan), 2009
• Best Screenplay & Best Actress, Mainline, Pyongyang Int’l FF (North Korea), 2008
• Grand Jury Prize, Mainline. Int’l Women’s Film Festival (Creteil, France), 2008
• Achievement in Directing, Mainline, Asia Pacific Screen Awards (Australia), 2007
• Best Director & Best Actress, Mainline, Iran Cinema House Awards (Iran), 2007
• Best Director & Best Actress, Mainline, Fajr Int’l FF (Iran), 2007
• Best Film, Mainline, City Int’l FF (Iran), 2006
• Best Film, Mainline, Asiatica Film Mediale (Italy), 2006
• Special Jury Prize, Gilaneh, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Int’l FF (Spain), 2006
• Netpac Award, Gilaneh, Vesoul Asian Film Festival (France), 2006
• Golden Lotus Award, Iranian Women Film Directors (Iran), 2006
• Best Film & Best Actress, Gilaneh, Kara Int’l FF (Pakistan), 2005
• Artistic & Cultural Achievement Award, Kara Int’l FF (Pakistan), 2004
• Special Jury Award, Under the Skin of the City, Seattle Int’l FF (USA), 2002
• Netpac Award, Our Times…, Locarno Int’l FF (Swiss), 2002
• Netpac Award, Under the Skin of the City, Karlovy Vary Int’l FF (Chezk), 2001
• Holden Award for Best Script, Audience Award, & Cinemavvenire Award for Best Feature Film, Under the Skin of the City, Turin Int’l FF (Italy), 2001
• Special Jury Prize, Under the Skin of the City, Moscow Int’l FF (Russia), 2000
• Special Jury Award, The May Lady, Fajr Int’l FF (Iran), 1998
• Honorable Mention, FIPRESCI Award, The May Lady, Montreal Int’l FF (Canada), 1998
• Prince Claus Prize for Culture and Development (The Netherlands), 1998
• “Il Sindaco di Firenze” Peace and Freedom Award (Italy), 1998
• Best Asian Woman Director, The Blue Veiled, India Int’l FF (India), 1996
• FIPRESCI Award, The Blue Veiled, Tessaloniki Int’l FF (Greece), 1996
• Bronze Leopard, The Blue Veiled, Locarno Int’l FF (Swiss) 1995
• Best Script & Best Supporting Actress, The Blue Veiled, Fajr Int’l FF (Iran), 1994
• Best Director & Best Musical Score, Nargess, Fajr Int’l FF (Iran), 1991
• Best Supporting Actor, Canary Yellow, Fajr Int’l FF (Iran), 1988
• Best Film, Off the Limits, Comedy Int’l FF (Italy), 1987

PROFESSIONAL DISTINCTIONS

• Jury Member, Dhaka Int’l FF Bangladesh), 2020
• President of the jury, Herat Film Festival (Afghanistan), 2019
• Jury Member, Mumbai Int’l FF (India), 2018
• Jury Member, Venice Int’l FF (Italy), 2017
• Academy Oscars Member, Writers Branch, 2017
• President of the jury, Vesoul Film Festival (France), 2017
• President of the jury, Prague Iranian Film Festival (Czech), 2017
• President of the jury, Image Film Festival (Iran), 2016
• President of the jury, Cinema Verite Int’l FF (Iran), 2013
• President of the jury, Busan Int’l FF (South Korea), 2013
• Master Class, California Institute of the Arts (USA), 2013
• Jury Member, Shanghai Int’l FF (China), 2012
• Jury Member, Dubai Int’l FF (UAE), 2010
• Jury Member, Asiatic Film Mediale Festival (Italy), 2010
• Master Class, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis (USA), 2010
• Jury Member, Fribourg Int’l FF (Switzerland), 2010
• Jury Member, Urban Int’l FF (Iran), 2009
• Producer, Heiran, feature-film (Iran), 2009
• Producer, Second House, documentary (Iran), 2008
• Honorary Doctorate, University of London (Iran), 2008
• Master Class, School of Oriental and African Studies, SOAS (England), 2008
• Master Class, Geneva University of Art & Design (ESBA), 2008
• Jury Member, Cinema Verite Int’l FF (Iran), 2007
• Jury Member, Women’s Film Festival (Iran), 2006
• Jury Member, Asian Cinema, Fajr Int’l FF (Iran), 2006
• Jury Member, Art University Student Festival (Iran), 2005
• Director, Sony Young Directors Film Festival (Iran), 2003
• Jury Member, Asia Pacific Film Festival (Iran), 2003
• Jury Member, Sony Young Directors Film Festival (Iran), 2002
• Jury Member, Moscow Int’l FF (Russia), 2002
• Jury Member, Cairo Int’l FF (Egypt), 2002
• Jury Member, Fajr Int’l FF (Iran), 2001
• Jury Member, Montreal Int’l FF (Canada), 2001
• Jury Member, Youth Film Festival (Iran), 2001
• Jury Member, Student Film Festival (Iran), 1999
• Jury Member, Leipzig Int’l FF (Germany), 1999
• Jury Member, Tokyo Environmental Int’l FF, (Japan), 1998
• Jury Member, New Delhi Int’l FF (India), 1998
• Jury Member, Student Film Festival (Iran), 1997
• Jury Member, Locarno Int’l FF (Swiss), 1996
• Jury Member, Turin Int’l FF (Italy), 1995
• Jury Member, Center for Iranian Film Directors (Iran), 1993
• Jury Member, Roshd Film Festival (Iran), 1992
• Jury Member, Fajr Int’l FF (Iran), 1990

KÂRÂ FILM STUDIO

KARA Film Studio is a name under which a group of professional Iranian filmmakers express their common concerns regarding humanistic, social and cultural issues through documentary films, while maintaining their own diverse and distinct vision. In KARA Film Studio, filmmakers in small or large numbers, gather together and, starting with an outline of a documentary project, complete the work in a professional manner.

KARA Film Studio operates under a number of principles: personal financing or financing through private sector; working as teams and in a workshop from development of an idea through to its completion and distribution; giving young and talented documentary filmmakers an opportunity to work with professionals and assistance with their development, due respect for the audience by maintaining high standards in the production phase, endeavor to provide improved and increased means of screening films inside and outside Iran; …
Rakhshan Banietemad and Mojtaba Mirtahmasb are the constant participants in this group.

According to statistics released by Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO), major Iranian steelmakers exported 675,000 tons of steel in the first month of 2020.

They also exported 5.88 million tons of finished and semi-finished steel in the first 10 months of the current Iranian year, to January 20, a 25-percent increase year-on-year, reported Press TV.

The figures did not include exports by Iran’s small private sector mills which like other Iranian producers send the bulk of their products to Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

Iranian steel mills are monitoring the global market for any gap from falling Chinese exports in the wake of a coronavirus epidemic.

China is the world’s largest steel exporter, but overseas orders for Chinese steel are reportedly declining. According to S&P Global Platts, Turkey, Iran and Russia are in a race to fill the gap in the market.

Iran’s industrial metals, specifically steel, are the latest target in the Trump administration’s maximum pressure campaign, but officials say the sector is unfazed and keeps growing.

In December, 2019, the US government launched the latest salvo in the campaign as it warned against exports of steel-making materials to Iran.

The US Department of State cautioned that those involved in transfers or exports to Iran of graphite electrodes and needle coke, which are essential materials for Iran’s steel industry, were at risk of sanctions regardless of their nationality or location.

However, Iran’s Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade Reza Rahmani put the damper on Washington’s haughty grandstanding, saying Iranian producers had obtained the technology to make graphite electrodes.

Iran is a leading producer of steel in the world, with officials saying exports continue despite the US sanctions.

The country plans to raise steel output to 55 million tons a year by 2025, of which 20 to 25 million tons would be earmarked for exports.

Deputy Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade Jafar Serqini has said Iran currently has 35 million tons of steel production capacity. Iran’s steel exports will exceed 11 million tons this Iranian year.

An Iranian airline says it is in negotiations with Boeing for the purchase of 20 passenger planes even as US President Donald Trump’s threats to kill a nuclear deal this month have put Iran’s aviation contracts in doubt.

Qeshm Air CEO Mahmoud Shekarabi was quoted as saying that his company planned to buy 10 Boeing 737 MAX and 10 Boeing 737 Next Generation planes from the American planemaker.

“Memoranda of understanding have been signed in this regard,” he said on the sidelines of the opening of national flag carrier Iran Air’s Catering in Tehran on Monday, Tasnim news agency reported.

Qeshm Air is also negotiating an order for 15 Airbus A320 and A319 jets from the European manufacturer and another 10 planes from Canada’s Bombardier, he said.

“These negotiations are underway, but there are a number of problems,” Shekarabi said without elaboration.

The company may also consider buying Sukhoi Superjet 100s from Russia but “we do not currently have any plans for it,” he added.

Last week, two other Iranian airlines said they had signed deals for the purchase of 40 short-haul passenger aircraft from the Russian company.

 

The purchases were made by Aseman Airlines and Iran Air Tours and the related documents were signed on the sidelines of Eurasia Airshow 2018 in Turkey’s Anatolia.

Aseman signed a final deal last June to buy 30 Boeing 737 MAX jets in Iran’s first new business with the US planemaker since Trump took office vowing to take a tougher stance toward the country.

Iranian domestic carrier Zagros Airlines also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to buy 20 Airbus A320neo jets and eight A330neo aircraft, while privatized Iran Airtour signed an MoU for 45 A320neos.

The biggest orders, however, were made by Iran Air which has agreed to buy 80 aircraft from Boeing and 100 from Airbus in addition to 20 from Franco-Italian ATR company.

The deals were made possible after US-led sanctions against Iran were lifted in early 2016 under a nuclear agreement between the Islamic Republic and other countries.

Last year, Iran Air received three brand-new Airbus jets and eight new ATR turboprops. According to an official, Iran should receive 14 new passenger aircraft this year from Airbus, Boeing and ATR planemakers.

However, there are questions of what would happen to the deals if Trump went ahead with his threat to withdrew the US from the nuclear agreement on May 12 and whether the US Treasury would extend licenses for sales of the parts which are built in the United States.

Azerbaijan, Russia, Iran and India started testing the North-South Transport Corridor as part of a sports car rally.

The event is organized jointly by the Federation of Freight Forwarders of India and the sports club ‘Kalinga Motor’, said Iran’s Ministry of Roads and Urban Development, reported Trend News Agency.

Iranian entities organizing the race are the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Road Facilities, the Federation of Motorcycles and Vehicles and the Customs Board of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The 30-day rally will cover the route from extending from Shiraz, Isfahan, Tehran, Qazvin, Rasht to Astara port on Iranian territory and onward to Moscow and St. Petersburg and back again to finish in Chabahar.

Twenty trucks are participating in the competitions, one from Russia, Iran and Azerbaijan, while the rest will belong to the Indian teams. Around 39 participants are taking part in the competition.

The North-South transport corridor is designed to connect Northern Europe with India and Southeast Asia. The route will also link the railways of Iran, Azerbaijan and Russia.

In the initial stage, six million tons of cargo are planned to be transported through the corridor per year and the figure will eventually rise to 15-20 million tons.