IFFI 52, 034: Some competition films not competitive, below par When you have already attended 44 IFFIs, you pretty much know what to expect. Or do you? Arriving from Mumbai by train on the 20th morning, the day of the inauguration, I found my usual hotel in an unkempt state. The owner, who had a flat there till some years ago, has let it sink into squalor, but critics like me, who fund all own expenses at IFFI, cannot really complain. A couple of hours later, after...

  In the introduction to SHIRIN NESHAT, a handsome and provocative monograph of the Iranian-American photographer and filmmaker published by Rizzoli International Publications, renowned art critic and historian Arthur C. Danto offers a Rosetta Stone translation of Neshat’s unique visual sensibility and artistic impulse. Quoting the 19th century German philosopher Hegel no less, he describes the concept of “absolute spirit”: a meditation on art, philosophy and revealed religi...

  Following sold out screenings at New Directors/New Films Festival, the Spring film showcase that concluded yesterday, arthouse specialty distributor IndiePix will release acclaimed Iranian video/photographer Shirin Neshat’s directorial debut WOMEN WITHOUT MEN. The film opens theatrically in Los Angeles on April 9, Washington, DC  on April 30 followed by a mid-May release in New York. A national platform rollout continues with home video and digital release slated for the fall. ...