TEHRAN, Feb. 21--The first major exhibition featuring culture of Ashura will open here at the Tehran International Fairground on Friday February 23 with the hoisting of a banner donated by Imam Hussein (AS)’s shrine in Karbala, Iraq.
Ashura is the tenth day of the lunar month of Muharram when the third Shiite Imam, Imam Hussein (AS) and 72 of his most loyal companions were martyred in the plains of Karbala, in present-day Iraq.
According to the Persian daily Iran, deputy head of Martyr Foundation for research and cultural communications affairs, Abbas Khameh-Yar said, “We are trying to do away with innovations and distortions of the Ashura Movement through scientific, cultural and literary methods.“ The exhibit pursues three main objectives which include providing a better insight into Imam Hussein’s (AS) uprising to the young generation through modern and attractive ways, creating conditions for materializing the youth’s artistic and literary talents on Ashura and eliminating the superstitious concepts about Ashura.
The exposition will be held in three sections of visual arts and film, performing arts and scientific and cultural.
Some 500 titles of books about Ashura, which were published between 1978 and 2006, will be put on sale in the event. The most significant section of the exhibit is to introduce the best literary works in the field of poetry and story, three of which will be awarded, said Khameh-Yar. The exhibit will end on March 2.

TEHRAN, Feb. 21--Second International Seminar on the founder of Islamic Revolution the late Imam Khomeini presided by the former president Seyyed Mohammad Khatami will be held here on May 30-31, Fars reported.
Deputy head of the Institute for Compilation and Publication of Imam Khomeini’s Works, Hamid Ansari, who was speaking at a press conference on the seminar, pointed to the undeniable role of Islamic Revolution in restoring identity to international communities and said such cases make it imperative to present an updated version of the thoughts of Imam Khomeini as the architect of the Revolution to enable those interested to make use of it.
Stating that much has been done to publicize Imam’s ideas, he referred to the establishment of Imam Khomeini Research Center and said that the entity will be upgraded to a university. It will conduct courses on political thought, history of Islam and contemporary history with a focus on Imam’s thoughts.
Stating that some 20 seminars on Imam have been held since the establishment of the institute, Ansari said that in addition to the interaction between participants in the events, 90 books containing articles presented at the events have been published.
He further said that the upcoming seminar on Imam will deal with religion and human greatness in his thoughts.
The seminar also seeks to consolidate unity among Muslims, he noted, adding that the event will not pursue publicity; rather it will take a scientific view of Imam’s ideas.

TEHRAN, Feb. 21--First International Sculpture Symposium was inaugurated here in Chitgar Park Monday with the participation 22 artists from around the world.
According to ISNA, the artists began creating their artworks Tuesday morning.
The 20-day event, which focuses on three pivots of science, art and spiritualism, was opened with a speech by the secretary of the event Mohammad Hossein Asgarpour.
Citing the softening of urban ambience and installing artworks by international artists as the objectives of the symposium, he said, “We will witness great works at the end of the event.“
He added that the event helps promote cultural dialogue, which is more important that the other considerations.
After the secretary’s speech, the participants introduced themselves and their undertaking and received plaques of honor and cash awards.
An artist from Poland, who called his sculpture ’Mankind and Bird’, referred to the most ancient human civilization of Iran and said that the bird is a symbol of eternal spirit and divine position.
Li Dong Liang, a sculptor from China, is participating in the symposium with ’Memory of Flight’ sculpture.
Commenting on his work, he said that wing symbolizes flying towards human ideals.
Ali Jabbar Hussein, an artist from Iraq, is scheduled to create a yet unnamed, but dramatic artwork for Iran.

TEHRAN, Feb. 21--Establishing an international standard book number (ISBN) system in Afghanistan with the help of Book House Institute was discussed in a meeting between Afghan cultural attachŽ to Iran, Habibollah Takhari and managing director of Book House Institute, Mehdi Jahromi.
Director of Iran’s ISBN, Dariush Motalebi and person in charge of follow-up of Afghan ISBN program, Gholam Sorour-Saadat were also present at the meeting, said ILNA.
The topics that were discussed at the meeting were the history of follow-ups which have taken place about Afghanistan’s membership in ISBN system and expressing the importance of Afghanistan’s membership in the program.
A report on the publishing industry in Afghanistan in recent years, including the number of active publishers and the number of books published in the past five years was also presented at the session. The meeting also decided to submit a report on the current status of Afghan publishing industry and predictions for the next 10 years to the Book House for submission to International Standard Book Number organization.

TEHRAN, Feb. 21--Iranian movie ’Night Bus’ stands a good chance of being selected for the upcoming Cannes International Film Festival in southern France given the enthusiasm for the film shown by foreign guests at Fajr International Film Festival.
Expressing this view, Mojtaba Raee, a member of the jury at the recently concluded Fajr Festival, told Fars that ’Night Bus’ directed by Kioumars Pourahmad was one of great films of this year’s event and for this reason it was selected for the event’s best director award.
“What was interesting for us was the fact that all kinds of audience watched ’Night Bus’. Intellectuals and ordinary people alike took keen interest in the film,“ he noted.
Commenting on a film titled ’Eqlima’, Raee noted that the film was one good films of the festival and it attracted a large audience.

TEHRAN, Feb. 21--’Where Is the End of Sky’ directed by Ali Razi is the title of a play which is being produced jointly by Iranian and French artists.
French expatriate Iranian director, who is currently in Iran to make preparations for the play, announced that ’Where Is the End of Sky’ written by Naghmeh Samini will be performed in the French festival titled ’Divided Friendship’, slated for early spring, Persian daily Bonnie Film reported.
In addition to the play, the festival, initiated five years ago in Paris, will feature three other Iranian dramas on Iranian culture.
Last year, Ali Razi, Naghmeh Samini and Kiomars Moradi staged the play ’Sky’s Horses Rain Gray’ for ten nights in Iran and France.
The performance was well received in both countries.
Razi further said that ’Where Is the End of Sky’ is a play with episodic structure, which attempts to portray the eternal dream of mankind from the past to present and from today till the future in three episodes. A French company called ’Opprime’ has undertaken to produce the play.
He further said that Opprime was initially scheduled to produce the play jointly with Center for Performing Arts but for the time being nothing is clear. If the center does not support the venture, the play will be performed only in France, he added.
This year’s festival will feature Iranian works including a ’Siyahbazi’ by Mahmoud Azizi and Sadi Afshar, a performance called ’Oedipus’, jointly produced by Fabris Nikou and Tehran University students, ’Conference of Birds’ by a French director which is based on a book by the same name from the Iranian well-known mystic, Attar Neishabouri as well as ’Where Is the End of Sky’.

Some artifacts on display at IranÕs National Museum.

TEHRAN, Feb. 21--An exhibition titled ’Unseen Artifacts of Iran’s National Museum’ will not be held in the current Iranian year (ends March 20) as there is not much time left for Iran’s National Museum to arrange the event, reported CHN.
Announcing this, Curator of Iran’s National Museum Mohammad Reza Kargar said that although the artifacts have been identified for display due to shortage of time the exhibition will not be held and has been postponed until the next Iranian year (March 2007-2008).
Commenting on the artifacts which are to be featured in the exhibition, he noted that they include the most superior ones that are kept in the museum’s treasury.
Iran’s National Museum maintains all precious and unique artifacts excavated from ancient cities and cemeteries.

HOLLYWOOD, USA, Feb. 21--The winners and losers of this year’s Academy Awards have been decided, with all votes for the most prestigious prizes in show business now cast, reported BBC.
More than 6,000 members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences had until 1700 Los Angeles time on Tuesday (0100 GMT Wednesday) to vote.
The winners in the 24 categories will be revealed at a glittering ceremony at Hollywood’s Kodak Theater on Sunday.
Crime drama ’The Departed’ is bookmakers’ favorite to be named best picture.
It is thought to be leading the race ahead of Babel and Little Miss Sunshine.
Dame Helen Mirren is expected to add an Oscar to her host of best actress awards for ’The Queen’, which is also up for best picture alongside Clint Eastwood’s Letters from Iwo Jima.
Martin Scorsese is tipped to take his first best director Oscar for ’The Departed’ after five previous nominations in the category.
Preparations for the event are under way, with giant Oscars statuettes in place and grandstand seating erected outside the Kodak Theater.
A flurry of specialist film awards ceremonies were held in Hollywood at the weekend as the countdown to the 79th Academy Awards entered its final stages.
’The writers of Children of Men’ won the Scripter Award for best adaptation of a book.
’Casino Royale’, ’Curse of the Golden Flower’ and ’Pan’s Labyrinth’ were the big winners at the Production Design Awards.
Best production design went to ’Casino Royale’, while Curse of the ’Golden Flower’ won in the period film category and Pan’s Labyrinth’s took the prize for a fantasy film.