Beginner
Iranian Director's Film Goes to Cannes Festival
May 13th, 2024
A film director from Iran, Mohammad Rasoulof, has to live away from his country. Iran's leaders are not happy with him because he makes movies and says things they don't like. They wanted to put him in jail for a long time and take his things. But he left Iran very quietly and went to Europe. Now he is safe there.
Mohammad's new movie is called "The Seed of the Sacred Fig." It will be shown at a big movie show in France called Cannes Film Festival. People there are excited and hope he can come to see his movie with them. The movie talks about how life is hard in Iran because the leaders there are very strict.
Even though Mohammad is safe, he is sad. He worries about his friends who helped him make the movie. Some of them had to answer questions and had problems because of the movie. Mohammad says he doesn't like what Iran's leaders are doing to people.
People at the Cannes Film Festival say that movies can tell important stories. They think Mohammad's movie is very special because it tells us about life in Iran.
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💭 Discussion Questions
1
. Where is the film director from Iran living now?2
. What is the name of Mohammad's new movie?3
. Where will his movie be shown?📖 Vocabulary
🌐 Cultural context
The article is about an Iranian filmmaker who left his country due to issues with its rulers. Iran is a country in the Middle East with a government that can be very controlling. The Cannes Film Festival is a famous event in France where movies from around the world are shown.
🧠 Further reading
Film censorship
In some places, people check films before you can see them. They make sure there are no bad or scary parts. Films can have different labels. These labels tell you if the film is okay for kids or just for adults.
In Australia, a group called the Australian Classification Board looks at films. Sometimes, they say no to a film. That means people can't watch it in the cinema or buy it on DVD.
In Brazil, a long time ago, when the country had strict rulers, they checked films very carefully.
Venice Film Festival
Every year, there is a big movie party in Venice, Italy. It is the oldest movie party in the world. People call it the Venice Film Festival. It happens every year at the end of August or the start of September. The movie party is very famous.
A long time ago, in 1893, the city of Venice started to show art. This art show is called the Venice Biennale. The Biennale shows many kinds of art, like paintings, buildings, dances, music, plays, and movies.
The movie party is part of the Biennale. Many movie people come to Venice for this party. They show their movies, talk, and have fun at night. They have parties in beautiful, old places.
The movies are shown in a big, old building called the Palazzo del Cinema. Lots of people come to watch. The Venice Film Festival is very important and many people like it.
Cultural impact of Beyoncé
Beyoncé is a very famous singer. She started singing in a group called Destiny's Child in the 1990s. She began singing by herself in 2003. People all over the world know her songs and her shows. She is very good at singing and performing. Beyoncé sings about strong women, love, and treating everyone fairly. She is very important for Black women singers and music. Some people do not like everything she does, but many other people love her. Beyoncé has a special voice that is easy to recognize. People think she is one of the best singers.