Everyday News From Iran

Iran Drawn in Group B of World Cup 2010 Final Round Qualifiers

With the World Cup drawing nearer, there are now ten nations remaining in the fourth round of the Asia qualifiers. Group A includes the nations of Australia, Japan, Bahrain, Uzbekistan, and Qatar. Group B includes the Republic of Korea, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The match dates for 2008 will be October 15 and November 19. Match dates in 2009 will be February 11, March 28, April 1, June 6, June 10, June 17, September 5, and September 9, with play-off dates of October 10, October 14, November 14, and November 21, 2009 (dates from soccernet.espn.go.com).

While Iran got off to a rocky start, with three draws, Iran finished the third round with three wins. It remains to be seen what the future may hold.

Film “Snow” to Open 2008 Sarajevo International Film Festival

Snow, co-produced by Iran, Bosnia, Germany, and France, will officially open the 2008 Sarajevo International Film Festival. The film, directed by Aida Begic, premiered at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival. “Snow” received the Critics’ Week Grand Prix award.

Snow, co-produced by Iran, Bosnia, Germany, and France, will officially open the 2008 Sarajevo International Film Festival. The film, directed by Aida Begic, premiered at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival. “Snow” received the Critics’ Week Grand Prix award.

The film’s synopsis, quoted from cineuropa.org, is below:

“Six women, a grandfather, four girls and a young boy live in war ravaged and isolated village of Slavno. Their families and friends had been killed and their bodies had never been found. The first snow brings full isolation and risk for life in the village. It gets closer as villagers headed by Alma, a young stubborn woman who believes they can survive, tries to find their way out of poverty by selling plum jam and other fruits and vegetables their village is famous for on a deserted road. Two businessmen visit Slavno demanding residents to leave the village offering money in return. Villagers face a dilemma: should they accept the offer that could save their lives, but destroy their souls. A sudden storm traps the businessmen in Slavno, forcing them to face a problem bigger than anything they expected – the truth!”

The Sarajevo Film Festival will be held from August 15 to 23 this year.