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The Fantastic Four are back and made a big splash at their world premiere in Los Angeles. The event took place at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, where fans and stars came together to celebrate Marvel’s newest film, The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

This movie will bring back Marvel’s famous superhero team, with Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn and Ebon Moss-Bachrach taking the lead roles.

It wasn’t just the main cast who showed up for the event. Other actors from the film like Sarah Niles, Julia Garner, Natasha Lyonne, Paul Walter Hauser and Ralph Ineson walked the blue carpet too. Simu Liu from Shang-Chi, Arian Moayed from Succession and Niousha Noor from The Persian Version also made appearances.

Past Fantastic Four actors Doug Jones, Ioan Gruffudd and Rebecca Staab came along to see how the new version of the story would unfold. The film’s robot character H.

The Fantastic Four are finally back, and they made their first big appearance at the world premiere of The Fantastic Four: First Steps in Los Angeles.

The premiere was held at the famous Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, where the movie’s four stars, Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, showed up to celebrate their roles as Marvel’s First Family.

It wasn’t just the main cast walking the blue carpet. The event also welcomed other stars from the film like Sarah Niles, Julia Garner, Natasha Lyonne, Paul Walter Hauser, and Ralph Ineson. Familiar faces from past Marvel projects also made an appearance, including Simu Liu from Shang-Chi and Arian Moayed from Succession.

Niousha Noor from The Persian Version and even past Fantastic Four actors like Doug Jones, Ioan Gruffudd, and Rebecca Staab came to support the new reboot. Fans even got a look at the movie’s robot character H.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is still a few days from hitting the big screens, but it is already making headlines. At the world premiere of the movie, which was held at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, California, on July 21, Marvel’s First Family wasn’t the only one drawing the attention of the cameras and fans worldwide.

This was because numerous other celebrities effortlessly stole the spotlight at the event. One of these was none other than Frank Grillo – a former player in the Marvel Cinematic Universe who switched lanes and is now a part of James Gunn’s revamped DC Universe.

Frank Grillo at #TheFantasticFour world premiere. pic.twitter.com/PKrlSCM5sZ

— Marvel Updates (@marvel_updat3s) July 22, 2025

The star previously became a famous face in the MCU for his performance as Brock Rumlow aka Crossbones in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) and Captain America: Civil War (2016). Currently,...

Marvel’s First Family — as embodied by the quartet of stars Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn and Ebon Moss-Bachrach — was in attendance at the world premiere for The Fantastic Four: First Steps, held at Los Angeles’ Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on Monday.

Also walking the blue carpet were First Steps co-stars Sarah Niles, Julia Garner, Natasha Lyonne, Paul Walter Hauser and Ralph Ineson; Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings alum Simu Liu; Succession‘s Arian Moayed and The Persian Version‘s Niousha Noor; former Fantastic Four stars Doug Jones, Ioan Gruffudd and Rebecca Staab; the movie’s own robot H.E.R.B.I.E.; Deadpool & Wolverine actress Dafne Keen Fernández and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, among others. On the sides of the carpet were installations of the Fantasticar and fans dressed up as the iconic foursome. At the premiere, skywriting displayed the team’s signature “4” logo.

Related:...

Giancarlo Esposito has been acting since he was very young, appearing on Broadway before transitioning into film and television. Initially, Esposito made small supporting appearances in movies like Trading Places, Malcolm X, and The Usual Suspects. However, his career dramatically reached new heights in the 21st century with his work in television.

After securing the role of Gus Fring in Breaking Bad, Esposito became a more in-demand star in Hollywood. Along with his award-winning performance as Gus, Esposito has also been featured in franchises like Star Wars and The Maze Runner. One of his next big projects is Marvel's Captain America: Brave New World, where he will play the villain. When analyzing Esposito's resume, it is chock-full of memorable performances in fan-favorite media, regardless if it's a leading, supporting, or guest-starring role.

Kaleidoscope Was an Interesting if Imperfect TV Experiment Role: Leo Pap

Kaleidoscope was an intriguing and unconventional series for Netflix.

Another screen project about Iran’s Royal Family is in the works.

“Queen Cleopatra” director Tina Gharavi is set to co-direct a new drama series titled “The Shah, The Spy, The Madman” alongside Iranian-American series creator Shahriar William Raee.

The project, produced by Caspian Pictures, is envisioned as a returning series and aims to bring the story of Iran’s last emperor, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, to the screen.

“The Shah, The Spy, The Madman” is set to go into pre-production in late 2024, with the pilot and first season ready to go. Casting is in the works.

The first season will focus on the U.S.’s covert plot to overthrow Pahlavi in the early 1950s as operatives oust his Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh and install a pliable young King in order to thwart the Soviet Union. Two more seasons are also planned.

“This series requires filmmakers experienced in telling stories...

Maryam Keshavarz’s semi-autobiographical film uses flashbacks to revel in the 80s and examine the different world of 1960s Iran

Energetic, funny and unashamedly sentimental, this is a warm-hearted comedy written and directed by Iranian-American film-maker Maryam Keshavarz, even if her semi-autobiographical story about life in a traditional Iranian family in New Jersey feels more than a little familiar from past movies about second-generation growing pains. But Keshavarz cranks up the charm, and the feelgood factor makes it an easy watch – despite some of the gags feeling more suited to a TV sitcom.

New York in the 00s; Leila (Layla Mohammadi) is a film-maker in her 20s, dressed up for a Halloween party in a “burqa-kini”. Leila is a lesbian but has a one night stand with a man in drag (Tom Byrne) at the party, and ends up pregnant. In lovingly recreated flashbacks to the 80s, Leila is a smart cheeky kid,...

The only daughter in the family, with eight brothers, Leila (Layla Mohammadi) is used to being spoiled. She’s also used to her mother Shireen (Niousha Noor) being overprotective and trying to change the way she lives, but much as she likes to complain about this, she’s never really asked itself why it’s the case. Growing up as part of an immigrant Persian community in Brooklyn, she’s taken a lot of things for granted. It takes a pair of unexpected events to prompt her to examine their relationship more deeply, and to become curious about the life her parents left behind.

The first of these is a crisis of her own making. Attending a fancy dress party as ‘Miss Burkatini’, in a swimsuit and hijab with a surfboard under her arm, she meets Max (Tom Byrne), whom she takes for a drag queen. He tries to explain...

Sony Pictures has debuted the trailer for the upcoming comedy ‘The Persian Version,’ which won both the Audience Award and the Best Screenplay Award at this years Sundance Film Festival.

Coming from two countries at odds with each other, Iranian-American Leila (Layla Mohammadi) strives to find balance and embrace her opposing cultures, while boldly challenging the labels society is so quick to project upon her. When her family reunites in New York City for her father’s heart transplant, Leila navigates her relationships from arms length to keep her “real” life separate from her family life. However, when her secret is unceremoniously revealed, so are the distinct parallels between her life and that of her mother Shireen (Niousha Noor).

The story delivers an honest portrayal of a woman who remains unapologetically herself, blended seamlessly into a heartfelt story about family, belonging, and the undeniable influence of pop music.

Written and directed by Maryam Keshavarz,...

So many celebrities stepped out to attend the 2024 BAFTA Tea Party presented by Delta Air Lines, Virgin Atlantic and BBC Studios Los Angeles Productions on Saturday (January 13) at The Maybourne Beverly Hills.

The star-studded event featured appearances from more than 100 stars, including the likes of Julianne Moore, Jonathan Bailey, Mark Ruffalo, America Ferrera, Fantasia Barrino, Cillian Murphy, Sam Claflin and Eva Longoria.

Since it was such a big event, we pulled together photos for you to easily scroll. That way you can easily see who was there and what they were wearing!

Head inside to see photos of all of the celebs on the red carpet at the 2024 BAFTA Tea Party…

Keep scrolling for photos of more than 100 celebrities at the BAFTA Tea Party…

Brian Cox and Nicole Ansari-Cox

Diane Warren

Calah Lane

Greta Lee

Fyi: Greta is wearing Loewe.

Tracy Ifeachor

Emily Blunt and Cillian Murphy

Fyi: Emily is...

The much-awaited prequel of Netflix’s superhit Spanish series Money Heist is finally here and the fans are loving it. Berlin follows the story of the titular character before the events of Money Heist as he recruits a gang of master thieves to pull off one of the biggest jewel heists ever in Paris. Created by Álex Pina and Esther Martínez Lobato, Berlin stars Pedro Alonso in the lead role with Begoña Vargas, Julio Peña, Itziar Ituño, and Michelle Jenner starring in supporting roles. So, if you loved the Netflix series here are some similar shows you might want to check out next.

Money Heist (Netflix) Credit – Netflix

Money Heist is the original series that started this madness. The Netflix heist thriller series became a global hit for the streamer because of its intense and clever storyline with genuine and relatable characters. Money Heist tells the story of a motley...

Awards season kicks into overdrive on the first weekend of the year with the return of the Golden Globes. The 81st telecast has a new broadcast partner (CBS), a new host (Jo Koy), new catering (Nobu) and a new social calendar accompanying it. For years, the Golden Globes were followed by a crush of studio and network bashes inside the show’s headquarters at the Beverly Hilton, making it a favorite of countless party-hopping revelers. But pandemic era cutbacks and studio consolidation upended the festivities — gone is the Warner Bros. and InStyle soiree while HBO scaled back under new corporate parent Warner Bros. Discovery and will be hosting something on Emmy weekend — though all is not lost. This year’s parties are spread across the weekend and at various venues across the city.

Below is a roundup of what’s to come in the days ahead from hosts like Amazon...

The comedy-drama, The Persian Version, brings out the estranged relationship between an Iranian mother-daughter duo and how they work on it to make things better eventually. Directed by Maryam Keshavarz, the film has an amazing storyline exploring the tension in a family and the struggles that they have faced in America as immigrants. The film includes a wonderful cast that consists of stars like Layla Mohammadi and Niousha Noor, who have added a greater charm to the movie. The director has dedicated the film to her grandmother, mother, and all the other strong Iranian ladies! How will Leila and her mother, Shireen, resolve their differences? What struggles did they face in America as immigrants? Let’s find out!

Spoilers Ahead

Why Did Leila And Shireen Have An Estranged Relationship?

Despite belonging to a conservative Iranian family, we see a sense of rebellion and free-spiritedness in Leila. Leila has had a...

The 2023 Academy Museum Gala brought out well over 100 celebrities on Sunday night (December 3)!

Stars like Lupita Nyong’o, Selena Gomez, Kendall Jenner and Natalie Portman hit the red carpet at the third annual event.

The Academy Museum Gala is a fundraising event for the museum, raising “funds to support the organization’s museum exhibitions, education initiatives and public programming,” according to Variety.

Keep reading to find out more…

This year’s event was postponed due to the ongoing conflict between Palestine and Israel. It was originally supposed to take place October 14th, but was pushed back to this weekend.

Honorees this year included Priscilla director Sofia Coppola with the Visionary Award, Meryl Streep with the Icon Award, Michael B Jordan with the Vantage Award and Oprah Winfrey with the Pillar Award.

Keep scrolling to see photos of more than 100 celebs who attended…

Taylor Zakhar Perez

Fyi: Taylor is wearing a Tag Heuer Carrera watch.

“As an Iranian-American actor, we don’t get a lot of scripts centering on the Iranian-American experience,” explains Niousha Noor about what immediately appealed to her about the screenplay of “The Persian Version.” The performer says the film – written and directed by Maryam Keshavarz — shines “a good light on Iranians, just as we know our families, our mothers, and all the sacrifices they made… I just loved the fact that it was a family drama, or dramedy, and didn’t have to do with the the typical things we’re used to when we hear ‘Iran’.” Watch our exclusive video interview above.

Noor plays Shireen in the film, the mother of the protagonist Leila (Layla Mohammadi), whose life story of challenges and triumphs plays out as Leila learns about a “scandal” from her mother’s past. The actress spoke with Keshavarz’s “inspiring” mother, on whom Shireen is based, and...

Exclusive: Silver Lining Entertainment has signed Niousha Noor, the star of Maryam Keshavarz’s multiple prize-winning Sundance dramedy The Persian Version, for representation.

Currently in theaters via Sony Pictures Classics and Stage 6 Films, The Persian Version centers on Leila (Layla Mohammadi), an aspiring Iranian American filmmaker who reunites with her family in New York City amidst her father’s heart transplant, coming into conflict with her mother when a personal secret is revealed. Drawing strong reviews out of Sundance 2023, where it laid claim to the fest’s Audience Award and Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award, the film has Noor portraying Leila’s conservative mother, Shireen.

Noor can also currently be seen starring alongside Giancarlo Esposito, Rufus Sewell, Paz Vega, Jai Courtney and more in Kaleidoscope, Netflix’s heist show from creator Eric Garcia, which premiered in January. She was seen prior to that in IFC Midnight’s horror thriller The Night,...

Layla Mohammadi as Leila, Niousha Noor as Shirin in The Persian Version. Photo credit: Yiget Eken. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.

Growing up with a foot in two cultures can be a tricky experience, so why not turn it into a comedy? The Persian Version is writer/director Maryam Keshavars’ semi-autobiographical comedy/family drama with a heart, that sets out to do just that. The Persian Version is more irreverently, laugh-out-loud funny than you might expect, but it also contains a moving story about the director’s mother, which almost could have made an epic drama on its own.

The main character in The Persian Version, Leila (Layla Mohammadi), describes herself as too American for Iran and too Iranian for America. American-born but growing up in a very Iranian immigrant family of all boys, with her as the sole daughter, Leila was the disrupter of expectations from the start. Leila...

In Maryam Keshavarz’s Sundance Audience Award winner The Persian Version, the choices, traumas and joys of multiple Iranian and Iranian American women are traced through a single bloodline.

For the writer-director, the project is a deeply personal one, charting the emotional truth of her own experiences and that of her family while straddling life in America and Iran during periods of intense Islamophobia and anti-Iranian sentiment as well as restrictions on cultural and women’s rights.

The film is told primarily through the perspective of Leila (Layla Mohammadi), a young, queer Iranian-American woman and filmmaker who discovers she’s pregnant after one unexpected night with a man. It’s a shocker in more ways than one, particularly for her mother, Shireen (Niousha Noor), who — along with remaining emotionally distant from her daughter — has harbored queerphobic feelings about Leila’s romantic relationships with women.

When Leila’s father lands in the hospital,...

An Iranian American woman navigating culture clash, an Argentine bank heist and an animated ghost story voiced by Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie debut this weekend with a handful of docs and some notable expansion, vying with Apple wide release Killers Of The Flower Moon.

Sony Pictures Classics The Persian Version opens on eight screens in NY, LA, Toronto and Vancouver today. The film by writer-director Maryam Keshavarz won both the Audience Award and the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at Sundance where it premiered (Deadline review here). Her previous film Circumstance, about two teenage Iranian girls who fall in love, won the Audience Award too, in 2011, but the filmmaker hasn’t been able to return to Iran since.

The Persian Version stars Layla Mohammadi as Leila, Iranian-American like Keshavarz, and bisexual, striving to find balance and embrace her opposing cultures. When her family reunites in New York City for her father’s heart transplant,...

Editors note: This review was originally published after its world premiere at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. It hits theaters Friday via Sony Pictures Classics.

The Persian Version, directed and written by Maryam Keshavarz, stars Layla Mohammadi and Niousha Noor as a mother and daughter at odds with one another.

The Persian Version starts with Lelia (Mohammadi) at a costume party in a self-made Burkini. This is where she meets Maximillian (Tom Byrne), a Broadway actor-singer dressed as Hedwig, and they have sex. When she wakes up the next morning, she starts with voice-over about her Persian upbringing, and Iran’s relationship with the United States. She details how she grew up in Brooklyn, but her parents are from Iran, and the country forbid everything with American influence, thought on her childhood trips back to the country, she smuggled Cyndi Lauper cassettes (cut to a young Lelia dancing with her mother...

“The Persian Version,” in line with “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” and “Moonstruck,” sets out to capture the conflicting cultures of being a first-generation American, especially through the perspective of a coming-of-age story. And while the Sundance Award-winning film has a certain early 2000s charm to it, it tries to do too much too fast in terms of educating audiences about Iranian politics through the personal history of rising matriarch (yet current angsty outsider) Leila (Layla Mohammadi).

The “sort of” true story opens with Leila donning a burqa over a bikini (a “burq-ini”), hooking up with a “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” Broadway performer (Tom Byrne), and breaking the fourth wall to explain just how complicated her life as a queer Iranian-American woman is. It’s the kind of “Fleabag” commentary that feels too trendy and too convenient for a film with this amount of tonal shifts, zinging between Leila...

"The Persian Version" tells the story of a mother and daughter, celebrating Iranian-American culture and exploring familial dysfunction through fresh eyes. The movie's fearless narrator, Layla Mohammadi, brings a buoyant energy to the story, despite the fractured bonds between her and her Iranian immigrant parents. The strength of the film lies in its empowering portrayal of three generations of Iranian women, although some may find that the growth of the daughter's character feels truncated compared to her mother's.

Filmmaker Maryam Keshavarz dips a toe into her own history in The Persian Version, which is finally seeing a limited theatrical release after its world premiere at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. It won the Audience Award for the US Dramatic Competition there, and for good reason. The movie weaves a mother and daughter's parallel narratives together with ease, celebrating Iranian-American culture through fresh eyes and exploring familial dysfunction from a place of love.

Filmmaker Martin Scorsese returns to theaters just in time to take on Taylor Swift in the second weekend of her record-setting “The Eras Tour” concert movie. Read on for Gold Derby’s box office preview.

“Killers of the Flower Moon” is Scorsese’s first movie since “The Irishman” in 2019, which ultimately ended up on Netflix. Adapted from David Grann‘s 2017 true-crime novel, it’s about a group of unscrupulous white men in the 1920s trying to rob the Osage Nation of Oklahoma out of their oil money.

“Killers” reunites Scorsese with two of the actors with whom he’s collaborated the most, Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro, though this is only the second time they star in one of his movies together.

See Grab the popcorn and sound off in our movie forums

De Niro’s relationship with Scorsese goes back 50 years to “Mean Streets,” but one of their...

A rebellious Iranian-American woman clashes with her strict and unforgiving mother but comes to understand they are very much alike. The Persian Version, winner of the Audience and Waldo Salt Screenwriting Awards at this year's Sundance Film Festival, uses fantasy elements and highly stylized filmmaking techniques to tell a powerful narrative. It is a clash of culture, values, and identity for immigrants trying to find their place in two vastly different countries over several decades. The bells and whistles gimmicks, meant to add a humorous element, grows somewhat tedious. The message delivered does not. Sacrifice and hardships don't last but love and compassion always do.

In present day New York City, Leila Jamshidpour (Layla Mohammadi) bedazzles a burka's headdress with sequins. She then dons a skimpy bikini, grabs a surfboard, and stridently walks to a costume party as jaws drop around her. Punk music blares as the revelers congratulate her on a bold look.

In her upcoming comedy-drama The Persian Version, director Maryam Keshavarz tackles what it means to be an immigrant and a child of diaspora through the eyes of mother-daughter pair Shireen (Niousha Noor) and Leila (Layla Mohammadi). When Leila accidentally gets pregnant after a one-night stand, her already tense relationship with her mother grows even tenser, especially as her large Iranian-American family navigate her father's health crisis as well.

“The Persian Version” captures the split between two worlds in a coming-of-age drama, complete with dance numbers and top pop hits.

The film, written and directed by Maryam Keshavarz, debuted at 2023 Sundance, where it won the U.S. Dramatic Competition Audience Award and the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award.

Layla Mohammadi stars as an Iran-American woman who tries to find balance in her opposing cultures. Yet things become more complicated with her family travels from Iran to New York City and her family and friends collide.

Per the official synopsis, when her family reunites in New York City for her father’s heart transplant, Leila navigates her relationships from arm’s length in an effort to keep her “real” life separate from her family life. However, when her secret is unceremoniously revealed, so are the distinct parallels between her life and that of her mother Shireen (Niousha Noor).

The film also stars Kamand Shafieisabet,...

"We were the All-American family." Sony Pictures Classics has revealed the full official trailer for the indie comedy The Persian Version, made by Iranian-American filmmaker Maryam Keshavarz. Winning both the Audience Award and the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, writer / director / producer Maryam Keshavarz delivers a universal and timely story of the Iranian and the Iranian-American experience. When a large Iranian-American family gathers, a family secret is uncovered that catapults the estranged mother and daughter into an exploration of the past, and to discover they are more alike than they know. The film stars Layla Mohammadi, Niousha Noor, Bella Warda, Kamand Shafieisabet, Bijan Daneshmand, Chiara Stella, and Shervin Alenabi. This earned rave reviews at the festival, and also played at the Munich Film Festival. Set for release starting in October this fall. This is a super spunky, upbeat trailer with some great footage.

"It's so much easier blaming our mothers." Sony Pictures Classics has unveiled a first look teaser trailer for an indie comedy titled The Persian Version, made by Iranian-American filmmaker Maryam Keshavarz. I keep getting this film confused with Persian Lessons, a completely different German film about WWII, while this is a modern familial comedy set in New York City. Winning both the Audience Award and the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award in Dramatic Competition at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, writer / director / producer Maryam Keshavarz delivers a universal and timely story of the Iranian and the Iranian-American experience. When a large Iranian-American family gathers, a family secret is uncovered that catapults the estranged mother and daughter into an exploration of the past, and to discover they are more alike than they know. The film stars Layla Mohammadi, Niousha Noor, Kamand Shafieisabet, Bijan Daneshmand, Bella Warda, Chiara Stella, Shervin Alenabi.

A cheating husband causes an emergency situation at a motel on Fox’s 9-1-1: Lone Star season four episode 12. “Swipe Left” will air on Tuesday, April 11, 2023 at 8pm Et/Pt.

The season four cast is led by Rob Lowe as Captain Owen Strand and Gina Torres as Captain Tommy Vegas. The season also stars Ronen Rubinstein as T.K. Strand, Sierra McClain as Grace Ryder, Jim Parrack as Judd Ryder, Natacha Karem as Marjan Marwani, and Brian Michael Smith as Paul Strickland. Rafael L. Silva is Carlos Reyes, Julian Works is Mateo Chavez, and Brianna Baker plays Nancy Gillian.

“Swipe Left” Plot: When she discovers her former fiancé is having a baby with his new wife, The 126 help Marjan enter the dating world through a series of chaperoned dates. Owen and the team are called to the rescue when a pregnant woman takes matters (and her anger) out...

Maryam Keshavarz’s semi-autobiographical feature The Persian Version is an energetic family comedy chronicling three generations of Iranian women in the US. An often hilarious and spirited film with a deceptively complicated plot structure, it unpacks family secrets that ultimately inform the present. The only sister in her large family of successful brothers, Leila (Layla Mohammadi) has never quite fit in, opting to take the creative route. Living in Brooklyn, she’s just broken up with her girlfriend and, at a costume party, randomly hooks up with Max (Tom Byrne), who is playing Hedwig on Broadway. The hook-up leads to motherhood, setting Leila down a path of discovery when a family secret is hinted at by her grandma Mamanjoon (Bella Warda).

Spending time in both New Jersey and Iran, Leila has never found a sense of identity, which naturally forces her to become a writer and filmmaker. She’s Western and independent,...

Sony Pictures Classics has nabbed the North American rights to the Sundance award-winning film The Persian Version, a mother-daughter dramedy written, directed and produced by Maryam Keshavarz.

The film’s critical acclaim at Sundance, where it earned the Audience Award in the U.S. Dramatic Competition and The Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award in the same sidebar, brought buyer attention to the film and a subsequent bidding war where Sony Pictures Classics prevailed.

Keshavarz’s film about Iranian immigrants in New York and New Jersey feeling neither at home in America or Iran stars Layla Mohammadi, Niousha Noor, Kamand Shafieisabet, Bijan Daneshmand, Bella Warda, Chiara Stella, Tom Byrne and Shervin Alenabi.

The film centers on Iranian-American Leila, played by Mohammadi, who comes from two countries at odds with each other, and strives to find balance and embrace her opposing cultures, while boldly challenging the labels society is so quick to project upon her.

Sony Pictures Releasing International to release the film internationally.

Sony Pictures Classics has acquired North American distribution rights to Maryam Keshavarz’s The Persian Version, which won two awards on its debut at Sundance Film Festival last month.

SPC will release the film in partnership with Sony production label Stage 6 Films. Sony Pictures Releasing International will distribute the film internationally.

The third feature from US filmmaker Keshavarz, The Persian Version won the US Dramatic Audience Award and the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at Sundance last month.

The film centres on an Iranian-American woman who strives to find balance between her opposing cultures,...

Sundance hit “The Persian Version” is going to Sony Pictures Classics. The distributor has landed North American rights to the film in a competitive situation, SPC announced on Friday, adding the winner of the Audience Award in the U.S. Dramatic category to its slate. The film also picked up the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award (U.S. Dramatic Competition) at the 2023 festival.

Written, directed and produced by Maryam Keshavarz, “The Persian Version” follows an Iranian-American girl named Leila who struggles to balance her opposing cultures while visiting New York City for her father’s heart transplant.

“After two plus years of watching everything at home and in our PJs, I am excited to bring ‘The Persian Version’ to theaters where we can experience the joy and humor of this big rowdy immigrant American family together in a communal setting,” Keshavarz said in a statement. “Having grown up watching and loving SPC films,...

Sundance has been over for a week, but the market for many of the films that premiered at the festival is still chugging along.

On Friday, Sony Pictures Classics announced that it landed North American rights to the Sundance award-winning film “The Persian Version.” The film was written, directed and produced by Maryam Keshavarz and went on to win the Audience Award and The Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award after debuting in Sundance’s U.S. Dramatic Competition category.

It’s the second deal out of the festival for Sony Pictures Classics, which also bought the family drama “A Little Prayer.”

“The Persian Version” was produced by Keshavarz for Marakesh Films, Anne Carey for Archer Gray Productions, Ben Howe and Luca Borghese for Agx, and Peter Block and Cory Neal for A Bigger Boat. It stars Layla Mohammadi, Niousha Noor, Kamand Shafieisabet, Bijan Daneshmand, Bella Warda, Chiara Stella, Tom Byrne and Shervin Alenabi.

Sony Pictures Classics has taken North American on Maryam Keshavarz’s The Persian Version which won the Audience Award (U.S. Dramatic Competition) and The Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award (U.S. Dramatic Competition) at this year’s Sundance. Keshavarz is the first filmmaker to have two films win the Sundance Audience Award in the Dramatic Competition category.

Logline: Coming from two countries at odds with each other, Iranian-American Leila (Layla Mohammadi) strives to find balance and embrace her opposing cultures, while boldly challenging the labels society is so quick to project upon her. When her family reunites in New York City for her father’s heart transplant, Leila navigates her relationships from arm’s length in an effort to keep her “real” life separate from her family life. However, when her secret is unceremoniously revealed, so are the distinct parallels between her life and that of her mother, Shireen (Niousha Noor...

A still from Sierra Urich's documentary, "Joonam." Image Source: Sierra Urich

In September 2022, the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody in Tehran - for allegedly improperly wearing a hijab - set off unprecedented protests in Iran. These demands for accountability and shows of solidarity were led by young women, who made the chant "women, life, freedom" reverberate across the world.

In a country rife with political conflict, an increasing number of arrests and executions has encouraged women to continue to speak out against the regime's oppressive policies. During the last four months of protests, security forces have killed more than 500 protesters and have made an estimated 20,000 arrests, according to the activist news agency Hrana.

Related: What the Iran Protests Mean to Iranian American Families Like Mine

Despite the truly revolutionary spirit of these calls for change, it seems the Western world has moved onto the next news cycle...

When Leila’s (Layla Mohammadi) Iranian-American family gathers in New York City for her father’s heart transplant surgery, a secret that she’s been keeping is unceremoniously spilled. What she wasn’t expecting, however, is learning how much her own life parallels that of her mother Shireen (Niousha Noor) decades ago, causing Leila to further appreciate the nuances of her dual identity. Set between two distinct countries and eras, Maryam Keshavarz’s sophomore film The Persian Version comes from a deeply personal place. Cinematographer André Jäger discusses how he got involved in the shoot and the difficulty he and Keshavarz faced when it came […]

The post “Choosing the Perfect Lens for Us Was the Bigger Challenge”: Dp André Jäger on The Persian Version first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

When Leila’s (Layla Mohammadi) Iranian-American family gathers in New York City for her father’s heart transplant surgery, a secret that she’s been keeping is unceremoniously spilled. What she wasn’t expecting, however, is learning how much her own life parallels that of her mother Shireen (Niousha Noor) decades ago, causing Leila to further appreciate the nuances of her dual identity. Set between two distinct countries and eras, Maryam Keshavarz’s sophomore film The Persian Version comes from a deeply personal place. Cinematographer André Jäger discusses how he got involved in the shoot and the difficulty he and Keshavarz faced when it came […]

The post “Choosing the Perfect Lens for Us Was the Bigger Challenge”: Dp André Jäger on The Persian Version first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Teyana Taylor and Aaron Kingsley in ‘A Thousand and One’ (Photo Courtesy of Sundance Institute / Photo by Focus Features)

The Sundance Film Festival named A Thousand and One from writer/director A.V. Rockwell the winner of the prestigious U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic. Directors Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson’s The Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project won the U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary at the 2023 festival which hosted in-person screenings as well as access online.

“This year’s Festival has been an extraordinary experience,” said Joana Vicente, Sundance Institute CEO. “The artists that comprise the 2023 Sundance Film Festival have demonstrated a sense of urgency and dedication to excellence in independent film. Today’s award winners highlight our programs’ most impressive achievements in the current moment of cinematic arts. I hope you will join me in congratulating our winners, as well as thanking all artists across sections...

The Persian Version has become the feel-good favorite of the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, having just taken home two awards and received another nomination. Written and directed by Maryam Keshavarz, The Persian Version tells the partially true story of her family's experience both in Iran and the United States. Protagonist Leila, introduces her impossible-to-believe present-day situation before guiding the audience through various phases of her family history.

Leila is not the lone narrator of The Persian Version, however, as sometimes a 14-year-old version of her mother Shirin (played by Niousha Noor as an adult and Kamand Shafieisabet as a child) or her bombastic grandmother Mamanjoon (Bella Warda) take over. While the style of each storyteller is unique, each is filled with confidence in their perspective and a zest for life that is infectious. The Persian Version is similar to stories like The Joy Luck Club in its premise, but the way...

Leila (Layla Mohammadi), an Iranian-American girl, gathers with her family in New York City for her father’s heart transplant surgery in The Persian Version from writer-director Maryam Keshavarz. When a tightly-kept secret of hers is revealed, she grapples with the divided expectations from the two cultures she inhabits and comes to identify the parallels between her and her mother (Niousha Noor). Editor JoAnne Yarrow tells Filmmaker about inheriting the project after its initial assembly by Abolfazi Talooni, “softening” Leila’s character and the most difficult scene to cut. See all responses to our annual Sundance editor interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why […]

The post “My Goal Is Always To Move People to Laughter or Tears”: Editor JoAnne Yarrow on The Persian Version first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Leila (Layla Mohammadi), an Iranian-American girl, gathers with her family in New York City for her father’s heart transplant surgery in The Persian Version from writer-director Maryam Keshavarz. When a tightly-kept secret of hers is revealed, she grapples with the divided expectations from the two cultures she inhabits and comes to identify the parallels between her and her mother (Niousha Noor). Editor JoAnne Yarrow tells Filmmaker about inheriting the project after its initial assembly by Abolfazi Talooni, “softening” Leila’s character and the most difficult scene to cut. See all responses to our annual Sundance editor interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why […]

The post “My Goal Is Always To Move People to Laughter or Tears”: Editor JoAnne Yarrow on The Persian Version first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Warning: Spoilers for Kaleidoscope Season 1.Currently available to watch on Netflix, Kaleidoscope differentiates itself from its streaming predecessors by taking a non-linear approach to storytelling. While Leo Pap and his crew plan out their heist step by step, the show is designed in a way that allows audiences to shuffle the order of the episodes and still achieve a complete viewing experience. The limited series has been at the top of Netflix's charts, and even Stephen King took to Twitter to praise its high entertainment value.

Peter Mark Kendall plays the role of Stan Loomis, "the smuggler," while Paz Vega plays Ava Mercer, "the weapons specialist." Kendall is known for projects such as The Americans, Strange Angel, and Chicago Med. Vega has starred in several films and series, but There Are No Saints and 13 Minutes are two of her most recent works. Kaleidoscope also stars Giancarlo Esposito, Niousha Noor,...

"Kaleidoscope" is a new heist drama TV series, created by Eric Garcia, starring Giancarlo Esposito ("Breaking Bad") as 'Leo Pap', Paz Vega as'Ava Mercer', Rufus Sewell as 'Roger Salas,' Tati Gabrielle as 'Hannah Kim', Rosaline Elbay as 'Judy Goodwin',  Peter Mark Kendall as 'Stan Loomis', Jai Courtney as 'Bob Goodwin', Niousha Noor as 'Nazan Abassi', Patch Darragh as 'Andrew Covington' and Max Casella as 'Taco', now streaming on Netflix:

"...spanning 25 years, a crew of masterful thieves work to unlock a seemingly unbreakable vault for the biggest payday in history. 

"But before they can get their hands on the cash, they must make it through the world's most powerful corporate security team..."

Click the images to enlarge...

Returning to Sundance, where her debut feature Circumstance premiered in 2011, Iranian-American writer-director Maryam Keshavarz enters the festival’s U.S. Dramatic Competition with a crowd-pleasing quasi-autobiographical comedy-drama, The Persian Version.

A multi-generational family tale that spans roughly 60 years, two continents and assorted cultures from traditional Muslim families to queer New Yorkers, this lively, likable, if somewhat on-the-nose work grabs viewer attention with fourth-wall-breaking monologues, jocular explanatory graphics, and tightly choreographed dance numbers to vintage American and Iranian pop songs. The expansive ensemble is led by Layla Mohammadi playing the director’s alter ego Leila and Niousha Noor as her immigrant mother Shirin, who, in the manner of classic melodrama, clash but learn to respect one another by the end after secrets are revealed in extended flashbacks.

The film’s present tense is somewhere in the early 2000s, its locus Brooklyn, downtown Manhattan and Jersey City, where protagonist and sometime narrator...

With her tart direct address, Leila makes a cheeky protagonist in “The Persian Version,” a Sundance-blessed dramatic comedy about the wide rift between an immigrant mother and her Iranian American daughter. Layla Mohammadi and Niousha Noor portray Leila and her mother, Shirin. They also carry the weight of writer-director Maryam Kesharvarz’s third feature, which braids comedy and tragedy, vibrant aplomb and thoughtful soberness.

In 2011, Kesharvarz made her directorial debut at the Sundance Film Festival with “Circumstance,” winner of that year’s audience award for dramatic feature. Set in Tehran, that LGBTQ-hued film focused on a well-to-do Iranian family dealing with their sexually rebellious daughter (and Daddy’s girl) and a son who recovers from drug addiction by replacing it with a fresh mania for fundamentalist ideology. “The Persian Version” moves between the present and the past and shuttles from New York to New Jersey to a rural outpost in Iran,...

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Kaleidoscope Season 1.The non-linear structure of Netflix's Kaleidoscope proves that television doesn't need to be viewed chronologically to be an immersive experience. In actuality, a large part of the show's current streaming success is likely attributed to its unique format and the curiosity it provokes from an audience. But no matter which order viewers watched the series in, everyone witnessed the same events that took place before, after, and during the heist.

Niousha Noor plays the role of FBI Agent, Nazan Abassi, who is determined to regain custody of her child after suffering from a drug addiction. However, Nazan becomes consumed by the investigation into Leo Pap's crew and ends up paying the ultimate price for her obsession. Noor is known for projects such as The Night and Here and Now. Kaleidoscope also stars Giancarlo Esposito, Paz Vega, Rufus Sewell, Tati Gabrielle, Peter Mark Kendall,...

To be an immigrant is to be a writer, according to Iranian-American director Maryam Keshavarz, because as immigrants “you write your own story, you decide what’s your narrative.” Her latest feature, “The Persian Version,” explores that by tapping into one of the most complex narratives of all — that of mother and daughter.

In “The Persian Version,” Iranian-American Leila (Layla Mohammadi) boldly challenges labels that society tries to project upon her while balancing and embracing her opposing cultures. When her family reunites for her father’s heart transplant, secrets and scandals are revealed that shed light on how Leila and her mother Shirin (Niousha Noor), with whom she has a complicated relationship, could be more alike than she realizes.

Keshavarz spoke with Variety about how “The Persian Version” reflects the experiences of many Iranians and immigrants overall, and how pop culture helped bridge the gap between her two worlds — Iran and America.

Netflix’s Kaleidoscope had many shocking moments, but FBI agent Abassi’s death was a big one, and the person who killed Abassi is not fully revealed in Kaleidoscope, although there is one big clue. Abassi (Niousha Noor) was the main FBI agent trying to catch Leo Pap (Giancarlo Esposito) and his crew, and Abassi’s history with Ava (Paz Vega) only made Abassi more determined to bring Leo and his crew down. Abassi’s fight with her own demons meant she had to fight to stay on the case, but her determination and skill saw her uncovering the entire plot, even when led astray by Leo and Ava’s plans.

Kaleidoscope is unique for its viewing order, as audiences can watch Kaleidoscope however they please; however Netflix does recommend watching “White” last, which is the heist episode. Chronologically, Abassi is introduced in “Green,” which is seven years before the...

Netflix has released a unique nonlinear show, Kaleidoscope, and here is the ending of the complicated heist show explained. Giancarlo Esposito leads the cast as Leo Pap, the mastermind behind the heist who has been planning revenge on Roger Salas (Rufus Sewell). As the mysteries of Kaleidoscope unravel, it is revealed that Leo and Roger are old friends, and Leo’s heist is based on revenge over money. Kaleidoscope takes the viewer back and forth on the history of Leo’s crew, and those he plans to rob, to create shocking revelations ending with the finale episode “White,” which finally shows the events of the heist.

Esposito is joined by Paz Vega as Ava, Rosaline Elbay as Judy, Peter Mark Kendall as Stan, Jai Courtney as Bob, and Jordan Mendoza as Rj. Kaleidoscope episodes can be watched in any order, and the relationships between Leo’s crew become clear and emphasizes the tensions between them.