Look To The Stars News: Shohreh Aghdashloo

Stars Host LA Mission End Of Summer Charity Party

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 15:30:00 +0000

Children are the most tragic victims of homelessness. They often suffer the indignities of living out of a car or in temporary housing – longing for some normalcy. The Los Angeles Mission reaches out to the younger homeless population with its End of Summer Block Party, designed as a way for kids to play, have fun, win prizes and forget about their circumstances – if for only a day.

The End of Summer Block party was held Saturday on the main street of Skid Row, Fifth Street, where decorations, tents and inflatable play areas were set up. Besides the giant slide, there was a dunk tank, face painting, crafts, games and of course backpacks full of school supplies.

“There were smiles everywhere,” said Herb Smith, President of the Los Angeles Mission. “This was a great day, to see the kids and their parents having fun. Our volunteers really enjoy the Block Party because of the kids.” Smith continued, “Children are very important to us here at the Mission. We believe that taking advantage of educational opportunities will help break the cycle of poverty. We believe it is vital to give these kids every opportunity for educational achievement.”

Kids And Celebrities To Celebrate Summer At LA Mission

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 11:30:00 +0000

Kids will celebrate summer and charity with a little celebrity help this Saturday, August 28, at the Los Angeles Mission.

Fifth Street between Wall and San Pedro will be transformed into a playground with food, games, prizes, crafts, face painting tent, giant inflatable slide and more. Children who live in the area will have a day of carefree summer fun at the Los Angeles Mission’s Annual End of Summer Block Party. There will be health screenings, a reading tent and lots of books given away.

Free backpacks will be filled with school supplies and handed out to those in need at the event. The Los Angeles Mission’s End of Summer Block Party fills a large need for the economically challenged families of Skid Row. With the backpacks and school supplies, families won’t have to decide between food and school. It gives children who experience fear, hunger, health issues and stress on a daily basis a chance to spend the day just being a kid!

Socially Relevant Films Earn NAACP Image Award Nominations

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 11:30:00 +0000

The NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) Image Awards announced it’s nominees on Wednesday, January 4, in Beverly Hills.

The foreign film category has some particularly strong nominations in regards to social relevance. Among the nominees annouced by comedienne and writer Wanda Sykes were Sin Nombre, Skin, and The Stoning of Soraya M. Also in the best film category, the critical darling Precious garnered the most nominations overall.

Stars Support Indie Filmmaking And Social Causes At Los Angeles Film Festival

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 11:30:00 +0000

There was no shortage of stars out to support independent film at this year’s Los Angeles Film Festival in Westwood Village.

Having the festival in the area despite these trying economic times helps restaurants and other businesses reap the benefits. The film festival began on June 18 with the world premiere of The Paper Man starring Jeff Daniels and Ryan Reynolds and ended June 28th. The world premieres of Transformers and Public Enemies also took place at the festival. Fans lined the streets to see Megan Fox, Michael Bay, Christian Bale and Johnny Depp.

Despite the bigger budget film debuts, the heartbeat of the Los Angeles Film Festival is independent movies. Film Independent is a non-profit arts organization. Their mission is to champion the cause of independent film and support a community of artists who embody diversity, innovation, and uniqueness of vision.

New Film Addresses Iran's Human Rights Violations

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 15:00:00 +0000

On the heels of Iran’s controversial presidential election, the Iranian-born star and the Iranian-American director of the docu-drama “The Stoning of Soraya M.” will highlight human rights issues in Iran at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on June 17.

In a panel discussion, Academy Award nominee Shohreh Aghdashloo (“House of Sand and Fog,” “24”) and director Cyrus Nowrasteh (“The Path to 9/11”) will discuss the brutal practice of execution by stoning, injustices against women, international human rights violations, and their film “The Stoning of Soraya M.”

Adapted from French-Iranian journalist Freidoune Sahebjam’s 1994 book “The Stoning of Soraya M.,” (Amazon) the film tells the true story of an incident that took place Iran in the 1980’s after the Islamic Revolution – the stoning execution of a young woman named Soraya, convicted on false charges of adultery. Journalist Sahebjam, played by Jim Caviezel (“Déjà vu,” “The Passion of the Christ,” “The Thin Red Line”) relays the tale told by Soraya’s aunt, played by Aghdashloo. The film’s graphic stoning scene has been called powerful, haunting, and difficult to watch, but one Aghdashloo says she had to do.