The New York Film Festival (NYFF) has announced its main selection of 32 films for its 64th session, which includes four world premieres, among them a new documentary by Iranian filmmaker Mani Haghighi.
The New York Film Festival (NYFF) has announced its main selection of 32 films for its 64th session, which includes four world premieres, among them a new documentary by Iranian filmmaker Mani Haghighi.
This documentary, titled 'I Deserve a Lover Whose Every Rise Sets Fiery Dooms Raging Across the Skies,' features Nasser Bakhshi—an artist, conceptual artist, collector, and curator whose extensive archive documents collective memory.
The 76-minute film, shot in 2026, shows Bakhshi alongside his wife Roghaieh Najdi, whose surreal paintings complement her husband's work by commenting on the status of women in Iranian society. In the documentary, Haghighi uses a unique visual language that echoes the works of directors such as Bergman and Parajanov.
Nasser Bakhshi, born in Tabriz in 1982, is a self-taught artist living in Azerbaijan, far from the hustle and bustle of Tehran. His museum-archival complex in the northwestern city of Tabriz emphasizes the necessity of individual stories for forming a complete picture; the process of collecting them is itself an artistic act.
Bakhshi's artistic practice focuses on images related to time, space, and existence. He primarily works with large-scale paintings and found objects to express his concerns and anxieties. Bakhshi's style is characterized by universal imagery hinting at the nation's upheavals and unease during a period of change.
Bakhshi's first officially registered exhibition was titled 'Mapping Within: An Alternative Guide to Tehran and Beyond' in Dubai in 2015. His most recent exhibition took place at the Bavand Gallery in Tehran in 2025. Although he exhibits more frequently in Iran, he has also had showings in Belgium and the United Arab Emirates. Over the last decade, Bakhshi has held no fewer than six solo and 11 group exhibitions.
He has participated in as many art fairs as biennials. A significant exhibition was 'Dust' at the Ujazdowski Castle Contemporary Art Centre in Warsaw in 2015. Other notable showings have taken place at Frieze London in London and at the Dastan Gallery in Tehran.
Among contemporary Iranian filmmakers, Mani Haghighi, aged 57, stands out for his refusal to adhere to simple categorization or genre. As a film director, writer, producer, and actor, Haghighi was educated in Iran and studied at Appleby College in Canada from the age of 15. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from McGill University in Montreal, where he staged plays by Pinter's 'Betrayal' and Shakespeare's 'Macbeth.' He later continued his studies at Guelph and Trent universities.
In 2001, Haghighi returned to Iran and worked for several years in advertising, shooting television commercials, educational films, and documentaries. His first feature film, 'Abadan' (2002), was the first independent Iranian feature film shot on digital camera, and it premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2002.
The comedy 'Men at Work' (2006), based on the idea of Abbas Kiarostami, was screened in the Forum section of the Berlin Film Festival and received several international awards, including the Asian Film Award for screenplay.
In 2006, Haghighi and Asghar Farhadi wrote 'Fireworks Wednesday'—a social drama in a realistic style addressing issues of class and alienation in modern Tehran. The film, directed by Farhadi, premiered in the competition section of the Locarno Film Festival and won the Best Screenplay award at the Nantes Three Continents Festival. It also won the Golden Hugo at the Chicago Film Festival.
'Canaan' (2007), the second collaboration between Haghighi and Farhadi, was based on the story 'Post and Beam' by Canadian Nobel laureate Alice Munro. This film marked Haghighi's departure from absurdist black comedy towards a more straightforward narrative about family conflicts. The film won the Audience Award in the international section of the Fajr Tehran Film Festival.
'Modest Reception' (2012), the fourth feature film, was co-written with theatre director Amir Reza Kouhestani. Returning to the theme of absurdism, the film tells the story of two city dwellers (starring Haghighi and Taraneh Alidoosti) who travel through an unknown, mountainous, and war-affected region, giving money to poor residents in exchange for increasingly sadistic demands. The film premiered in the Forum section of the Berlin Film Festival and won the NETPAC award.
The film 'A Dragon Arrives!' was shot on locations in the Star Valley on Kish Island in the Persian Gulf and was shown in the competition section of the Berlin Film Festival in 2016.
In 2016, Haghighi released '50 Kilos of Sour Cherries'—a popular romantic comedy that became the third highest-grossing film in Iranian cinema history in its year of release.
In 2018, the film 'Pig' was released—a black comedy about the adventures of an outlaw director falsely accused of serial killing colleagues. It premiered in the competition section of the Berlin Film Festival and subsequently won the l'Amphore d'Or award for Best Film at the Greenland International Film Festival.
In September 2022, his latest work 'Subtraction' was presented in the Platform section of the Toronto International Film Festival. This new film, a co-production between France and Iran, explores a married couple who seem to have found their doubles.
From 2007 to 2016, Haghighi produced and directed two documentaries about Iranian filmmaker Dariush Mehrjui. The shorter film 'Hamoun's Fans' (2008) is dedicated to the phenomenal success of Mehrjui's cult film 'Hamoun' (1989). Haghighi launched an open competition for anyone who considered themselves a fan of this film to write him a one-page explanation of why they loved it. From hundreds of responses, he selected five people to tell their stories.
The second film, 'Mehrjui: The 40 Year Report' (2015), is an exploration of all of Mehrjui's work through detailed interviews with Mehrjui himself, as well as his collaborators and critics. The film won the Best Documentary Director award at the Fajr Film Festival.
The New York Film Festival, presented by Film at Lincoln Center in partnership with Rolex, is an annual celebration of the most significant international films of the season. NYFF plays a key role in shaping film culture since its founding in 1963 and continues its tradition of introducing audiences to bold and outstanding works by renowned cinematographers, as well as new talents. The 64th session will run from September 25 to October 12.
The initiatives of the social network X, under the management of Elon Musk, to establish itself as a viable alternative for content creators have frequently faced obstacles related to the monetization model. To solve this issue, the company opted to close registrations for the revenue sharing program this Monday, August 10th, and introduced a new scheme focused on rewarding originally produced content.
This new methodology, called Original Content Rewards, aims to reduce the remuneration of profiles that simply republish third-party materials, as well as accounts that rely on baits—sensationalist or inaccurate publications about controversial topics that manage to capture a large audience.
Registrations for Original Content Rewards will begin on September 8th, and even profiles that were already receiving payments must go through a re-registration process. This change occurs a few weeks after the announcement of penalties against profiles that copy viral content and the development of new detection mechanisms implemented by the platform.
Nikita Bier, who was responsible for presenting these updates in July, recently left his position as Head of Product.
Under the new program, revenue calculation will exclusively consider views from X Premium subscribers within the main feed. Views obtained in replies or those generated automatically or fraudulently will no longer be counted for monetization purposes. The rules now require the following criteria:
To participate, the user must be at least 18 years old, located in a country where the program is available, have an active subscription, and have a minimum of 500 verified followers. Furthermore, the platform has reduced the impression limit from five million to only 500 thousand in a 90-day period. X also imposes the requirement of a history free from serious violations and repeat offenses of community standards, as well as the absence of previous suspensions related to monetization.
Divers Igor Bisulli and Giacomo De Mola were conducting routine underwater surveys off the coast of Mazara del Vallo in southern Italy's Sicily. At the time, Igor was on the boat while Giacomo was performing the dive operation equipped with the marine sonar technology StructureScan.
Amidst clear seawater and rich marine life, the equipment detected an anomaly on the seabed. Initially, it appeared to be just a regular rock, but Giacomo decided to investigate further. As he approached, he realized it was a shipwreck laden with hundreds of ancient pottery containers—amphorae.
He later wrote on social media: 'This is undoubtedly the most incredible discovery of my life. My heart stopped.' The two immediately notified the Superintendency Regional do Mar da Sicilia, which dispatched the Cultural Heritage Protection Department (TPC) to the site for inspection.
Authorities confirmed that this was an unprecedented shipwreck, dating back to the Roman era, specifically from the 2nd century BC to the 1st century BC, making it over two thousand years old. The vessel is located at a depth of 46 meters underwater.
Analysis determined that the ship is approximately 21 meters long, 6 meters wide, and nearly 2 meters high. The hull contains a large number of amphorae, most of which are Dressel 1A type. These containers were likely used to transport wine or olive oil. Additionally, anchors and other lead objects were found.
Some amphorae exhibit the Lamboglia 2 shape, which is uncommon in Northern Italy, while others are of Neopunic type. Therefore, preliminary research suggests it was likely a Mediterranean trading vessel. This discovery has the potential to help reconstruct Roman trade routes.
Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli stated in an official declaration that this is 'one of the most important underwater archaeological discoveries in recent years.' Currently, the Maritime Authority of the Sicilian Region will conduct new research, documentation, and investigation at the site to gather more information about the shipwreck and determine its preservation methods.
NASA announced on Monday, the 10th, the expansion of the NASA+ service to two streaming platforms: discovery+ and HBO Max. This measure aims to increase the ways the public can follow materials related to space exploration.
On discovery+, a continuous broadcast channel exclusive to NASA+ has been implemented. Simultaneously, HBO Max will begin showing special agency events, including the Artemis III mission, which is scheduled for 2027.
The expansion also incorporates support for Dolby Vision images on compatible devices. It is important to note that despite being included in paid streaming services, NASA+ will remain accessible for free and without advertisements through the NASA's own app and website.
The way the content will be distributed varies across each of the new platforms. While discovery+ will offer uninterrupted NASA+ programming, HBO Max will be responsible for broadcasting the singular events organized by the space agency.
Topics that may be part of this programming include scientific mission launches, flight tests related to docking with crewed landing systems, robotic deliveries destined for the Moon, and the first crewed mission to land on the lunar surface under the Artemis program scope.
NASA also indicated the possibility of increasing this offering in the future. This strategy is part of the agency's goal to make its programming available on more devices and allow the public to watch its activities according to their preference.
On compatible equipment, the content can be viewed in Dolby Vision. This technology promises to offer greater contrast sharpness, more vibrant colors, clearer images, and greater detail depth during broadcasts.
The agency linked this expansion to its commitment to making its space exploration activities more accessible to the public. According to Rebecca Sirmons, General Manager of NASA+ based at NASA in Washington, the dissemination of the agency's actions is tied to the duty stipulated by the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958.
Sirmons also commented on the reception of Artemis II by viewers in various regions of the globe and stated that NASA intends to maintain transparent and captivating coverage as it continues its return to the Moon.
This expansion of transmission contracts occurred after NASA presented plans during its Ignition event in early 2026, which encompass increasing the frequency of Artemis missions on the lunar surface and building the first base on the Moon.
Even with the addition to streaming platforms, NASA+ will remain free of charge and ads, available via the agency's official website and app.
