is an internationally acclaimed Iranian film director, screenwriter, photographer and film producer. An active filmmaker since 1970, Kiarostami has been involved in over forty films, including shorts and documentaries. Kiarostami has received worldwide acclaim for his work from both audiences and critics, and, in 1999, he was unequivocally voted the most important film director of the 1990s by two international critics' polls. Four of his films were placed in the top six of Cinematheque Ontario's Best of the '90s poll. He has gained recognition from film theorists, critics, as well as peers such as Jean-Luc Godard, Nanni Moretti (who made a short film about opening one of Kiarostami's films in his theater in Rome), Chris Marker, Ray Carney, and Akira... more >>

La danse orientale, aussi appelée danse du ventre, connaît une popularité grandissante en Occident malgré le fait qu'une montée du conservatisme religieux dans son pays d'origine, l'Égypte, y rend la profession de danseuse professionnelle de plus en plus difficile à exercer. Gilda Boffa vous parlera de l'histoire de la danse en Orient, de son évolution à travers les époques, des films égyptiens des années cinquante qui ont grandement influencé son développement, de comment l'Occident est en train de la transformer et de son statut actuel en Orient. Elle terminera la présentation avec une courte prestation de danse. Gilda Boffa détient une maîtrise en Études cinématographiques de l'Université Concordia. Elle a écrit son mémoire de maîtrise sur le réalisateur iranien Mohsen Makhmalbaf.... more >>

Many consider Dante's Divine Comedy the supreme literary work not only of medieval Christendom but of the christian faith in general. But Dante alighieri's magnum Opus, despite its enormous popularity and importance, often stymied readers with its multitudinous characters, references and themes. The goal of this presentation is to provide an accessible introduction to this massive and intricate structure of almost fifteen thousand lines. Dante's life and times along the three realms of Inferno (Hell), Purgatorio (purgatory) and Paradiso (paradise) will be discussed.... more >>

This week Mr. Reza Farrokhfal will talk about russian formalism. Russian formalism was an influential school of literary criticism in Russia from the 1910s to the 1930s. It includes the work of a number of highly influential Russian and Soviet scholars such as Viktor Shklovsky, Yuri Tynianov,Vladimir Propp, Boris Eichenbaum, Roman Jakobson, Grigory Vinokur who revolutionised literary criticism between 1914 and the 1930s by establishing the specificity and autonomy of poetic language and literature. Russian formalism exerted a major influence on thinkers like Mikhail Bakhtin and Yuri Lotman, and on structuralism as a whole. The movement's members had a relevant influence on modern literary criticism, as it developed in the structuralist and post-structuralist periods.  ... more >>

CaféLitt is not a place; it is a gathering of minds. We are a group of mostly Persian young students, scholars and professionals who gather every Thursday evening around 19h00 in a café to discuss various subjects and share different ideas, ranging vastly from history to science, from literature to fine arts. We started these gatherings on Jan 18th, 2007. Each week, one of us takes the responsibility of presenting a topic (in Persian, English or French) for about an hour in a subject s/he is intimately familiar with or has an expertise in. Afterwards, the evening turns into a discussion forum and all members of the audience will have an opportunity to ask their question(s) and share their points of view.
CaféLitt is open to all comments, suggestion, collaboration and new ideas. CaféLitt provides an unparalleled opportunity for learning about culture, science and philosophy in a relaxed and friendly environment, and for sharing your knowledge and expertise with like-minded members of your community.
CaféLitt is officially registered as a non-profitable group and is a nonpartisan, nonreligious and nonpolitical entity.