LOS ANGELES, CA, December 24, 2008— Farhang Foundation, a recently established non-profit organization focused on celebrating Iranian art and culture in Southern California, today announced that the screening of the winning film in their first Short-Film Festival Film Festival will take place during the Farhang Foundation Nowruz (Persian New Year) Celebration events at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) on March 14 and 15, 2009.

"We are grateful to LACMA for recognizing the importance of Iranian art and culture, while providing us the opportunity to host a Nowruz Celebration event on their beautiful grounds," said Touraj Daryaee, President of Farhang Foundation. "We are excited to be showcasing a winning film about Iranian Heritage at Nowruz, a celebration that embodies the spirit of our culture."

For the Farhang Foundation Film Festival, filmmakers from all walks of life, Iranian and non-Iranian, are welcome to create and submit a short, five to eight minute movie, of any genre and style, visualizing their unique take on Iranian Heritage. Farhang Foundation defines Iranian Heritage as a way of life and culture that has been passed from one generation to the next in an Iranian influenced environment and is not limited to geographical borders.  It may include elements from the past and present of Iranian arts, literature, music and history. Submissions will be accepted through February 1, 2009 via www.sociarts.com.

The winner will receive $5,000USD cash prize, as well as travel expenses to attend the award presentation during the Farhang Foundation Nowruz Celebration at LACMA.

Additionally, all submitted films will be available for public viewing at www.sociarts.com/farhangfilmfest.

For more information about the festival and participation guidelines, please visit www.farhangfilmfest.org. 

More details about the Farhang Foundation Nowruz Celebration at LACMA will soon be available at www.farhang.org. 

About Farhang Foundation
Farhang Foundation is a non-religious, non-political and not-for-profit foundation established in 2008 to celebrate the art and culture of Iranian-Americans in its widest extent. The foundation supports academic activities in Southern California by funding university programs, publications and conferences. The foundation also supports cultural programs such as celebration of Nowruz and Mehregan, theater, dance performances, films screenings and poetry reading in Southern California. Farhang Foundation, in cooperation with various cultural and academic institutions plans major programs and exhibitions about Iran and its culture. For more info visit: www.farhang.org.   

About LACMA
Since its inception in 1965, LACMA has been devoted to collecting works of art that span both history and geography—and represent Los Angeles' uniquely diverse population. Today, the museum features particularly strong collections of Asian, Latin American, European, and American art, as well as a new contemporary museum on its campus, BCAM. With this expanded space for contemporary art, innovative collaborations with artists, and an ongoing transformation project, LACMA is creating a truly modern lens through which to view its rich encyclopedic collection.  For more info visit: www.lacma.org. 

About SoCiArts.com
SoCiArts.com is a grassroots, virtual community dedicated to artists from around the globe to share their work, blog their ideas and send their message out to a broader audiences. SoCiArts.com believes that artists are architects of life; they know how to break the old conservative boundaries and build remarkable new ideas. SoCiArts.com encourages artists to create a positive impact in the world through art by sharing their work in this forum and elevate their society, community, family and audience to a higher level of consciousness.  For more info visit: www.sociarts.com.