NEWROZ FILMS

Click: New York Valentine Opening on Feb 15, 2008!

: Persian Rose: Shiva Rose (Layla) (La

Jay Jonroy, writer/director

New Layla/Shiva Rose on TV watch especially 2^nd part.

New Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet Verona film festival invites David & Layla!

New David & Layla receives Audience Award at Amour film fest, Valentine- David & Layla

New Shiva/Layla interview

VARIETY+ other Reviews.

New Nobel Laureate Harold Pinter on David & Layla

click: Independent Spirit Award: Jay Jonroy Director Best Breakthrough Performance Award Shiva Rose, Actress

Jerusalem View

E xcellent Movie!

New Suspension of Disbelief a Political Romantic Comedy!?

Film Review - 4th London Kurdish Film Festival. New! click pix below:

12/19/200

Stockholm festival click here: IranDokht

Shiva Rose's interview by Laily Mesbah click MidEast logo:

From France! Kate Winslet, Susan Sarandon & Shiva Rose/Layla: PRESS PHOTOS

A deeper insight into the Kurdish-Jewish romantic comedy David and Layla
By Vladimir van Wilgenburg

From Paris When Love Transcends Religious Prejudice. Film review

Shiva Rose as Layla on film in Persian Mirror

A Cele bration of love

Nietzsche & Chaplin vs. David & Layla: "To laugh is to dream..."

>David & Layla at: InternetMovieDataBase IMDB or IMDB Pro

Gill Holland Indie icon is Co-Producer. Gill is the three Sundance Award winner of Hurricane Streets & "producer" of over 40 films including Loggerheads- Sundance 2005

>The Legend of NEWROZ

>Hollywood and Persia!

>Why Iranian Films?

>Persian Mirror

>World Music Institute

>Persian Arts Festival

>Iranian.Com

>KurdishMedia.com

>Holland to Kurdistan by Vladimir van Wilgenburg

>Ziryab The Kurd! 8th/9th c. Musician and Shahrzad's 1001 Nights

>7Rooz Iranian Events

>Boccaccio's 14th c. Decameron: Saladin The 13th c. Kurdish Prince

>Another Layla: LEYLA ZANA, prisoner of conscience

David & Layla

inspired by a true story

From an impossible romance, a hope for peace.

a Romero & Juliet romantic comedy of ethnic proportions!

20+ Film Critics' Reviews: Critics' Reviews

50+ fascinating, original Audience reviews: IMDB Index

21 Official Festival Selections (including 2 from Israel)

5 Awards

First festival this film was invited to was 'Conflict Resolution', the second a 'Human Rights' festival co-sponsored by HRW- Human Rights Watch of NY. Since then the film has been invited by 19 regular international film festivals in the USA and abroad, receiving 5 Awards. More: Film Festivals

From Political Fests to Romantic Fests: A Guinness Book of World Records?

Recently this film received Prix du Public/Audience Award in Official Selection in Competition at 23rd Annual Amour International Film Festival during Valentine, Feb 9- Feb 16 at Mons in Belgium. Film is also invited to Romantic Film Festival of World Cinema at Tahiti Film Festival in November 2007.

From an impossible romance, a hope (a fantasy!) for peace

21 Official Festival Selections (including 2 from Israel); 5 Wins

Unique in being Official Selections not only at regular film fests but also at ‘Human' Rights’ and ‘Love/Romantic' fests!

(click Screenings or Festival Status links above)

VARIETY film review by Lisa Nesselson, Paris:

"Written, produced and directed by Jay Jonroy and based on a true story, David and Layla is an earnest, frequently funny comedy about stateless persons and the looming clichés that make Muslims and Jews so wary of each other. Completely accessible and non-threatening tale of the unlikely romance between a quintessential Jewish New Yorker and a lovely Kurdish refugee… Painless intro to the customs and attitudes surrounding two of the world's great religions is a natural...

Indie production boasts a brand of immigrant chutzpah that highlights the "anything is possible" side of the American Dream with energy to burn.

Production values are pleasing, varied score a plus.

Shiva Rose (Layla) excels as a self-reliant damsel in distress worth rooting for." Complete review at VARIETY

Independent Film Critic's review:

"This new comedy about young loves and the large ethnic families (on both sides) that stand between them could have been just another My Big Fat Greek Wedding, but its originality and insight set it apart.

This outright charmer by Jay Jonroy has the potential of being a broad crowd-pleaser, along the lines of My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Only David and Layla is a superior variation on that film, with unexpected insights...." More at Baltake's review.

Do you feel this topical "political romantic comedy" deserves worldwide distribution? More votes and high rating helps. Please take a moment now to vote at Vote. Later, perhaps add your thoughts to existing comments at: Comment.

Inspired by a true story, " Romeo & Juliet in New York with a twist- spice, comedy & politics...via Iraq, Kurdistan & Jerusalem!" more »

When & Where Can I See this film?

NewRoz in Kurdish and Persian means both 'New Sun' and ‘New Day’, the rebirth of spring on the equinox, usually on or about March 21st. Newroz is the pre-biblical New Year revered and celebrated by Zoroastrians, the ancient peoples of Kurdistan, and the Persian speaking peoples of Iran, Mesopotamia, Afghanistan, and eastern states of ex-Soviet Union, and parts of India and Kashmir.

Newroz symbolizes freedom from tyranny, the triumph of light over darkness. It predates all New Year and Religious festivals in the Middle East and Europe. A new year/new spring celebration is mentioned as early as 3000 years B.C. in the Mesopotamian myths of King Gilgamesh era. More at The Legend of NEWROZ.

Newroz Films' mission is to develop and produce independent feature films of:

· Original stories with relevance to the vital issues of our world.

· Compelling stories that throw light on relatively unknown ethnic cultures.

· Stories of ethnic characters living in the West. Or, of Western characters visiting or living outside the West.

Screenplays ready for production are:

· David & Layla a.k.a Kosher & Halal: A Jewish American/Moslem Kurdish romantic comedy/drama, with a political edge, set in New York inspired by a real love story. This film is now complete and is being marketed for general release.

· Gilgamesh:. An epic about Love, Loss and Search for Immortality, inspired by man’s first written epic: a 5000 year-old Mesopotamian poem etched in cuneiform on clay tablets, now at British Museum; and also at Yale and Pennsylvania Universities. New! Jonroy's Gilgamesh wins top Awards.

· Losing Touch:. An incest drama in New York about a singer believing her Italian-American father raped her when she was a little girl. It turns out not be true! A tragic byproduct of the "therapy legal insurance" industry.

· To Catch an Angel: A romantic adventure between Mark and Katie starting in the USA but happening and ending mostly in Brazil, in pursuit of a war criminal.

Next feature production is of the following screenplay now in development:

. Diaspora Bites, a.k.a Shahrzad: A story about a war orphan refugee who joins her Americanized uncle in New York.

Newroz Films is founded by Jay Jonroy, a member of WGA -Writers Guild of America- in New York.