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Head of public relations department of Mehrgan International Film Festival Habibullah Mohammadi, in an exclusive interview with Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) on the sidelines of the festival, said that cinema can be used as an effective means for confronting extremism, as it is a shared language of all parts of the society which is understood by all members, irrespective of their level of literacy or academic backgrounds.
The 4th edition of Mehrgan International Film Festival was held in Kabul in November 2018.
Speaking to IRNA in the market section of the Fajr International Film Festival (FIFF) in Tehran, the official said the goal of his presence at the Iranian festival is to present Afghan cinema to the global market, as well as holding negotiations with the parties from Iran and around the world who like to cooperate with Afghan filmmakers or to do cinematic activities in Afghanistan.
Habibullah, who is also representing the Art and Cinema Academy of Afghanistan at the FIFF, says that Afghanistan welcomes Iranian filmmakers both for making films in the country and for cooperation in joint projects. He says that there have been several negotiations and proposals from Iranian filmmakers, but none of them have borne fruits.
When asked about the cooperation, he refers to the security condition in Afghanistan which is exaggerated by propagandas. 'We assure them that Afghanistan is a safe place to work, but we do not deny the possibility of incidents,' Mohammadi elaborates.
'Some 30 million people are living in Afghanistan at this very moment we are talking, they work, live, and even do artistic activities,' he says adding that the security threats exist, but not as exaggerated as some media or people portrait.
Acknowledging the unprivileged condition of cinema in Afghanistan, the Afghan representative says that it is Afghan filmmakers who are more interested in working in Iran.
He, who is participating in the market section of the FIFF for the 12th consecutive year, describes the section a good place for the filmmakers to get to know with film distributors and filmmaking companies from around the world.
The 37th edition of FIFF, comprising of various sections, kicked off on April 18 and will run until April 26 in Charsou Cinema Complex in Tehran.
By Mahdokht Pazoki
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