FIFF responsible foe gathering all artists seeking freedom for all

Heidarian made the remarks Wednesday on the sidelines of the 36th edition of Fajr International Film Festival which kicked off today at Charsou Cinema Complex in Tehran.

University and middle school students attended the two sections of the festival including Daroulfonoun and the 7th Hour which started today with an aim of motivating the students to watch and learn more.

Following is the interview with Mohammad Mehdi Heidarian:

Question: As you know Fajr International Film Festival has been held for 36 years which has received significant attention from various countries from Middle East to America especially in the past three years when it was directly covered by international media including Arabic and English ones. This year due to the participation of famous film directors in Fajr festival, its reflection has been noticeable. Would you please tell me your own opinion about this year’s Fajr International Film Festival and cooperation of the countries following the same goals as Iran does?

Answer: Iran’s cinema is celebrating its 120th anniversary this year. After revolution our cinema has flourished and proved its capability to the world and because of that most of the festivals around the world are eager to have Iranian films in their festivals. These days we are thinking about not only participating in foreign festivals but also having our own international festivals and influencing the world. To reach this goal, Fajr International Film Festival has been designed and it is held every year. We are looking for establishing links with other cultures. Our main focus in this festival is to reach this aim.

Q: This year’s festival has been specifically reflected in many international medias, especially Arab and Islamic news agencies, what’s your opinion about it?

A:We are culturally and religiously linked to countries of the region, so we can have more sympathy toward each other. Festivals make these attachments much more clear so we should make the most of it.

Q: During the festival we will have an art gallery about the Palestinian people and a famous Palestinian director is going to attend the festival, how do you comment on these sections?

A: As I already mentioned, we are linked to other countries of the region and one of our main concern is Palestinian Muslims and we are also concerned about all Muslims around the world. Our concern is beyond the borders. We should follow what people believe in and work on. Fajr International Film Festival has always included various sections with similar themes hoping they could meet the specific purposes in this regard. We hope that these sections could satisfy those whose major concern is freedom from hegemony.

Q: As you know this year many significant film makers have been invited from across the world, how do you see that?

A: As I already told you out aim is to find those who are seeking independence. And everyone can reflect this differently in his/her culture. For example Mr. Oliver Stone objects to the politics in his own country or the Palestinian director who tries to depicts people’s suffering from cruelty and injustice. As my last sentence I need to say the major responsibility of the festival has to be creating an climate in which people have the same concern which is humanity.

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