Andrea Morghen is an Italian film producer and artistic director of Religion Today Film Festival. He is one of the special guests of the 37th Fajr International Film Festival.
Here is an interview with him:
What made you eager come to Iran?
It’s my second time and I was here at Fajr last year. For my festival in Italy, it’s very important to have good Iranian movies. It’s the right place to find good movies with artistic and technical qualities. My festival is a spiritual festival and Iranian cinema is full of spiritual, religious and meaningful films. We need Iranian cinema. I am here to select some films and take the best of this cinema to my town.
What is unique about Fajr festival?
It’s very easy to work. This festival is the right environment for professionals to work. Because all the parts are in one place and I can meet several people not just at the market but around the festival. There are many Iranian filmmakers who can directly show their products. Here I can speak with people from all over the world such as directors, producers, actors and distributers. We can relax here and take a coffee together in a good way. We don’t have to rush from one appointment to another. It’s very well organized.
Tell us about your festival?
I’m the artistic director. I was a programmer and volunteer before. The Religion Today Film Festival was founded in Italy 23 years ago. It is held in Trento, north of Italy. The opinion of the founders is that religion is an opportunity to work together and live in peace. Our festival is more than a cinematic event. It is a festival of peace, dialog, and where the people could come together to build relationships. It’s a unique event in the world.
Will you come to Fajr again?
If they invite me, why not? The founder of the festival has a strong relationship with Iran. She started screening Iranian movies more than 20 years ago in Italy. That was something special at the time. Today many festivals in Italy are screening Iranian movies but our festival was the first. They built very strong relationship with the Iranian cinema community and they want to keep this relationship in place. I am really proud to be here to represent my festival.
Presided over by award-winning writer and director Seyyed Reza Mirkarimi, the 37th Fajr International Film Festival is underway in Tehran until April 26. For further information, please visit our website at www.fajriff.com.
