In the first press conference of the 34th FIFF, Amir Esfandiari, the International Deputy of the festival talked about the qualities of the films, participating in the international section, and also the film market and its particular guests.
According to the Public Relation Office of 34th FIFF, Amir Esfandiari said, “The festival has focused more on the quality of the films and not their quantity. Therefore, this year the festival will be focusing on the quality of organization and the guests also the services they will be offered. We have to be economical; however, we’ll invite prominent well-known figures to attend our festival. Fajr International Film Festival pays tribute to quality local and international films. It is an event that celebrates cultural exchange, displays creative achievements of highly acclaimed cineastes and showcases films promoting artistic contribution to the medium. Moreover, the festival also looks at films that seek justice, defend the oppressed and underline humane and moral values in this intolerant and dehumanized world. I also have to say that the festival focuses especially on films from the Middle East and Central Asia as well as works heralding peace and friendship as true teachings of the holy prophets.”
He expressed his hope in holding the festival in a much more organized manner and added: “We’ll have 5 international and 2 Iranian jury members in the International Section, 4 international and 1 national jury members in the Best Asian Film Award Section, and 2 international and 1 Iranian jury members in the Inter-faith Section.”
International Deputy of the festival also said, “Holding the festival right after the New Year holidays is a hard task, but we’re in a good state regarding our international relations. Among our guests, there are 4 celebrated producers, who will be holding specialized workshops about film production. We’ve also invited a screenwriting instructor and a well-known innovative cinéaste”
He added, “We’ll have two instructors from talent finding campuses, who will hold their workshops beside Maziar Miri and Dr. Hosseini. Overall, we’re going to have 170-200 international guests. We’ll have reporters from the important international press as well.”
Esfandiari also talked about the Film Market and said, “The 19th Film Market (IFM) will be held this year. The film market has undergone many difficulties throughout the years, but we’ve been trying to turn this market into a distinguished market in the region. The number of participants has gone up and more people have asked to take part in the Film Market.”
He added, “I’ve been talking to Mr. Mirkarimi about taking a moderate approach and organizing a market neither too small nor too big.”
“We’ll have 40-50 booths this year. We’ve focused on international guests’ attendance and how this could contribute to the Iranian Cinema. In fact, one of the main goals of the international section is to focus on the Iranian Cinema.” Esfandiari stated.
The 34th edition of Fajr International Film Festival will be held from April 20th to 25th, 2016 in Tehran, under the supervision of well-known Iranian filmmaker, Mr. Reza Mirkarimi, who is also managing director of Khaneh Cinema.
