There will be students from 9 different countries and 16 professors in the Darolfonoun Section of the festival.
Maziar Miri, head of the Darolfonoun Section of the festival, talked to the public relations office of the 34th FIFF. He said, “Talent campuses are common in prominent festivals worldwide. This section is called the Darolfonoun Section in the 34th FIFF. Reza Mirkarimi, the director of the festival, has emphasized the young’s participation in the festival and drawn attention to increasing the scientific and academic value of it. That’s why, besides screening films, we have been trying to find new talents for the future of Iranian Cinema.”
He continued, “This edition of the festival has taken a more specialized, scientific approach. The Darolfonoun Section of the festival is going to meet this purpose and help young cinephiles. There are going to be young students from different parts of Iran and the region. They’re going to be trained by masterful cinema instructors and leave the festival with loads of new information.”
The Iranian acclaimed director also referred to selecting the members of this section and said, “We were in talks with different organizations to choose our students among young talented people. The Cinema Academy, the Iranian Youth Cinema Society, Ammar Film Festival, Avini Film School, and the Faculty of Cinema and Theater collaborated with us. We also negotiated with cultural officials from the neighboring countries to inform them of the procedure and identify the cinema majors there. Eventually, 100 young talented students were selected to be with us during the festival. They’re going to watch films with us, participate in the workshops, and take advantage of the international and Iranian instructors in the talent campus. Also, at the end of the festival, they will present a piece of work.”
Miri also stated, “There will be young students from Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Lebanon, Palestine, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Syria, and Pakistan alongside Iranian students in the campus. There will also be 4 international and 12 Iranian instructors helping these students.”
“We won’t leave these students alone after the festival. We will keep in touch with them and let them share their proposals, and experiences with us.”
Referring to Darolfonoun, Miri added, “The majority of these students have either majored or are majoring in cinema. Most of them have made short films and documentaries and have been selected based on the quality of their works. There are some masterpieces among these students’ works, exhibiting their talent and potential.”
Replying to the question about how the international members of the campus were selected, Miri explained, “We started negotiating with cultural centers in the neighboring countries and were introduced to their talent centers through their cultural officials. We watched their students’ works and assessed them. What these students have in common with Iranian students is their cinematic knowledge and their perseverance and motivation to work in this domain. They all have a specialized scientific outlook on cinema.”
Miri also commented on whether he thought that Darolfonoun would be a successful experience. “Mirkarimi, the director of the festival, and I look forward to the result of this experience. We have managed to follow the steps so far and we’re glad that lots of accomplished cineastes will contribute to the campus and share their knowledge and expertise with us. I believe Darolfonoun will be a practical experience for us and the our neighboring countries. Lots of young people are going to gather thanks to their shared passion for cinema. They’re going to share their customs and traditions and represent our cinema in their home country.”
The 34th edition of Fajr International Film Festival will be held from April 20th to April 25th, 2016 in Charsou Cineplex, under the supervision of the well-known Iranian filmmaker, Mr. Reza Mirkarimi, who is also the Managing Director of Khaneh Cinema.
