Why it matters:
The Fajr Film Festival is the most significant cinematic event in Iran with great importance. This year, however, the event has gained even more significance. Not only does it have its inherent importance, but it also carries additional prestige in terms of its context.
The big picture:
The annual film festival is held in commemoration of the Ten-Day Fajr celebrations, which is the ten days between the return of the founder of the Islamic Revolution Imam Khomeini on Feb. 1 and the victory of the Islamic Revolution on Feb. 11, 1979.
The motto of this year's festival is "mother", therefore the opening ceremony began with scenes from the film "Mother" by late Iranian director 'Ali Hatami'.
What they say:
Raaed Faridzadeh, the head of the Cinema Organization, stated: "Cinema is imaginative, and imagination; cinema organizes fantasies and from them, it creates stories that narrate our good and bad conditions.
"Cinema is a narrator of history and shapes collective memory; it gives life to history, language, and thought. Although cinema does not have a long history in the world and consequently in Iran, the world it was born into, the language it speaks, and the storytelling it does have been recognized by people.
Key points:
Part of the tribute ceremonies at the 43rd Fajr Film Festival was dedicated to honoring Siros Alvand, an Iranian filmmaker, on his 74th birthday. After showing a clip of this screenwriter and director, he was honored in the presence of well-known Iranian directors and experts including Faridoun Jeyrani, Javad Toussi, Manouchehr Shahsavari, and Mahour Alvand.
Go Deeper:
The Fajr Film Festival is an international event at the end of which the winning films and actors will be awarded.
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