‘Fajr contributes to development of cinema’

Iranian director Arash Anisi says Fajr Film Festival contributes to the development of Iranian cinema.

Anisi, whose directorial debut ‘Mom’ (Maman) is to take part in the 39th edition of Fajr Film Festival (FFF) in Tehran, hails as “gratifying” the news that the event will hold public screenings with limited attendance amid a decline in the number of coronavirus cases.

“Undoubtedly, the festival will have lost its true meaning without this section,” he said in an interview with Iran’s ISNA news agency on Thursday.  

Last month, Mohammad-Mehdi Tabatabaeenejad, the head of the FFF, announced that the 2021 edition of the event will be held without public screenings and will only see jurors watching and judging the participating movies.

Tabatabaeenejad said the festival may hold physical screenings for audiences, if the coronavirus situation improves.

Anisi also noted that Fajr has features that lead to the development of Iranian cinema, referring to the festival’s competition section and the introduction of new talents.

The FFF coincides with the Ten-Day Fajr ceremonies across Iran, marking the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Supervised by Iran’s Ministry of Culture, the festival hosts veteran directors and new filmmakers from Iran every year.

Speaking about his film, Anisi said ‘Mom’ is the story of a mother, which is narrated by the family’s youngest child, Ahmed.

While he was writing his screenplay, Ahmed comes to a new understanding of his mother.

Anisi also unveiled the poster of his movie on Thursday.

SQ/MM