New Iranian award honors doc producers

The Association of Iranian Documentary Producers (AIDP) has established a new award in honor of documentary producers.

Titled Khorshid Medal, the first edition of the award was presented to Morteza Razzaq-Karimi during a ceremony held at the Film Museum of Iran last week.

Speaking at the ceremony, the AIDP director Ramin Heidari-Fareqi said the point of knowing who is a good producer is someone who can be both good for Iranian cinema and the directors would like him, too.

“The Khorshid Medal is an attempt to find a good producer, a producer who can be reliable and productive. We are happy we selected an individual of whom we can be proud,” he added.

The director also noted that “We are happy that the medal was started with his [Razzaq-Karimi] name. I express thanks to the Film Museum of Iran and the association that have always been a big supporter of documentary cinema and have encouraged others to see documentaries.”

Mohammad Beheshti, the former director of the Research Institute of Cultural Heritage and Tourism, said he believes enlightenment is gathered in documentary cinema.

“If someone seeks enlightenment, he should watch documentary cinema of Iran, because the contemporary documentary cinema can easily act as the representative of Iranian cinema, and that is why the documentaries need to know their own values as well,” he added.

Beheshti also noted that “We should pay due attention to these values. As far as knowledge and enlightenment are deepened, documentaries can fly over higher hills.”

Manouchehr Shahsavari, director of Iranian House of Cinema, said documentary cinema is a serious ground for the development of Iranian cinema.

“I believe documentarians enjoy great knowledge that makes one happy,” he added.

Finally receiving his medal, Razzaq-Karimi said, “This is a blessed event for me to have received this medal. This is quite different from other awards I have received, and the philosophy behind this medal can act as a light for the future of my career.”

He also noted that “This medal is a big event; however, we must know that our documentary cinema lacks a strategy, and it should move forward industriously.”

Wrapping up, he said “Documentary cinema should have a strategy, and it should find ways into the international arena. We have big cultural assets and documentary cinema can gain success, more so than fiction in the international arena.”

MG/AG