Japan running Iranian Film Week

Iranian Film Week in Japan has been being held in commemoration of 90 years of mutual relationships between the two countries.

The opening ceremony of the event was held on Tuesday with more than 200 Iranian and Japanese art and culture figures in attendance.

Iranian cultural attaché at the Iran’s embassy in Tokyo, Hossein Divsalar, noted to the social, political and cultural changes after the Islamic Revolution in Iran and said the cinema industry has also seen lots of contextual and technical improvements.

Talking about false non-fair pictures of Iran in western media and the awareness of Japanese figures about the issue, the attaché added “Film, cinema, and diverse cultural activities between the two great nations of Japan and Iran can play a significant role in offering better recognition opportunities to the influential countries of eastern and western Asia.

Being underway in Tokyo, a total of seven Iranian films (feature, animation, documentary) are on screen at the event.

‘Season of Narges’ directed by Negar Azarbayjani, ‘The Mubarak’ by Mohammad-Reza Emami, ‘The Eastern’ by Masoud Taheri, and ‘Charm’ by Seyyed-Jalal Dehqani-Ashkezari are among the films.

The list goes on with ‘Bodyguard’ directed by Ebrahim Hatamikia, ‘Where Are My Shoes’ by Kioumars Pourahmad, and ‘Mermaid’ by Amir-Masoud Aqababaeian.

‘Season of Narges’ depicts a romantic narrative of ordinary people amid the chaotic and egoistic modern lifestyle, who have not lost the purity of their souls and minds, and who enjoy being human and loving others.

‘The Mubarak’ is an animation about an old man whose job is narrating stories using dolls that have been made in the adaptation of the Shahnameh characters. The old man has lived a big part of his life in these hero worlds and is concerned about a day when the black characters of Shahnameh send the world to endless darkness and misery. One day these dolls become alive and try to help the old man to ease his worries and concerns.

‘The Eastern’ is a documentary on the life of the Japanese Islamologist and Qur’an scholar Toshihiko Izutsu.

A social melodrama depicting consequences of Iran-Iraq war in 1980s, ‘Charm’ tells the story of a woman who faces problems on the night of her niece's wedding.

‘Bodyguard’ chronicles the story of a middle-aged man who protects high-ranking political figures. He gets into trouble when a suicide bomber wearing an explosive vest approaches the vice president. He then has to evaluate the values that he sacrifices for.

‘Where Are My Shoes?’ is about a man who starts losing his memory to the point of Alzheimer after his wife and daughter lose touch with him.

‘Mermaid’ depicts a survivor of a diving team from Iraq-Iran war who lives beside the Persian Gulf and tries to prove that the oil companies are responsible for the water pollution in the gulf.

The Iranian Film Week in Tokyo has been slated for August 8-10, 2018.

MG/MG