‘23 People’ wins National Will Manifestation awards

Directed by Mehdi Jafari, ‘23 People’ has harvested six National Will Manifestation awards of the 37th Fajr Film Festival.

‘23 People’ is a war drama which illustrates the true story of 23 Iranian teenagers who were held captive by Iraq’s regime during the Iraq-Iran war in the early 1980s.

The jury members of Human Rights of Ministry of Justice honored Mojtaba Faravardeh, producer of the film, with an award dedicated to the films that depict human rights violations by former Iraqi regime during the war.

Medical University for the Islamic Republic of Iran's Army also gave an award to Jafari and Faravardeh as they have depicted an army officer who fought for the rights of his fellow soldiers.

The Youth and the Foundation for Martyrs and War Veterans’ Affairs and The Ministry of Sports were other organizations that honored Jafari for the movie.

Some other movies including 'Orange Days' by Arash Lahouti, ‘Midday Adventures’ produced by Seyyed-Mahmoud Razavi and ‘6.5 per Meter’ by Saeed Roustaee were also awarded during the ceremony.

Since its establishment in 1982, the Fajr Film Festival has played a vital role in the development of Iranian Cinema.

The 37th Fajr Film Festival coincided with the ten-day Fajr ceremonies across Iran, marking the 40th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

The ceremony to present National Will Manifestation awards was recently held with the presence of a number of cineastes in Tehran.

PR/MG