Iran Commission for UNESCO names '23 People' film of year

'23 People' directed by Mehdi Jafari has been named the film of the year by Iranian National Commission for UNESCO.

Hojatollah Ayyoubi, the secretary general of Iranian National Commission for UNESCO, said the film of the year was picked from among the movies that participated at the 37th edition of the Fajr Film Festival.

The war drama film, which depicts the true story of a group of Iranian teenage prisoners of war who fell captive to enemy soldiers in the early 1980s during the Iraq-imposed war on Iran, won the title due to its theme of peace and defense. The flick grabbed six National Will Manifestation awards at the 37th Fajr Film Festival.

Naming the film of the year by the commission is one of the programs unveiled for first time this year, Ayyoubi said, adding that a ceremony to honor the film will be held next week.

He further said that the Iranian National Commission for UNESCO is looking to screen the selected films of the year in other countries.

SQ/MG