Global puppets to shine at Tehran Mubarak festival

The 20th Tehran-Mobarak International Puppet Theater Festival is to welcome four international performances from Russia, France, and Kyrgyzstan, according to Hamid Nili, director general of Performing Arts at Iran’s Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance.  

The festival's press conference was held on December 8, at the Ministry of Culture’s Deputy for Artistic Affairs. The event was attended by Nadera Rezaee, Deputy for Artistic Affairs, veteran artist Maryam Saadat, Hamid Nili, and Amir Soltan Ahmadi, the festival’s Secretary General.    

During the conference, Ahmadi emphasized the historical significance of the event, calling it "Iran's first international festival" to achieve international status in 1989. 

Providing detailed statistics on the festival's lineup, Solmaz Asqari, the festival’s executive director, revealed that it will feature a total of 48 plays across different categories: 

- 13 plays in the youth and adult theater section, 

- 17 plays in the children and youth theater section, 

- 13 outdoor performances, and   

- 5 works in the inventions and technical achievements section. 

Asqhari also highlighted the participation of international groups, stating, "We decided to have two works from Russia, one from France, and one from Kyrgyzstan in the external section." 

Veteran puppet artist Maryam Saadat expressed her optimism, stressing the role of such festivals in introducing puppetry to a wider audience.

"People mistakenly think puppets are only for children, but we have puppet works for adults as well," she noted. 

The 20th Tehran-Mubarak International Puppet Festival will showcase performances in several categories, including youth and adult theater, children's theater, outdoor performances, the Theater of Nations, playwriting, and the 100-second virtual space section.

The event will also feature specialized workshops, seminars, and discussion sessions focusing on the art and criticism of puppetry. 

At the end of the press conference, organizers unveiled the festival’s promotional poster, which highlights this year’s slogan: “White Dream of Friendship”.

The festival will be held from December 16 to 23 in Tehran.