Story behind Fajr Film Festival posters

The 43rd Fajr Film Festival in Iran recently unveiled a poster featuring actress Roqayeh Chehreh-Azad from the classic Iranian film 'Mother', marking another chapter in the festival's visual history.

Ebrahim Haqiqi designed the poster, highlighting its artistic interpretation of the original photograph taken on the set of Ali Hatami's film by Aziz Saati.

Over the span of 43 years, the Fajr Film Festival's posters have become a canvas for Iran's most distinguished graphic designers.

The journey began with Sadeq Barirani, who designed the first festival poster, incorporating themes of cinema and the Islamic Revolution. This set the stage for decades of artistic innovation.

Among the notable designers who have left their mark, Ebrahim Haqiqi holds the record with eight poster designs throughout the festival's history. His work spans multiple decades, from the early years when he introduced war-themed imagery during the 1980 Iran-Iraq war to his latest design for the 43rd edition.

Following Haqiqi comes Hamidreza Bidaqi) with five designs and Siamak Filizadeh with four. Other significant contributors include Reza Abedini, Masoud Dashtban, Majid Barzegar, Masoud Nejabati, Asadollah Younesi, and Taha Zaker, each having designed posters for two runs of the festival.

A notable shift occurred in the 34th festival when Majid Barzegar introduced a new approach by incorporating images of deceased cinema artists. His poster featuring Khosrow Shakibaee marked a departure from traditional abstract designs, though it sparked some controversy at the time.

The evolution of these posters reflects not just the changing face of Iranian cinema but also the development of graphic design in Iran.

From revolutionary themes to contemporary digital art, from abstract symbolism to photographic representations, each poster tells a story of its time while maintaining the festival's cultural significance.

The latest poster for the 43rd edition, scheduled for February 2025, brings the theme of motherhood to the forefront.