Isfahan hosts opening of 19th Int’l Resistance Film Festival

The opening ceremony of the 19th edition of the International Resistance Film Festival (IRFF) has been held in Isfahan on Thursday.

At the beginning of the ceremony, the secretary of the gala Jalal Ghaffari Ghadir said, “In its first 11 editions, the Resistance Film Festival was known as the Sacred Defense Festival. Starting from the 12th edition, two developments occurred: first, the addition of the international section, and second, the semantic evolution and upgrade of ‘Sacred Defense Cinema’ to ‘Resistance Cinema’. Let us not forget that the Resistance Film Festival emerged from the heart of war and the Sacred Defense. An important feature of this current edition is that it is being held amidst active conflict, and the developments we have witnessed in the two recent wars have made its significance even more distinct.”

“Understanding resistance cinema stems from understanding the concept of resistance. Before any nation fights, it decides not to be defeated. This is the beginning of resistance. The task of resistance cinema is to reconstruct that very conviction which must be believed and trusted before the bullet and the rifle. The job of resistance cinema is not merely to record memories, but to generate belief. A heroic nation loves to see the image of its resistance and might reflected in the mirror of resistance cinema. If cinema speaks solely of defeat, we will fail even if we possess elite military forces. Of course, resistance cinema must distance itself from slogan-driven approaches and, alongside depicting the suffering of war, speak of joy and hope,” he added.

“In the 19th edition, we have witnessed several special developments. The first indicator is the broad participation of countries from around the world. More than 109 countries submitted works to this festival, and the presence of over 1,900 international works demonstrates the global capacity of resistance cinema. The Resistance Film Festival takes pride in this distinct semantic identity,” the secretary also noted.

During the opening ceremony, top works in several sections were honored.

The 19th IRFF is being held under the auspices of the Revolution and Sacred Defense Cinema Society.

Resistance Cinema seeks to preserve human dignity by portraying the sacrifices of peoples, defending truth, and standing against oppression and domination, while bringing stories that have been less heard or seen to audiences around the world.

With nearly four decades of history, the IRFF is an artistic and cinematic platform dedicated to promoting a spirit of resistance, awareness, and solidarity among the free peoples of the world.

The festival aims to discover new talents, strengthen the movement of Resistance Cinema, and foster connections among filmmakers and artists from around the world.

The 19th IRFF, with an international outlook, focuses on concepts including resistance, freedom, justice, human dignity, peace, hope, and progress. It seeks to present a contemporary, diverse, and vibrant perspective on Resistance Cinema and the human stories associated with it.

In this edition, resistance is not understood solely as resistance on the battlefield or in times of war. Rather, it is viewed as a broader concept encompassing human resistance against oppression, occupation, discrimination, violence, domination, and oblivion; a resistance to preserve truth, identity, freedom, human dignity, and hope for the future.

Beyond being a film festival, the event is a cultural endeavor aimed at fostering dialogue among nations and filmmakers around the world and taking a step toward the realization of justice, freedom, peace, and human dignity.

The screening of festival films began on Friday at Mellat Cineplex in Tehran and will run until November 4.