The international section of the Fajr International Film Festival (FIFF) was given a separate status and renamed the Iran International Film Festival (IIFF) with celebrated film director Reza Mir-Karimi as its secretary, on Tuesday.
The first IIFF will be held in May 2016.
Iranian cinema requires an independent international festival to present its productions, centering on thought-provoking issues and based on Islamic and Iranian themes, said Hojatollah Ayoubi, head of Iran Cinema Organization, on the occasion.
The separation of national and international sections at the 33rd FIFF (April 25-May 2) in Tehran was a reflection of the need for an independent international festival and had proved successful, Mehr News Agency quoted him as saying.
Ayoubi said, “Running two parts of a festival under the same name caused confusion among guests and audience. So we decided to bifurcate the two sections and hold the festivals under different titles headed by two independent secretaries.”
From now on, while the FIFF will merely focus on domestic productions and be a showcase for annual attempts of local cineastes, the IIFF will seek to showcase the capacities and talents of Iran cinema to the world.
As numerous foreign cineastes and media attend the occasion, it will also prepare the grounds for local cineastes to get familiar with their foreign peers for cooperative ventures.
Ayoubi hoped that the initiative would be a turning point for not only Iran cinema but for the industry in the East, Middle East and Islamic countries.
Mir-Karimi has directed seven movies, most screened globally, and collected several awards. ‘Today’, ‘A Cube of Sugar’, and ‘So Close, So Far’ are his most famous movies. He is currently head of the House of Cinema.
