The 34th Fajr International Theater Festival (FITF) wrapped up on Monday, by awarding the winners of different categories and honoring three theater personalities at Tehran’s Vahdat Hall.
The closing ceremony which was held on the first day of the Ten-Day Dawn (Fajr) Festivities, marking the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, had many artists and cultural officials in attendance, Honaronline reported.
‘Hamlet’, the internationally-acclaimed play directed by the renowned German theater director Thomas Ostermeier won the Grand Prize of the festival and Lars Eidinger, one of Germany’s most accomplished stage actors, received the best actor award in the international section for his performance in ‘Hamlet’.
The program started with a speech by festival secretary Saeed Asadi who said preparations should now start for the 35th edition of the theater fest.
“Like the turn of a new year when people wish for a bright future, we here hope for a better year for all those involved in this traditional art that can be achieved through learning from past experiences and the creativity of those who strive for the future of theater,” Asadi said.
The best of Street Theater Section was awarded and three veteran theater personalities were commended for their lifetime achievements. Manijeh Mohamedi, veteran female theater director and university professor, Behzad Ghaderi, professor of drama and theater and translator of plays, and Iraj Saghiri, veteran actor, director and playwright, were the three honorees of the night.
Ghaderi, who has authored and translated over 20 books on theater, literature and plays, said he never imagined his books were read by a large audience; however, “I realized my works are visible in the society when Asadi invited and informed me about the ceremony.”
His last translation ‘The Necessity of Theater: The Art of Watching and Being’ written by Paul Woodruff was published in 2014. Since 2012 he is Professor Emeritus in dramatic literature at the University of Erciyes in Turkey.
In separate short speeches, Saghiri and Mohamedi asked the officials to also remember veteran artists and pay more attention to the art of theater.
First Priority
Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Ali Jannati said that theater is the first priority of the government in its support for different fields of art and culture.
“Since the beginning of the year (March 21), the ministry’s chief concern was to focus on theater and it will continue on the same path to eliminate the problems. The efforts to expand performance spaces in the country and protect artists’ rights are not satisfactory.”
The final part of the ceremony was awarding winners of the national and international sections where several Iranians won awards in the categories of best actor, director, set design, costume design, poster design, brochure design, screenwriting and music.
