The first National Short Film Festival Mowj (Wave) concluded on Monday (Feb. 29) at the Sharif University of Technology branch in the Persian Gulf island of Kish.
The three-day event organized by the Kish Free Zone Organization (KFZO) screened a total of 65 films selected from the 850 works submitted to the festival secretariat, Mehr News Agency reported.
The theme for the festival’s first edition was ‘instructive works and adapting from ancient and contemporary literary works.’
“It was therefore different compared to other local festivals held throughout the year as it provided the appropriate platform to review old stories and find proper solutions for today’s issues,” said Ebrahim Hesari, film director and festival secretary.
The event is set to be held annually and a new theme will be introduced every year so that it can serve as a platform for young Iranian filmmakers to showcase their talent.
Movie directors Abolfazl Jalili, Rasul Sadr-Ameli and Niki Karimi were the three-member jury who evaluated the selected films. Winners in different sections of animation, documentary and narrative short films were awarded.
Jalili said the young generation is the future of Iranian cinema and “all efforts should be made so that their works get exposure.”
He advised the young filmmakers not to be swayed by festival awards and strive to be creative in their works. “We the jury, sought to select the most innovative people as the winners.”
Cultural Hub
Sadr-Ameli said as Kish Island is a center of attraction, it would be ideal to turn it into a cultural hub.
“Once, in the past Iran was known as the world’s cradle of culture, art and literature but today it is becoming a land of cinema. After setbacks from the 1980s till a couple of years ago, our cinema has made a turnaround and now has a high status in the world. I am pleased that this is due to many young talented people.”
Director of KFZO Ali Asghar Munesan said, “In the seasons when the weather is good, we have organized cultural events in the open air so that both Kish residents and tourists can enjoy the programs as well as the natural beauty of the island”.
He gave the example of screening movies of the 34th Fajr Film Festival in the island during the past 10 days which was welcomed by the people as 10,000 out of the 27,000 island residents saw the films.
The International Kids’ Festival, International Sculpture Symposium, Kish Book Fair and Ideal City Confab and Exhibition are among the programs KFZO has organized recently. The island also hosts several sports events every year.
As Munesan said, the biggest cultural project has started on the island which includes a movie theater with a capacity of 2,500 people.
Several smaller theater and cinema halls will also be constructed as part of the project.
