The Iranian Cinema Festival in Kuwait, held late December, was warmly welcomed by the Arab audience.
Screening four Iranian films, the festival, held in Kuwait’s Laila Gallery artistic complex, aimed to promote Iranian art and culture in the country. Organized by Iran’s cultural attaché office the event sought to give publicity to Persian culture, Artna reported.
‘The Willow Tree’ by Majid Majidi, ‘Maritime Silk Road’ by Mohammad-Reza Bozorgnia, ‘The Painting Pool’ by Maziar Miri and ‘A Cradle for Mother’ by Panah-Bar-Khoda Rezaee were the films shown during the four-day event (Dec 28-31).
All the films have been among Iran’s best in recent years and received acclaim both locally and in the international arena. ‘The Willow Tree’ is about a blind man who is presented with an opportunity to regain his sight after over 40 years of total blindness. ‘Maritime Silk Road’ was awarded at the 2014 International Historical and Military Film Festival in Warsaw, Poland. The movie follows the adventures of the first sailor Soleiman Siraf who crossed the Indian Ocean to China through what later became known as the Maritime Silk Road.
‘The Painting Pool’ narrates a story about a mentally retarded couple and their problems in the society. The film has been screened at several international events and has bagged many awards inducing the UNESCO prize at the seventh Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA). ‘A Cradle for Mother’ screens the life of a seminary girl student who is headed to Moscow to promote religion but her mother’s illness places her in a dilemma. The film represented Iran cinema at the 35th Moscow International Film Festival.
In addition to the films screening, sessions to review and analyze the movies were also held attended by Kuwaiti film critics, artists and officials along with the members of Kuwait-Iran Friendship Association.
Following the successful cinematic experience, Iran’s cultural attaché in Kuwait Abbas Khameyar said, “Given the great interest shown by the people here, we should consider a series of planned programs, as this event proved that Kuwaitis are fans of Iranian movies.”
