Abbasian: The most important challenge of the Fajr festival is the frequent change of directors and teachers of the festival/ our films do not have heroes

According to Fars News Agency’s Radio and TV reporter, Mohammad Reza Abbasian said in the “Cinema Critic” program last night on February 19, about the cultural influence of Fajr Festival: Fajr Film Festival has never directly had a serious and clear impact on the socio-cultural currents of the society. The impact it has on cinema and subsequently the impact cinema has on society. But why do we say that the festival is not effective? Even the effect it has on cinema is not so serious.

He added: This is because there has never been a coherent policy in holding the Fajr festival. If we compare this event with the influential festivals of the world, the most important challenge is the frequent change of festival managers and directors, and after that, the frequent change of policy makers and senior officials of the festival. This causes no policy to be formed.

Abbasian reminded: There may be a short-term policy, but this multiplicity and frequent change of festival organizers will make those short-term policies not continue. Fajr Film Festival has become merely a cultural event that at best is a gatekeeper for what has been produced in cinema.

In response to the question that holding the festival in a tasteful way, does it mean that politicians dominate the festival or not, he said: Not necessarily. A certain period has been able to leave an impact that continues. This is partly because there was a single management team for ten years. Especially the period of Mr. Beheshti and Anwar. This continuity with an intellectual framework and independent of the criticisms that we have, caused great changes in the continuation.

Abbasian reminded: Whether political decisions were the rule in the Fajr festival, no. By the way, in the fifteen or sixteen years that I have been involved in the festival in different governments, the ruling faction has not directly influenced the elections. Of course, we have to look at this issue from two sides; Selection and award. The importance of festivals is based on the choices they make. At least I cannot attribute this sentence and say that the people who had political responsibility in the governments directly influenced the Fajr festival.

He emphasized: During the period when I was responsible in the cinema organization and was the secretary of the festival, the relevant minister did not interfere in the detailed functioning of the cinema organization. At one point, we say that the minister played a role in the appointment of the head of the cinema organization, which I accept and it is effective. But not to interfere in the details of the festival in terms of politics.

Abbasian added: In the last two or three decades, the most influential festivals in Europe have been the festivals whose directors were present for more years. If the director of a festival has been in charge for fifteen or twenty years, its impact has been greater than that of festivals whose director was changed earlier, because that person has an intellectual and cultural framework and draws this framework for this festival. When they sentence him, they say it is up to ten years. Even if they are going to remove the secretary, they announce it several years in advance.

At the end of his speech, he stated: In fact, the director has a special policy for the intellectual view and based on that, he collects the views of the films from the world. Mr. Kiarostami stood out in the context of that view of the movie “Sahd and Gone”. Regardless of the quality of the event, in terms of content and theme, the festival is the closest to the standard of the Emar festival. Because the assignment of content and topic is completely clear. About the Fajr festival, but it has not been in all these years. A series of films are made with every way of thinking and this issue has become repeated.

Our films do not have heroes and do not convey values. This year, for the first time, at least geography will be seen in movies. This issue has not been discussed for years. Naturally, as usual, it is not possible to predict that Fajr Festival will have a cultural impact.

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