Esmaili: The names of the Fajr 41 jury will be announced soon/ The Ministry of Culture and Guidance is the home of all artists.

According to Fars News Agency’s Art and Media Group, Mohammad Mahdi Esmaili, the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, while attending the 41st Fajr Film Festival Media House at the Mellat Cinema Campus and among the journalists, talked about the directors of the first film who are participating in the 41st Fajr International Film Festival this year. He said: For many years there was a demand to add new people to the country’s cinema, but this year, in the competitions that took place, a large number of works by filmmakers who were making their first feature films made it to the competition section of the event. This is a sign of being alive and young and hopeful for the future of Iranian cinema.

He said about the boycott of the festival by the actors: Fajr Film Festival, Cinema Organization and Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance is the home of all artists, all artists with any taste are part of our family and we are ready to listen to the words of artists. We also ask all of them to continue with importance the work that makes their identity and that they love.

The Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance emphasized: The cinema family cannot be polarized and everyone believes in the system and the law under the same umbrella, and we are at the service of all of them with these two conditions.

Esmaili stated that the space constructions have endangered the livelihood of some artists and said: I have raised this issue many times that some people should not take the livelihood of cinema people hostage with political work because it is dangerous. We are also against this method and consider it incorrect. For this reason, we have opened the space for the collective work of cinema people, we will continue this path and we will not allow some people to take the cinema hostage with their political games.

Regarding the issue that some inside and outside the country tried to make the Fajr 41 festival look less prosperous, he said: We should talk about this issue with numbers and figures. Today, Mr. Mohammad Khazaei, the head of the Cinema Organization, and Mr. Mojtaba Amini, the secretary of the 42nd Fajr International Film Festival, showed with numbers and figures that the attendance of people was much higher than in previous years.

The Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance continued: Fajr Theater was so well received that some audience members sat on the floor in theaters. When I raised this issue in the courtyard of the government delegation, some media quoted me as saying that it was full of people and showed one or two photos of the opening, but when it became clear what a growing welcome it was, they boycotted the theater.

Esmaili stressed: Today, they took the same position about cinema, but I must say that the Fajr 41 festival, which started on 17th of Bahman in the cities, saw a wave of welcome and support from the people. Fortunately, the number of seats occupied in Tehran cinemas is also very high and reaches 90% in some cases. This issue shows that people are not angry with cinema, but with the policies that have been implemented and the good works that have reached this year’s festival, the atmosphere of harmony, harmony and solidarity between Iranian families and cinema has been strengthened.

The Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance said in another part of his speech about the amnesty of the leadership and the opinions of the artists: “From the very first days, I announced that the arms of the Ministry of Guidance are open to all artists, and if someone has made a mistake, the space is not closed and there is no way to return.” We welcome all artists.
Esmaili added: I emphasize again that in the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, we have opened the space for artists who have created good moments for the people of the country but suffered mistakes and slips, so that all those who are interested in art can work without worries.

He emphasized: Any artist who made a mistake and became aware of it, his problem will be solved in the legal procedures of the ministry and the cinema organization. There is violence in this area, but artists should know that cinema belongs to them and we are proud to serve all people of cinema.

The Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance also mentioned about the international part of Fajr festival: the international part of Fajr this year has been brilliant and we are satisfied. In fact, with the planning of the director of the film organization and the secretary of the festival, we have significant foreign guests and we hope that the international section will shine more in the coming years.

In the end, Esmaili said about the non-announcement of the names of the jury of Fajr 41 festival: The members of the jury have been selected and the judging is underway. Also, the names of the dear ones will be announced soon by the festival secretary.

End of message/ T 812