Is the Children’s and Adolescent Film Festival leaving Isfahan?

Charso Press: The children’s cinema, which has been pushed to a corner for a few years and its active and long-standing residents are complaining about the neglect of the managers, is in a more worrying situation these days because most of the films released recently in the field of children and teenagers failed at the box office, and probably few more. Be willing to make films in this field with personal capital. In the meantime, the Children and Adolescent Film Festival, which is going to be held for the 35th time, has been a safe place for these films to be seen, although it has ambiguous conditions from the point of view of production and execution.

Mehdi Javadi – CEO of Farabi – was introduced as the secretary of the 35th International Film Festival for Children and Adolescents on the 7th of July, which a week later, a A meeting of like-mindedness He formed a children’s and youth cinema with activists, cinematographers and veterans, but after that there is no news about this festival or even the production status. Of course Recent statements The CEO of Farabi states that “we are more determined not to sacrifice the quality of children’s productions for the timing of the festival” and raises the possibility that the festival will be delayed more than in the past.

Seyyed Javad Hashemi was one of the cinematographers who attended the first meeting of consensus and in a conversation with ISNA, in addition to his assessment of this meeting, he expressed his predictions and expectations for the upcoming festival and his dealings with children’s cinema.

In this regard, he first mentioned his first encounter with the CEO of Farabi and said: I had a different idea about Mr. Javadi, who also became the secretary of the festival, but what they said in the meeting was very much in line with the minimal demands of cinematographers who are looking for production or better events in cinema. They are children, it was close and this made me very happy. Of course, we have to see what happens in practice and we have to give this opportunity to see if at least something can happen during this period to revive and revive this lifeless cinematic corpse of a child or not!? In addition, I think that those who work at the Farabi Cinema Foundation have the same mentality as the past, and I hope that a new spirit will be breathed into Farabi so that new events can be predicted, and if this does not happen, we will still experience the same problems as before, because At least there should be harmony with Mr. Javadi’s slogans. This issue is not only related to production, but the outlook in all sectors must be changed.

He continued by referring to the Children and Teenagers Film Festival, to which the name of Isfahan has been linked for many years He said: “Unfortunately, the officials of Isfahan province have not been justified for many years as to what kind of event is taking place in this city.” This year, I experienced the Children’s Theater Festival in Hamedan and I thought it was very good and I felt that everyone was helping, but the situation of the Children’s Film Festival in the past years has been such that it should be given the gift of holding the festival in Isfahan. Therefore, it seems that holding this festival in Tehran may be less expensive, provided that the proper amount is spent on advertising and promoting the festival.

Hashemi, who has made several films in the field of children’s cinema in recent years, about the possibility of biennial festival He said: In the consensus meeting, it seemed to me that Mr. Javadi does not agree with the two-year festival, while 90% of cinematographers in this area also disagree, because anyway, the children’s and teenagers’ film festival is a narrow water and children’s cinema should be introduced in one place. And this was an opportunity that the producers used. Although this introduction is very weak, but at least there was a place that is like a showcase for children’s cinema. Of course, I have heard that there are so few productions in this sector this year that it does not even reach the number of two fingers, but if it is to be held next year, I will definitely say that no film will be produced, except in public and non-private centers like us in the private sector. We have lost enough capital and failed. I myself said goodbye to production, unless I want to look at government budgets for the first time.

In response, he asked if the summation of opinions is about the change of the venue of the festival and whether Ahir’s weaknesses do not come back to the conditions of Corona? He said: At the moment, it is not possible to comment on this with certainty, but it seems that the officials of Isfahan do not see much need to hold the festival as in previous years, unless they are justified and know that the budget they spend is for an important event, maybe then they want to. Don’t burn for that (budget). Therefore, in the current situation, I think it is better to hold the festival in Tehran, and to restore the dignity of holding the festival in another city.

The director of the films “Pishuni Sefid”, “Tornado” and “City of Cats” about the “Isfahan” brand in the name of the Children’s Film Festival and its change He also said: Last year, the festival was held in both Tehran and Isfahan, that was the reason why it should be called Isfahan, but it is not very good to have one roof and two airs. Of course, I personally wonder why the Children’s Film Festival should be held separately from the Fajr Festival. Fajr Film Festival can have an attachment. How is it possible to accept holy defense, comedy and social films in Fajr Festival, but children’s films are not included? In this case, some may say that if this happens, the Children’s Festival will be crushed, but I think this section can be attached to Fajr Festival with some considerations. The children’s festival is like an orphan child in a corner and no one pays attention to it. We have experienced that many children do not understand at all, when the children’s film festival is held, then they say why children’s cinema films do not sell? My last film sold about 6 billion just because “Pishuni Sefid” became a brand, but it is a pity that the sale of a good film like “Bazivu” has just reached 1.5 billion tomans.

In the end, Javad Hashemi pointed out that his latest film is in the process of receiving a screening licensesaid: The movie “Space Island” (Tornado 2) will probably be released in September, and I hope that radio and television will help to introduce the movies. Television, which does not value my films at all and does not value cinema at all, as its performance has caused it to be said as if this medium is determined to destroy cinema and the home television network. This is a sin that will kill the Islamic Republic of Iran because children do not show much interest in television. Children of this period are busy watching the latest products of the world through Netflix and other networks, and if they are not given the right food, we will have a completely new culture in the next 10 years. This is a sin that television commits and it is not out of two situations; It is either from ignorance or deliberateness, both of which should be regretted.