Seyed Zia Hashemi: The most important issue of cinema is the lack of a strategic view

Fars News Agency-Cinema Group: Maybe in the coming years, if someone has a knowledge of the history of cinema, or reads the memories of one of the old residents of the seventh art, he will consider the year 1401 as one of the difficult years for this art.

A year that was full of many ups and downs from the beginning to the end, each of which surprised the cinema and its people, from Corona to some social events, all of them caused the weakness or growth of cinema in this year.

Now, at the end of this year full of memories, decisions have been made that will lay the groundwork for cinema activities in the following year; Decisions that can return the cinema to its peak and can bankrupt it as well!

In this regard, we spoke with Seyed Zia Hashemi, the head of the trade union of Iranian cinema producers and one of the veteran cinema producers, to ask his opinions regarding some of these decisions.

You can read the description of this conversation below.

*The films available in Nowruz screening are available

Fars: Cinema Organization’s Nowruz release package was announced with a combination of four films. What is your opinion about this combination?

Hashemi: Today, we are facing a serious audience crisis in the cinema, part of which is rooted in our weakness in producing effective and trend-setting films. repetitive scripts; lack of courage in choosing the subject and creative designs of the story, excessive and unjustified salary increases, especially for actors; Rising production costs, geographical dispersion of movie theaters; The application of managers’ taste instead of transparency in the approach and the lack of security in investment are among the things that, in my opinion, have caused the stagnation in sales and the decrease in cinema audience, therefore, assuming the continuation of the status quo and the continuation of such problems, we cannot turn a blind eye to the facts and happily wait for an unexpected event. In my opinion, all the decision-makers and those in charge should come up with a new plan for Iranian cinema together with the help of my film colleagues with a common goal, which is to get out of the existing situation.

Regarding the Nowruz release package, I think that these films are good in the current situation, so in my opinion, in order to strengthen the release and encourage other films to be released next year, the government should arrange special support for Nowruz release so that, God willing, there will be a successful release at the beginning of the year. Let’s experience something new.

* We need government support for the price of cinema tickets

Fars: The increase in the price of cinema tickets is one of the hot news these days, do you agree with this?

Hashemi: I agree with a few preconditions, basically making the price of cinema tickets proportional to inflation. However, you cannot expect a price reduction from a product that faces an increase in costs due to economic conditions. It is natural that when the cost of film production and public screening costs have all increased by a few hundred percent, only your income will face an increase; But here is the precondition that I mentioned, we must have proportionality and actualization of the cinema ticket price together with the application of government subsidies. Cultural products are among non-essential goods and it can be said that they are among the first groups that are removed from the basket of consumer goods due to economic pressures on people. Book; the cinema; Music and the like have such a fragile situation in the competitive market; Therefore, I believe that the government should design incentive packages with direct support to the consumers of cultural goods so that we can face the minimum fluctuation in the supply and sale of cultural products in economic campaigns and fragile pressures of inflation.

Fars: How can the mechanism of this happen?

Hashemi: I think that by creating support funds, instead of injecting money into the producer, the government can instead encourage the consumer to buy and create a favorable environment for the producer of the cultural product. The cinema ticket should also be subject to such support in the same cycle; Therefore, as long as we do not take an important percentage of the price of the cinema ticket under the cover of the consumer’s cultural subsidy; Any increase in the price of cinema tickets will decrease the audience and cause damage to movies and cinema halls.
Fars: To what extent can the cinema ticket flotation plan help this issue?

Hashemi: Currently, the movie ticket price floatation plan that friends are implementing, if we have a careful monitoring of demographic and geographic monitoring and apply a cultural subsidy along with it, we can expect a favorable result from it. In this case, the set goals of the plan will not be achieved just because the tickets are floating, and we will also face the decline of the cinema audience.

* The most important issue of cinema today is the lack of a strategic view

Fars: As you said, everyone should help the cinema to get out of this situation, what suggestions do you have to improve the situation?

Hashemi: The life and success of cinema depends on the cultural policies of the governments. We cannot expect a successful and fruitful cinema despite the many confusions and contradictions in the field of public policy in the field of culture. We still have serious disagreements with some of our friends about the concept and nature of the function of cinema. Some consider cinema to be an entertaining product for the audience, which is desirable if a message is conveyed in it, and some consider cinema to have only the function and responsibility of creating culture; I have no reason to enter into these challenges here, but as long as we are faced with such disparities in the foundation of cinema, we cannot expect an efficient, effective and audience-friendly cinema.

Fars: What is the most important issue of cinema today?

Hashemi: Therefore, in my opinion, the most important issue of today’s cinema is the lack of a strategic view that is formulated and explained according to the realities of cinema and society. Today, with the change of governments over four decades, we are faced with the change of approaches and cultural policies as if the previous governments were elected in another process; In rejecting the cultural policies of the previous governments, reformists and fundamentalists have the same approach; Here, I have no intention to deny or affirm the cultural approach of the current government or the incoming previous governments, which requires more time, but the main discussion here is how the cinematographer should think about professional security in the face of such contradictory policies? How should the investor who keeps the cinema production wheel alive in such situations think about the future and security of his capital? Based on which unity in procedure and policy can my film colleagues be sure of their job security and create an artistic work with ease? Therefore, I believe that in the field of policy making, we have always suffered from the lack of transparency in our approach and procedures; In conclusion, I must emphasize that if the country’s cultural custodians and policymakers, including the Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution, can compile and explain the country’s comprehensive cultural policy document in accordance with the facts of the society, cultural capacities and achievable expectations, we can, based on it, eliminate the deficiencies and needs in a We must draw and present stable conditions, a future and a favorable horizon for cinema, otherwise it will spin on its previous heel and we should not expect any change in cinema.

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