Tehran – The 18th International Resistance Film Festival will be held in Iran from May 17th to 24th.
According to the festival’s announcement, the closing ceremony, scheduled for May 24th, coincides with the anniversary of Khorramshahr’s release.
The secretary of the festival’s 18th edition, Jalal Ghaffari, announced that the festival’s closing ceremony will be held annually on May 24th. This represents the intersection of resistance films with one of the most important periods in modern Iran’s history.
Emphasizing that the festival is not just a venue for showcasing films, but also a platform for narrating the immobility of Iranian people through the seventh art, he added: It symbolizes the destruction of siege, overcoming obstacles, and achieving victory. This day’s choice of festival closing ceremony highlights that resistance cinemas like Khorramshahr can overcome censorship and the siege of dominant media stories, bringing a voice of truth to the world’s ears. ”
He advocated the importance of the international aspect of the event, saying that resistance films reflect the ideals of freedom and anti-imperialism not only domestically but globally. For many years, the festival has established itself among committed and involved filmmakers, providing a platform for interaction and synergy among resistance artists from around the world.
According to the festival’s secretary, this year’s festival aims to transcend the geographical boundaries of resistance cinema, provide a fresh perspective, and turn it into a powerful tool for cultural and media diplomacy.
Gafari continued, saying that the festival has become one of the region’s most important cinema events in recent years in areas seeking resistance and justice. This year’s edition features a broader approach and deeper insight into regional and global development, and aims to convey a message of resistance, justice and the world through film.
He also said the festival’s permanent office will begin its work this year, adding that details of this edition of the program will be released soon.
As Gafari said, the festival’s office receives over 6,000 works from 50 countries in various categories of documentary, fiction and animation.
Additionally, over 460 works have been submitted in the humanities category, including books, articles and research related to the humanities and resistance films.
“The main theme of this festival is the voices of people who are not heard much in oppressed Palestine, Gaza and cinemas. This is a unique feature of the Resistance Film Festival,” he told IRNA.
Referring to the revision of the festival, the secretary added, since the previous edition:
“The focus of this festival’s edition is on events following Operation Al-Aqsa Storm, with a special section entitled “Gaza Section,” he added.
It states that the main section of the Resistance Film Festival was named after martian Soleimani. Gafari said:
He also said that winners under the age of 30 will become members of the National Elite Foundation and will benefit from their support.
The secretary emphasized his attention to artificial intelligence technology as another feature of the festival, saying: Additionally, after holding an AI training course, over 10 outstanding short films have been produced using AI technology, and by next year they are working on the production of their first AI-created feature film. ”
Gafari said the concept of resistance is the most global theme, adding, “So far, festival secretariats have been established in 18 countries.”
Referring to the fact that screening of festival films began in Fajr’s decade, he states: “110 locations across the country have been identified for mobile screenings, and we strive to ensure that mobile screenings are held in the less fortunate parts of the country.”
This year’s edition will feature a new award, the Morteza Badge, as the festival secretary has stated. The prestigious award aims to recognize documentarians who resonate deeply with the ideology of legendary martyr Morteza Avini.
Sayyid Morteza Avini (1947-1993) was an Iranian documentary filmmaker, author, and theorist of Islamic films. He studied architecture at the University of Tehran in 1965. During the Islamic Revolution of 1979, Abhini began his artistic career as a director of documentary films, and was considered a prominent war film director.
He made over 80 films during the Iran and Iraq Wars from 1980 to 1988. His most famous work is the documentary series Ravayat-e Fath (Victory Narration). This was filmed during the war and focused on the daily lives of Iranian soldiers. It consisted of five series, addressing the spiritual aspects of war.
On his final trip to the Iran-Iraq war zone in the former Iran-Iraq war zone in southwestern Iran, Avini martialed the landowner when he turned the documentary “City of the Sky” into a “City of the Sky” on his last trip to the Iran-Iraq war zone in the former Iran-Iraq war zone.
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