IRANIAN films are largely about family values and they contain minimal violence.
Every film carries important lessons of life, and many female characters are strong and independent.
Besides, female directors are prominent and have won many international awards.
Malaysians will get to know more about Iran’s three-decade-old film industry when acclaimed Iranian directors Pooran Derakhshandeh and Abolhassan Davoudi share its history, themes, direction and development next month.
Pooran, whose recent film was the award-winning Under The Smoky Roof last year, and Abolhassan, who directed the award-winning Crazy Castle in 2015, will be accompanied by two Iranian actresses, Merila Zarei and Azita Hajian, both of whom appeared in Pooran’s film.
Under The Smoky Roof, which won last year’s Crystal Simorgh Award at Iran’s Fajr Film Festival, is about a father who looks for work in Teheran to get his daughter a hearing aid kit, while Crazy Castle is about online members who start a prank that brings back their troubled pasts.
Iranian Embassy Cultural Counselor A.M. Sabeghi said their visit was part of the first Iranian Film Festival Malaysia from March 5 to 14.
It covers three destinations; Golden Screen Cinemas’ (GSC) Pavilion Cineplex in Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur (March 5), GSC Gurney Plaza Cineplex in George Town (March 10) and GSC Paradigm Cineplex in Johor Baru (March 14).
The film festival is organised by the Cultural Centre of the Iranian Embassy in Malaysia and GSC, with the support of the Farabi Film Foundation and Hoze Honari Organisation of Iran, and the National Film Development Corporation of Malaysia (Finas).
Sabeghi said: “It will debut six award-winning films, which participated in Iran’s Fajr Film Festival, and showcase aspects of Iranian culture through stories of common folk around the country.”
Besides Under The Smoky Roof and Crazy Castle, the other films are Sweet Taste Of Imagination by Kamal Tabrizi, which is about a lecturer who falls in love with his student, and Where Are My Shoes by Keyiumar Pourahmad about a man dealing with Alzheimer’s disease.
The Queen by Mohammad Ali Bashe Ahangar is about a military scout who tries to reveal geographical coordinates of Iraqi soldiers during the 1980s Iran-Iraq War, while Ceasefire 2 by Tahmineh Milani is about a couple who try to fix their failing marriage with a psychiatrist’s help.
Sabeghi added: “One of the most important and positive achievements of cinema is the creation of cultural dialogue. This brings countries and peoples together through the enjoyment of creative and original stories.
“We hope that this festival will strengthen long-standing ties between Iran and Malaysia, and promote Iranian cinematic art as a bridge for cultural understanding and friendship between both countries.”
He said Iranian film companies were interested in co-producing films with Malaysian ones and most recently, Bernard Chauly directed Malaysian-Iranian telemovie Janji Zehan, which was filmed in Teheran.
“It’ll be great that more Iranian and Malaysian filmmakers team up in the future to create world-class films.”
Sabeghi also said the directors and actors would meet fans at 5pm in Kuala Lumpur, and 8pm in George Town and Johor Baru.
Workshops for filmmaking enthusiasts will be held at the National Arts, Culture and Heritage Academy (Aswara).
Pooran and Merila’s workshop is on March 7 at 10am, while Abolhassan and Azita’s is scheduled on March 14.
As for the films, they will be screened in Kuala Lumpur from March 7 to 11, George Town (March 12 to 14) and Johor Baru (March 15 to 17).
All of the films will have English subtitles, and entry is free. For details, go to www.gsc.com.my or www.iranianfilmmalaysia.com. By Dennis Chua