KARACHI: The five-day Iranian film festival held in connection with the 40th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution opened at the Iran Culture Centre on Tuesday evening.

Speaking on the occasion, director of the Khana-i-Farhang Mohammad Raza Baqri said there’s a vast difference between films made in Iran before and after the revolution, so much so that they could not be compared to each other. The movies after the revolution had more meaning and purpose to them, no matter what genre — social, comedy, political etc — they were made in.

Film is a tool, he argued, and the film-maker needs to know how the tool can be used. Films should have a theme or a message, because if the viewer does not take anything meaningful from it then there’s no use of putting in all that effort. Cinema is given the utmost importance in Iran.

Mr Baqri said the first thing that the viewer notices in a movie is the artist or actor. But the fact is that a lot goes into making a movie — direction, scripting, lights etc. So, it is a collaborative art. Unless all of them get together in a plausible way, a masterpiece cannot come into being. As for a joint collaboration between Iran and Pakistani industries, it can happen but the bottom line is that films of a certain region depend upon the zauq (taste) that the people of that region have.

Earlier, actor Mustafa Qureshi, who was the chief guest of the festival’s opening day, said Iran’s film industry is no less qualitative than any other industry, including Hollywood, in the world. The good thing is that their films don’t resort to vulgarity; rather they bank upon [good] themes and subjects. The treatment of their subjects is what sets them apart from the rest of the world.

Mr Qureshi said he had attended in Lahore a similar festival some years back and Iranian films had impressed him. They have the quality of touching the soul. He mentioned in his speech Samira Makhmalbaf’s film The Apple pointing out that she made the project when she was very young. He also requested the prime minister of Pakistan to allow Iranian films to be imported in Pakistan and hoped Pakistani movies could be screened in Iran as per their censor policy.

Actor Ayub Khosa said he once worked in an Indian film. When the director of that venture came to visit Pakistan he requested Khosa to get him some Iranian movies because Indian film-makers learn a lot from them.

Tabaan Zafar, Yaar Mohammad Shah, Naseer Soomro and Samar Raza also spoke.

In between the speeches, two videos were shown in which the various phases of post-revolution Iranian films were highlighted. The first one was particularly interesting in which the narrator spoke about the Art and Experience Cinema Group that came to the fore after the revolution. Another video underlined the festivals, such as the Fajr Film Festival that began in 1983, which managed to garner the attention of both film-makers and cine-goers. During the small screenings shots of films such as Atash-i-Sabz, Mahi-o-Gurba, Yek Shab and Mehman-i-Maman were shown.

In the festival the following films will be shown: Che, Keemia, Khuda Nazdik Ast and Nasipaas.

The event will conclude on Feb 16.

Published in Dawn, February 13th, 2019