A top selection of the movies will be screened in a special section named “Festival of the Festivals”, the organizers announced on Monday.
The section plans to review movies produced over the past 40 years on the Islamic Revolution, Sacred Defense and resistance, the director of the section, Nasser Bakideh, said.
“The organizers actually plan to study topics related to resistance and the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war, which is known as the Sacred Defense in Iran, at the 40th anniversary of the beginning of the war, to find out more about the interests of the cineastes in such topics,” he added.
The festival is organized every year to commemorate the anniversary of the Sacred Defense.
Feature, short and animated films and a number of music videos will be selected to be screened in the Festival of Festivals category.
Bakideh called the section a window to the best films on the Sacred Defense and resistance, and films by filmmakers from three different generations will be competing in this section.
The 16th edition of the event will go online due to a spike in the coronavirus cases in the country.
The festival is scheduled to be organized in two stages, the first of which will take place during the Sacred Defense Week from September 21 to 28.
The second part of the festival will be held from November 21 to 27 to celebrate the anniversary of Basij Day, which falls on November 25.
In appreciation of the medical workers’ efforts on the front lines of the campaign against COVID-19, the festival has initiated a category titled “Health Defenders” in collaboration with the Health Ministry.
Films focusing on the endeavors health workers have made during the pandemic will be competing in this section.
Over 370 movies from around the world have been submitted so far to this section.
This year for the first time, the organizers plan to honor an innovative filmmaker with an award named after the Iranian war film director, Rasul Mollaqolipur.
The Rasul Award has been launched in memory of Rasul Mollaqolipur in order to encourage directors to introduce innovations in their films on the Islamic Revolution and the Sacred Defense.
Source: Tehran Times