Doc on Iranian cartoonist Kambiz Derambakhsh in production

TEHRAN,Aug.1(MNA) -- Iranian filmmaker Javad Atashbari is busy making a documentary about the celebrated Iranian cartoonist Kambiz Derambakhsh. “I got to know Derambakhsh well while I was making ‘Hello, I am Dehbashi’, a documentary about Ali Dehbashi, the Managing Director of Iranian literary bimonthly Bokhara,” said Atashbari in a press release published on Tuesday. “The project is still in the pre-production stage and I think, as has happened in my previous works, that we will come across new figures and unexpected events to help make the project complete,” he said. He added that he has chosen several individuals for the interviews for his doc; however, he has not conducted the interviews yet. He also expressed his regrets that distinguished figures like Derambakhsh are not living in better financial conditions, “He is 70 now, but he still does not have a house of his own.” What these artists need most are the appropriate conditions to enable them to work and display their artistic creations, he said. Known for his talent to find obscure themes for his creations, Derambakhsh, has worked as a cartoonist, a graphic designer and an illustrator for over 50 years. Derambakhsh has won many awards at international competitions including the grand prize of Istanbul competition in 1990, the grand prize at Japan’s Yomiuri Shimbun competition in 1998 and the grand prize of a Polish anti-war caricature contest in 2002.