Iran prepares plan to promote cinema among schoolchildren

TEHRAN,Jan.16(MNA) -- The Farabi Cinematic Foundation (FCF) and Ministry of Education have recently initiated the new plan “Cinema-School” to promote Iranian cinema among school children. The new plan, beginning with “Mommy, Behruz Hit Me” by director Abass Moradian that hit silver screens on Wednesday, aims to encourage the students to go to the cinema to watch films. Several other large cities including Tabriz, Urmia, Shiraz, Isfahan, and Mashhad are joining the project. Tehran has also begun with 27 theaters, an official in charge of the plan Saeid Hashemi told . A committee comprised of 10 members was formed last year after FCF director Ahmad Mir-Alaii and Hamidreza Kaffash, a representative of Ministry of Education, signed an agreement to actively encourage students to go to the cinema. “Mommy, Behruz Hit Me” is the first movie that will be on screen until the end of the (Iranian Calendar) year, and new movies will be added after the Noruz holiday in mid April,” he added. Foreign children’s movies have been picked for the summer, he said. “There are also plans to hold workshops with filmmakers of children’s movies in several cities across the country. Children are also asked to submit their ideas for short films. “The short films will find their ways into International Film Festivals for Children and Young Adults,” he said. We are also negotiating with the Tehran Municipality to provide the schools with vehicles for taking students to the theaters, he concluded.