Isfahan international filmfest kicks off

TEHRAN,Nov. 16 (MNA) -- The Isfahan International Film Festival of Children and Young Adults was inaugurated with a message from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Monday evening. The 25th edition of the festival was opened in the presence of Iranian Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Mohammad Hosseini and secretary of the festival Ahmad Mir-Alaii. "This festival in Isfahan is a great pleasure for the children of Iran, the children who carry the message of peace and justice; and are the great source of inspiration for the children across the world," reads part of the President's message. Hosseini next gave a short speech adding that the festival is being held simultaneously in several other provinces including Lorestan, Kerman, Zanjan, Semnan and Khuzestan. He also talked about the influence of cinema on children and expressed hope that a cinematic organization would be established in which cinema of children would receive due attention. The ceremony was followed by several different sections arranged for the opening. Veteran Iranian dubbers active in the field of children’s productions were selected to be honored at the opening ceremony. Naser Mamduh, Parviz Rabiei, Shokat Hojjat, Mahvash Afshari, and Rozita Yarahmadi were among the veterans who were honored. Afterwards, a Golden Butterfly for best of film photography was handed to Javad Jalali for the film "Endless Dreams" by Puran Derakhshandeh. Filmmaker Gholamreza Zamani and actor Jahanbakhsh Soltani were also called on stage to be honored. Tributes were paid to actor Mohammad Kasebi and filmmaker and author Vahid Nikkhad-Azad. Eight foreign films are the entries to the competition section of the festival and three foreign films will go on screen in the non-competitive section of the event. “The Dreamer” directed by Riri Riza (Indonesia), “Koko and the Ghosts” by Daniel Kusan (Croatia) and “Garuda in My Heart” by Ifa Isfansyah (Indonesia) are some of the films which will compete at the event. Also included are “On the Sly” by Olivier Ringer (Belgium and France), “A Tale of Ululu’s Wonderful Forest” by Makoto Naganuma (Japan) and “The Secret Letter” by Simone van Dusseldorp (The Netherlands). “Antoine” Laura Bari (Canada), “The Beetle Soldiers” by Ari Sihasale (Indonesia) and “Rindu Purnama” by Mathias Muchus (Indonesia) will go on screen in the non-competitive section of the event. The festival will be running until November 18 in Isfahan (Central Iran ).