Ahmadinejad honors Hollywoodism and Cinema guests

TEHRAN,Feb.4(MNA) – A group of foreign participants at the second conference on Hollywoodism and Cinema were honored by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during the opening ceremony here on Thursday. Actor and documentary filmmaker Sean Stone, the son of Oscar-winning director Oliver Stone, was one of the guests who received a copy of the Rubaiyat of Persian poet and mathematician Omar Khayyam (1048-1131). Stone had traveled to Iran in September 2011 searching for suitable locations for his film which he explained as a project focusing on Iranian mystic and poet Molana Jalal ad-Din Rumi (1207-1273) and Persian mysticism. He had said that he needed to study Persian culture to get a proper feel for its civilities, rituals and traditions. “The Hollywood War Machine” author Tom Pollard and “9/11 Synthetic Terror: Made in USA” author Webster Tarpley also attended the event and presented copies of their books to Ahmadinejad at the ceremony. The conference kicked off with Ahmadinejad’s opening speech followed by short speeches delivered by Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Mohammad Hosseini, and Iranian Deputy Culture Minister for Cinematic Affairs Javad Shamaqdari. The president regarded the event as a good opportunity to get to know each other and help find the truth, mutual respect and justice. Rabbi Arnold Cohen of the United States and Pollard also gave brief speeches on the influence of the Zionist regime on Hollywood. Several topics, including the world awakening, the influence of Hollywood on public opinion, the destruction of family and humane values, and how to fight against this influence are slated to be discussed during the three-day conference. The conference is being held on the side section of the 30th edition of the Fajr International Film Festival, which opened on February 1 and runs until to February 11.