Iran`s Sacred Defense film shines at Fajr festival

TEHRAN,Feb.14(MNA) -- “Days of Life”, a drama on the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war, which is known as the Sacred Defense in Iran, has been honored in several categories at the 30th Fajr International Film Festival in Tehran. The film, which is about a physician couple working on the war front at a field hospital that is surrounded by the Iraqis, won awards in the six categories of best director, best actress, best cinematographer, best sound effects artist, best special effects artist, and best makeup artist. The film and “Bulletproof”, a comedy drama in the Sacred Defense genre, also shared a plaque of honor for best film. The Crystal Simorgh for best film was not awarded to any film and the jury made no comments about this decision. “I hope ‘Days of Life’ is accepted by God and the martyrs,” producer Saeid Sadi said during his acceptance speech at the closing ceremony of the festival, which was held on Sunday at Tehran’s Vahdat Hall after a one-day delay. In his acceptance speech, “Bulletproof” producer Reza Rakhshan said, “When I began working on ‘Bulletproof’, I wanted to ensure that filmgoers would enjoy watching the film. Now, I am happy seeing that it has occurred.” “Days of Life” director Parviz Sheikhtadi dedicated his award to filmmaker Abolqasem Talebi, whose “Golden Leashes” was screened in the noncompetition section of the festival. The film, which is about the unrest that erupted after Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared the winner of the June 12 presidential election in 2009, was screened at about 3:00 a.m. on Friday morning due to concerns that the opposition would protest. The lights in the Milad Tower theater, which was dedicated to screenings for film critics, journalists, and cineastes, were left on during the premiere of the film. The special jury award was presented to veteran filmmaker Dariush Mehrjuii for “The Orange Dressed”, which is about a photojournalist who becomes a sanitation worker due to his enthusiasm for the environment. Hengameh Qaziani won the best actress award for her portrayal of one of the physicians in “Days of Life”. “This year’s competition was very difficult as many notable actresses in Iranian cinema were my rivals,” she said in her acceptance speech. The Crystal Simorgh for best actor went to Farhad Aslani for his roles in several films screened during the festival, but he was not able to attend the closing ceremony. Yekta Nasser won the supporting actress award for her role in “Someone Wants to Talk with You”, which is about a man who plans to donate his son’s organs after he is pronounced brain dead. “I am happy to touch a Simorgh now after seeing it from afar before,” she said. Comedian Akbar Abdi was given the supporting actor award for his portrayal of an old woman in “I Need Sleep”, a comedy drama directed by actor/director Reza Attaran. “It is too late for me to receive this Simorgh, it is like someone who has his first child when he is sixty years old,” the 52-year-old actor said. He went on to say that he should have received the award many times before for films like “Actor”, “Snowman” and “O Iran”. The award for best screenwriter went to Mostafa Kiaii for “Bulletproof”. The film is about a 50-year-old man who makes a living as a dealer of bootleg films who then decides to join the volunteers on the front line in the Iran-Iraq war after he learns that he is suffering from a brain tumor. The Crystal Simorgh for the Audience Favorite Film was given to Peyman Moadi for his directorial debut “Snow on the Pines”. He is the leading actor in “A Separation”, the Iranian nomination for the foreign language film Oscar this year. The closing ceremony of this year’s festival, which had been packed with films on infidelity, was also spiced up with a speech by the Iran Cinema Organization director criticizing the themes of the films. “It is futile to lament about films whose plots we do not agree with,” said Javad Shamaqdari, who was appointed to head the organization that replaced the office of the deputy culture minister for cinematic affairs. “The moral boundaries of the society must be respected, but certain films did not do so this year,” he added. “I called for the Council for the Issuance of Screening Licenses to hold talks with filmmakers to make them understand that decorum and propriety are required in our cinema,” he stated.