You have been the festival director in last three years, I want to know how much you could reach to your strategies, targets and basic designs?
In fact, I should say we could achieved many of the, and in some parts we could get even more. We didn’t have the image at the beginning that we could reach to the horizon in three years. On the other hand, we liked to be professional with decreasing some luxuries and add some more professional advantages for artists. Moreover, one of our other goals was that we weren’t interested in screening only Iranian films but the international film festival be a representative festival in a bigger zone in middle east, middle Asia, some parts of Anatoly and Caucasus. In this way, we designed a special target for finding new talents and films of the zone and today we see that number of films of the region is experiencing their premier in FIFF. This is an opportunity for our international guests to travel to Iran, see latest Iranian movies also films of the zone. It was the goal that we achieved it very soon.
It is a short time, how did you do that?
The first and the most important issue was the target, which we defined at the beginning. Secondly, the managing team of the festival was not changed in this three years, I mean not just the festival director but also all the festival managers, so they had opportunity to evaluate themselves and eliminate their problems. Thirdly, we had permanent secretariat and this is what the national section of Fajr festival didn’t have and I believe that its harmful ; having permanent secretariat can help to observe the cinema during a year while we can have different meetings with other festivals.
Do these meetings have costs for you?
Not essentially. Instead of some hostility that we have from our international guests we can have some expectations that our representatives be present at their festivals with the lowest costs. We didn’t use this kind of facilities before because we didn’t have permanent secretariat and we just provided one-way services.
My question is that the advantaged we have today are because of secretariat or because of the credit of the festival which has been shaped during these three years? In past, we insisted to have international guests in every price but now you say that the conditions have been changed and they are interested to participate in FIFF.
Yes, exactly it has been changed. In our southern borders, there is a film festival which pays 100 thousand dollars to few movie stars to walk on its red carpet. In FIFF we have artists that we didn’t pay anything to have them, of course, this is not because our professional works but because of our ancient civilization and culture which have stood behind the festival and distinguishes us from other countries and other film festivals. Not changing the regulations and emphasis on rules, designing target, having POV, …make the identity of a festival, so, others get familiar to the way to behave a festival, so, I believe that we have moved on a right track.
How do you pay guests’ costs? I read in news that they should pay money for their participation?
More than 160 guests of the festival bought their flight tickets themselves and we paid just half of the flight fare; and the statics has been changed comparing to three years ago, in that time we should pay whole of it. in this edition our facilities including hotel and hostility have been decreased. For registrations they should pay. I have to say that there are few film festivals which are like that. Of course, the amount is very low means 20 $ for each film but the it shows that FIFF must be known as a cultural destination and applicants must pay to participate in it even if their works be not selected for.
Can we result that we are getting close to a standard festival? and these steps will lead us to see FIFF in international film festivals’ catalogues and calendars?
Becoming a standards festival has criteria that FIFF has them. More than 180 films are screened in FIFF. The statistics are same as important international film festivals worldwide.Number of guests and diversity of them from different countries are some of our strengths. In this edition, 350 guests are present from 87 countries. you can search and find out that we are on a higher rang in comparison with same film festivals. I also should say about workshops that the scientific levels of them are fabulous; in both number and quality. They are defendable items which I’ve never seen them anywhere. These are criteria that makes a festival international and standard. When a festival has its own taste and color also has exact identity and be a representative of a target society, then it becomes international and source. As I said before, I want to be representative of all the countries of the region and we are able and authentic to achieve this goal. Every year, the number of films which are known by us are increased; the films have been screened just in their own countries before and it means that now, we could make the opportunity for them; many of them go to other festivals from our one and it improves the process and the level of FIFF.
If we compare the director of FIFF with the director of national Fajr Film Festival it seems that the FIFF’s director is more independent than the national section’s one and he could decides and determines criteria but the national section’s one has to move based on determined policies.
National Fajr Film Festival has changed to a national rites in Iran, so, it needs more care, while it found a good position among audience but for directing an international festival you will need numerous advisors in different fields and you must use the ideas of specialists in international scale simultaneously that you are designing a festival with a national taste, so, you should be a person who says last word, unless, you will have a temporary policies which make your festival as a luxury thing that doesn’t follow any special strategy or target.
The festival has different sections and in this edition, it focused on first films. In other words, opposite to national Fajr which decreases its sections year by year, it seems that FIFF is going to be bigger every year. Is this issue consciously or its because of the festival is young and you want to absorb more audience and present good records?
In fact, we didn’t spread the festival in number of films, and we are not really interested in developing it soon but it is important for us to be deep and the works have diversity, all the cinematic forms be present and generally have films for every each taste in the festival, for sure, the criteria for selecting the films is cinematic standards which must be mentioned in all process.
Neda Entezami
While the age of the festival shows the number 36 but it must be said that it is old enough to taste hundreds of ups and downs especially that the international section of Fajr Film Festival has been separated from the national one for just three past years and continues its way independently. It faced to different criticisms in the beginning but Reza Mirkarimi, the Festival Director decided to not give up and walk on his path to reach today that he can stand and defend the festival.
About Festival
Designing target and road map, not changing the festival director and having permanent secretariat for the festival were some of our goals and we could achieved them very soon.
Becoming a standard festival has some criteria which FIFF has them.
When a festival has its own taste and color also has exact identity and be a representative of a target society, then it becomes international and source.