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Film from Iran woo South Delhi
Fourteen award-winning Iranian films were screened and Iranian art and handicraft was put on display at a recent festival
On the occasion of 60 years of India-Iran Cultural agreement, the Directorate of Film Festivals in collaboration with Iran Cultural House, New Delhi, organised an Iranian film festival-cum-exhibition at Siri Fort Auditorium. During the four-day festival that began on Saturday, 14 award-winning Iranian films were screened and also put Iranian art and handicraft on display. The event aimed at strengthening the ties between the two nations through art and culture.
In the backdrop of films, the auditorium remained jam-packed with audiences from various fields who loved these works of art. Among other attractions were the samavar, a container usually made of copper to heat water and brew tea, books on culture and Minakari works.
Minakari is the art of painting, colouring and ornamenting the surface of metals and creating intricate designs. “Delhi has always shown an overwhelming response to culture of other nations as a result of which people from various countries love to come here to showcase glimpses of their heritage. Such festivals entertain audience and send a message of brotherhood as pain and joy are the same everywhere,” said Steven, a visitor who works with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC).
The screened films included One Wanted To Talk To You, The Painting Pool, Track 143, A Line of Reality, A Time of Love & Betrayal, Don’t Be Tired, As Simple As That, All Alone, Gold and Copper, The Maritime Silk Road and So Far So Close. The opening film for the event was ‘A Cube of Sugar’, directed by Reza Mirkarimi. A house abuzz with people, for the wedding of the youngest daughter, sees a brother-in-law on the lookout for a hidden treasure in the premises was the plot of Iranian film.
Union minister of state Rajyavardhan Rathore, who inaugurated the festival, said that films and cultural exchanges were the best medium to promote friendship between people and nations. The minister said the relationship between India and Iran is very old and it received a fresh impetus during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Tehran, when several new agreements were signed, including strengthening of cultural exchanges between the two countries. I&B ministry officials said it is also planning a festival on European films and another one on the Independence Day.
