Marjan Ashrafizadeh, screenwriter and film director, spoke at the “In the Mood for Cinema” workshop at the inaugural Iran Open-Air Film Festival, suggesting that future editions of the festival could introduce special sections tailored to the characteristics of the host region. For instance, in a province like Gilan, adding a special segment focused on waste and environmental issues could lead to positive developments.
According to the festival’s public relations, Ashrafizadeh emphasized the importance of holding the Iran Open-Air Film Festival: “Regardless of the outcome, the gathering of young filmmakers camping together and discussing their films is a wonderful initiative. That’s why I believe hosting such a festival was necessary and long overdue.”
She noted that in the past, short film events were more common in other cities and added: “It’s delightful to see a festival with unique features being organized. I think our collective spirit needs such programs and gatherings. When we combine this with nature and simultaneously focus on environmental issues, it becomes even more compelling. This is why I really hope the Iran Open-Air Film Festival continues in this format.”
The director of the film “Sister” pointed out that holding the event according to the climate and characteristics of each province adds an extra dimension, particularly through the environment, from which filmmakers can draw inspiration. “While this edition prioritizes road movies and nature-centric films, future editions could introduce special sections based on regional features. For example, in a province like Gilan, adding a special segment on waste and environmental issues could lead to significant positive developments.”
Ashrafizadeh also highlighted the importance of documentary and experimental films: “In the first edition of the Iran Open-Air Film Festival, even though the narrative film section was rich, featuring serious works, the documentary and experimental sections were relatively weak. Given the festival’s themes, critically important works could have been showcased, though perhaps limited time was a factor. Nonetheless, this section could be pursued more seriously in the coming years, yielding good results.”
The filmmaker stressed that the distinctive feature of this Open-Air Film Festival is its setting in nature, which is closely tied to the crises of different regions. “I believe this connection can lead to better outcomes. For instance, if the festival is held in a region facing a serious water crisis, screening films on this issue could raise awareness among officials and potentially contribute to resolving the crisis.”
The first edition of the Iran Open-Air Film Festival, chaired by Saeed Nejati, with Siavash Cheraghipour as director, is being held until May 20th at the Haft-Mahal Deylamoun Garden Eco-Lodge.
