Film exchange and interaction over the recent years has been falling, causing the cinema of children to distance from its boom, an Iranian presenter said adding that if the children festival can create links with other countries, there will be developments.
Presenting the workshop of Cinema in Simple Words on the sidelines of the 32nd International Film Festival for Children and Youth, Dr. Ahmad Al-Setti said that one of the most useful things that can be done in order to improve the quality of the festival is to hold sessions of analysis of the films for children and young adults after screening them.
The sessions will motivate children and young adults to make films, he said. Besides, he added, reducing the time of the workshops and widening their space will add to the effectiveness of the workshops and promote their quality.
“Referring to the golden age of the cinema of children and young adults, Al-Setti said, “in the past, Iran’s cinema of children interacted with the pioneer countries, and there were also exchanges in the festival. It was one of the factors that contributed to the boom of the cinema. But in the few past years, the exchanges have decreased, and therefore the cinema of children experienced a decline,” the expert said.
“If the interaction is restored as a result of the festival, we might be hopeful to see happy developments,” he said.
Commenting on the talent of Iranian children and youth for filmmaking, Al-Setti said that some of them are incredibly gifted in filmmaking and if they are encouraged and appreciated their talent will be nurtured.
The professor of the University of Tehran said that spotting gifted children by experts and providing them with facilities and assets required for tapping their talents, one can be hopeful to the future cinema of Iran.
The 32nd IFFCY (August 19-26) is underway in the Iranian historical city Isfahan. In addition to the local experts and filmmakers, it hosts some 78 foreign guests from 27 countries.