22nd Fajr Int’l Film Festival, Great Absentees Part 3

Mohsen Makhmalbaf

For several years, the Makhmalbaf family has been abroad and has not attended the Fajr Film Festival, but naming them on this list may help us – and them – to remember that the Makhmalbaf family is also a part of the diverse Iranian cinema. Makhmalbaf last participated in the Fajr Festival seven years ago with his film “Gabbeh”. A commotion at the festival ended with Makhmalbaf not attending the closing ceremony, with his film being removed from the list of winners. This caused him to forsake domestic festivals and their prizes altogether.

Yet Makhmalbaf has not made a film since “Journey to Kandahar”. We hope Makhmalbaf will make up with the Iranian festivals, the Iranian cinemas and the people. As Makhmalbaf once said himself “cinema is all cinema.”

Rasul Sadr-Ameli

Sadr-Ameli’s attendance as a judge removed him from entering a film this year, although he currently did not have a film to enter in the festival. He was at the festival the year before that with his small masterpiece “I, Taraneh, Am 15” and gained the praise of all.

Sadr-Ameli has been mulling the script of his next film for two years. After studying all his options, he finally decided to complete his trilogy on Tehran teenager girls by purchasing rights to the story “Nora’s Father” by Marjan Shir-Mohammadi. The script is being written by Peyman Qasemkhani, who wrote “A Girl in the Sneakers” for Sadr-Ameli.

The movie, “Aida I Saw Your Father Last Night”, is currently in the casting phase and filming is to start early next year in Tehran under the supervision of Parviz Malekzadeh.

Therefore, Sadr-Ameli will definitely attend next year’s festival with the final episode of his trilogy. Although we miss Sadr-Ameli’s teenage girls, he is not completely absent in this year’s festival; his cooperative production with Cyrus Alvand “Winning Card” will be shown at this year’s festival.

Kiumars Pur-Ahmad

He has not attended the Fajr Film Festival for years; he did not even present his last film “Midwinter’s Eve” to be screened at this year’s festival. Pur-Ahmad is very busy these days and is not thinking about the festival.

He was occupied all year with the project “Edelweiss” which was written before “Midwinter’s Eve”. The movie caused him many problems and was later cancelled. He re-wrote the script. He even began the pre-production process and casting, Mohammadreza Forutan who was supposed to play the role of a singer in the movie had even begun practicing his singing, sets were prepared; but, for a number of problems, filming was delayed. A month later, when everything was ready – although the producer had changed – the actors and actresses were involved in other projects.

Unsuccessful at his fourth try in making the film “Edelweiss”, he began his effort for the fifth time without success; finally, he gave up the whole idea. He is currently writing another script and will participate in the festival next year with another film. We will also be praying for the success of this filmmaker.

Bahman Qobadi

Qobadi went to Iraq early this year to make the film “Who Could Predict the War?” Months passed and news came that he wanted to make two films instead of one; volume-wise it was better to make two shorter films than one long one, the result being that Qobadi does not have a film in the festival this year. He will be completing his as yet unnamed feature film in Iraq and maybe will be in Iran soon so as not to be on this list next year!

Jafar Panahi

This Iranian filmmaker has been absent from the Fajr Film Festival for years. Despite this fact, he continues to make films. Although his two latest films have never allowed to be shown in Iran, he still cherishes high hopes of seeing them in Iranian cinemas.

There were rumors before the festival that “Circle” and “Crimson Gold” may be shown at this year’s festival. The fact is that these years Iranian audience inside the country have been denied two Persian films.

In any case, we wish the pre-festival dreams would come true and Ja’far Panahi would return to Iran.

Bahman Farmanara

Last year after the problems he had in making “House Upon the Water”, disliked by most critics, Farmanara intended to make the film “Small Kiss”. The news of the film had barely spread when he said he had changed his mind deciding to attend to his personal affairs and the running of his father’s textile factory. The fact that his name is in the list of the Great Absentees is because of his first film “Smell of Camphor, Perfume of Jasmine” which gave audience and critics such high expectations for his following films making “House Upon the Water” so bitterly disappointing.

Farmanara was never an active filmmaker participating in only two of the 22 film festivals, but he had great judge approval garnering many prizes. Farmanara has temporarily distanced himself from cinema and it is uncertain whether he will have a film in next year’s festival or not.

Mohammad Bozorgnia

The strangest absentee of the festival is Mohammad Bozorgnia. He was judge last year and is judge this year, and his name is here because instead of preparing his film in time for the festival, making audiences happy and enriching the ceremony, Bozorgnia forsook preparing the film for the festival deciding to wait until he finishes judging this year’s entries.

Now that our objection has been articulated, we must also give Bozorgnia the credit for taking time making his new film. After ten years, at last he has made “A Place to Live”. Although Bozorgnia is not a highly active filmmaker he attracted critics, audience and officials with his first film “Angelica’s Ship”. Hedyeh Tehrani, Ezzatollah Entezami and Haniyeh Tavasoli in “A Place to Live” will most probably be in the festival next year.

JS/DWN/IS

END

MNA