TEHRAN -- Actor Reza Kianian said on Wednesday that Iranian cinema is the world’s sole film industry that has not been colonized by U.S. cinema.

“European countries have lost their independent cinema in the wake of the invasion by Hollywood,” Kianian told the Persian service of ISNA.

“Today, there are only a few countries like Iran, Indian and somehow China that enjoy their own national cinemas,” he added.

“If Iran has maintained its national cinema against the giant Hollywood cinema, it means that our cinema has some unique characteristics that cause international festivals to praise it,” noted Kianian, who is also an author of several books including “Acting”, “Acting Analysis” and “Spell of Acting”.

He said that Iranian officials have ignored the “unique characteristics” and added, “Some of them believe that the allegedly bad image that Iranian films portray of Iran is the reason international festivals show the films.”

“None of them [Iranian officials] regard the positive aspects of Iranian cinema and they also disregard these points that our cinema has its own national and independent character, and is the world’s sole cinema that has not been defeated by the U.S. cinema,” Kianian stated.

He also praised auteur Abbas Kiarostami, who is currently hospitalized with a severe gastrointestinal problem in Tehran, calling him “a pioneer of Iran’s independent cinema.”             

Photo: Reza Kianian in an undated photo

MMS/YAW

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