TEHRAN – Seeking Iranian documentary films, Cinéma du Réel’s new director assigned board member Carine Bernasconi on a mission to go to the Cinema Verite festival in Tehran to select works by Iranian filmmakers for the French event.

“Before I came, the artistic director [Andréa Picard] said that she would really like to screen Iranian movies, so I hope to find good ones for the festival,” Bernasconi told the Tehran Times on Tuesday. 

She is in Tehran to attend the Cinema Verite, Iran’s documentary film festival, which is currently underway at the Charsu Cineplex on Sunday. This is the second time she has attended the event to select films from Iranian filmmakers to screen at the Parisian event.

“I am back again to see the films selected for the national competition and I also have plans to meet some Iranian filmmakers and producers,” she said.

She added that she will most certainly propose some movies to the Cinéma du Réel committee like she did two years ago. 

She also noted that she is not looking for any special type of documentary at this festival, “I try to watch everything,” she said.

Asked about what standards an Iranian documentary would require to be selected for the Cinéma du Réel festival, she answered, “There are no specific standards for selecting Iranian documentaries. The same standards are applied to all.

“We really do care more about the form and the cinematographic view of the movie and how the director is able to give us his special take on reality, rather than the topic, the theme and the subject.

“As we know reality is always a construct whether it is portrayed in a fiction or a documentary, and it is important and interesting for us to see how the director will present his point of view on reality. That is what we look for.”

Bernasconi is scheduled to present five documentaries previously screened at the Cinéma du Réel festival during a special program at the Cinema Verite festival.

She also explained that the French festival is open to new directors.
 
Bernasconi is a graduate of the theory and philosophy of film from the University of Lausanne, Switzerland. She is currently working on her doctoral thesis on the subject of film theory in Iranian cinema. 

She has been involved with major film events such as Lucarno festival, Vision du Reel and Cinéma Du Réel for more than 15 years. 

The Documentary and Experimental Film Center is the organizer of the Cinema Verite festival, which will run until December 17.

Photo: Cinéma du Réel board member Carine Bernasconi

RM/MMS/YAW