TEHRAN – Jailed Nigerian Shia leader Ibrahim Zakzaky was honored during the opening ceremony of the 9th Ammar Popular Film Festival (APFF) at Tehran’s Andisheh Hall on Sunday.

A Zakzaky’s daughter attended the ceremony and received a Golden Lantern of the event on behalf of her father after screening the video “The Khomeini of Africa” about the leader of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria who has been jailed since 2015. 

She received the award from filmmaker Nader Talebzadeh who is the president of the festival, which was established by a number of Iranian revolutionary figures to take a global view of cultural, socio-economic, environmental and political issues that may endanger peace, freedom and justice in the world. The festival has been named after Ammar Yasir, a close companion of Prophet Muhammad (S).

Over 80 documentary and feature films are scheduled to go on screen in various sections of the festival. 

“Leili’s Life” by Keramat Purshahsavari, “Mahmud” by Ali Zohairi, “Album” by Mohammad Qasempur, “Mastureh” by Elham Hadinejad and “Chocolate Dad” by Ehsan Lotfian are among the feature films. 

The documentary films such as “Eighteen Percent” by Mostafa Shaban, “Snowy Peaks” by Nasser Naderi, “Man and the Farm” by Masud Kargar and “Unfinished Documentary” by Ali Sarv are competing in the event.
 
The festival will run in Tehran and several other cities until January 10.

Photo: Daughter of Nigerian Shia leader Ibrahim Zakzaky holds a Golden Lantern she received from the 9th Ammar Popular Film Festival (APFF) on behalf of her father at Tehran’s Andisheh Hall on December 30, 2018. (Mehr/Asghar Khamseh)

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