TEHRAN – United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund – UNICEF and Iran’s Farabi Cinema Foundation will cooperate on a five-year plan to enhance children’s films in the country.

The plan was announced in a meeting between the UNICEF Representative in Iran, Robin Nandy, and Farabi director Mehdi Javadi, Farabi said in a press release published on Saturday.

Nandy said that after completion, the five-year plan will also include annual mutual workshops. 

He also stressed the need for the expansion of collaboration on the Isfahan International Film Festival for Children and Youth, and said that UNICEF is eager for the cooperation to be broadened into other fields. 

He also praised the Iranian drama “No Prior Appointment” and its child star Hami Torabi for his portrayal of an autistic boy.

Nandy and a number of his colleagues watched the film in a private screening at the Resaneh Cultural Center in Tehran in May. 

Iranian actress Mahtab Keramati, who is a UNICEF goodwill ambassador, and Child Protection Officer at UNICEF Iran Vahid Hedayati were also in attendance at the meeting.

Keramati warmly welcomed the ideas discussed during the meeting to foster collaboration between Farabi and UNICEF and expressed her hope the cooperation would sustain increasingly.

For his part, Javadi said, “In the new management, one of Farabi’s crucial missions is to liven up Iranian children’s films and improve the quality of films in this area.”

He referred to the minimum level of UNICEF participation as a sponsor of an award at Iranian film festivals, and asked the organization to play a much greater role in Iranian films.

He noted that Farabi seeks quality films and added that Iran is eager to have UNICEF participation in Iranian films from the beginning of their production process. 

Javadi, who is also the president of the Isfahan International Film Festival for Children and Youth, said that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a decline in the number of children’s films in Iran.

Photo: UNICEF Representative in Iran, Robin Nandy, and Farabi Cinema Foundation Director Mehdi Javadi meet in Tehran on August 13, 2022, to discuss the expansion of cooperation. (FCF)

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