TEHRAN – Seven troupes will give performances during the 19th edition of the Mobarak Puppet Theater Festival, which will take place in Tehran from June 28 to July 8.

Speaking to journalists, the festival’s new president Hadi Hejazifar said that the groups are from Armenia, Turkey, Spain, Brazil and Peru.

“We tried to pick the works that have something new for students and puppeteers,” he said.

“We have avoided spending more money for the overseas troupes than what was spent for the Iranian groups. I have always criticized Iranian festivals for allocating a large portion of their budgets to foreign participants, something which has not produced positive outcomes,” he added.    

With the new management, the festival aims to provide full-time employment for puppeteers, Hejazifar said and added, “This medium is a moneymaker around the world but this is not the case in Iran.”   

Veteran puppeteers Hassan Dadashgar and Homa Jeddikar, both of whom were present at the press conference, will receive lifetime achievement awards at this year’s festival. 

Dadashgar wished that puppet shows would return to Iranian theaters, and asked people to change their frame of mind, which currently only recognizes a puppet show as children’s entertainment.

Jeddikar expressed her happiness over the celebration of the 19th edition of the festival, and said, “I have known Hejazifar since the 1990s and believe in his creativity and perseverance.”

“Puppeteers need to be supported, because puppetry is a tough business. Puppetry is an investment in humanity and training children and the younger generations. If our puppet shows were active we would never see the current social disorders,” she said.

The director of the General Office for Dramatic Arts of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, Kazem Nazari, joined the press conference, and said, “With Hadi Hejazifar, we will enjoy a professional festival this year.”

He also announced his office’s plan to establish a fund to support puppet shows and to allocate a Tehran theater exclusively for puppet performances.   

The press conference ended with the unveiling of a poster for the 19th edition of the Mobarak Puppet Theater Festival. 

Photo: Organizers pose after unveiling a poster for the 19th edition of the Mobarak Puppet Theater Festival in Tehran on June 10, 2023.

MMS/YAW