TEHRAN-Iranian film producer Manouchehr Shahsavari has been appointed as the secretary of the 43rd Fajr Film Festival by the Director of Iran's Cinema Organization Raed Faridzadeh.

Shahsavari has produced notable films such as “Mazar Sharif,” “Rainy Seasons,” “Escaping the Trap,” and “The Moon and the Sun”. He is also known as a respected figure in various executive roles, Honaronline reported.

His previous positions include the vice president of Iran’s House of Cinema, a board member of the Film Producers and Distributors Guild, and the chairman of the Screening Guild Council.

A significant change for the 43rd edition of the festival will be the separation of the national and international sections.

The international section, noted for its role in promoting Iran’s cultural diplomacy and one of the top 14 competitive festivals recognized by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations, will be held independently at a later date agreed upon with the federation.

Fajr Film Festival has been held every February in Tehran since 1983. The festival is supervised by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance. It takes place on the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. 

From 2015 to 2022, the festival was bifurcated into two festivals, a national festival in February, which was notable for premieres of the most important domestic movies, and an international one, which was held in April.

Since 2022, the national and international segments have been merged again, with the combined festival taking place in February every year.

With the separation of the two sections again in the upcoming edition of the festival, the national section will be held in February like before and the exact date for the international section will be announced later.

Every year, the festival presents more than 20 awards, titled Crystal Simorgh, to the winners of various categories.

SS/SAB