TEHRAN -- Nine film companies from Iran are taking part in the Cannes Film Market – Marché du Film, which is running from May 17 to 26, film expert Amir Esfandiari said.

The companies include Filmiran, Eli Image, Aria Sanat Takhayyol, Persian Film Distribution, Farabi Cinema Foundation and Avini Institute, Esfandiari, who is currently in Cannes, told the Persian service of ISNA on Friday.

“The Iranian companies are currently busy negotiating with foreign companies over distribution their films,” he said.

Esfandiari, who is the Farabi Cinema Foundation International Department Director, added that Farabi will screen a number of its eight new productions at the market.

The films include “Appendix” (Hossein Namazi), “Lina” (Ramin Rasuli), “Sara and Ayda” (Maziar Miri) and “Leaf of Life” (Ebrahim Mokhtari).

“Five more Iranian films are also offered at the Cannes Film Market by the France-based company Dreamlabs,” he remarked.

The films include “Subdued” directed by Hamid Nematollah, “Israfil” by Ida Panahandeh, “Searing Summer” by Ebrahim Irajzad, “Sunset Truck” by Abolfazl Saffari and “Panah” by Ahmad Bahrami.

Esfandiari also said that (film producer) Ali Moallem, who was a permanent visitor of Cannes, has really been missed.

Moallem, the founder of the Hafez Awards, Iran’s first and only private awards in film industry, died of a heart attack in March.

“We are planning to hold a ceremony in his honor at Iran’s pavilion in Cannes,” he noted.

“Abbas Kiarostami’s new experimental work ‘24 Frames’ will have a special screening in the 70th Anniversary Events of the Cannes Film Festival, and his son Ahmad is also expected to attend the program,” Esfandiari concluded.

Kiarostami completed “24 Frames” months before his death in July 2016.

RM/YAW