TEHRAN – Iranian producer Elaheh Nobakht has been selected as a member of the jury for the 4th Mena Film Festival The Hague, which will take place in the Dutch city from May 20 to 23.

The Algerian-born Dutch director, Karim Traidia, and the secretary of the Casablanca Film Festival, Hamadi Keroum, who is a renowned Moroccan critic, are other members of the jury.

Nobakht is also the director of ELI Image, an international film production and distribution company. 

As an active member of the Iranian Producers Association (IPA) and co-producer of “Holy Bread” she was selected for the IDFA competition for mid-films in 2020. 

She is also the distributor of the film “Finding Farideh”, a co-production between Iran and the Netherlands, which was Iran’s submission to the Oscars in 2020.

Nobakht has previously been a member of the jury at the FIFOG International Festival in Geneva and the Beirut International Women’s Festival.

The Mena Film Festival The Hague aims to portray a contemporary view of the cultural, political, social and artistic attributes of West Asia and Northern Africa through the eyes of filmmakers from these regions.

Mohammad Amin, the director of the 4th International Film Festival, said, “As part of the festival’s objectives, the event aims to support young filmmakers and the independent cinema in North Africa and the Middle East [West Asia].”

Amin further added that this region’s cinema has proven its ability to create a wider audience by succeeding in humanitarian objectives and through its efforts in helping achieve world peace.

Photo: Iranian producer Elaheh Nobakht. (Photo by Sahar Qarib)

MAQ/MMS/YAW