TEHRAN – Peoples’ lives still matter for the organizers of Iran’s Cinema Vérité festival as they have announced their plans to organize the upcoming edition of the event online once again due to the ongoing pandemic.

The decision was announced during a period of time in which the government has begun easing curbs on regular activities despite the gravity and numerous casualties of COVID-19.

Speaking to the Persian service of Honaronline on Tuesday, Mohammad Hamidi-Moqaddam, the director of the Documentary and Experimental Film Center (DEFC), the main organizers of the festival, said, “According to an expert forecast, a new wave of COVID-19 will begin during November and December, therefore, like the previous edition, we have prepared all our plans based on an online festival.”

However, he added that some programs have also been set up to be organized physically, should the next wave of the disease turn out to be not as serious as anticipated.

Cinema Vérité, Iran’s major international festival for documentary films, is organized every year in December.

“A handful of fascinating films have applied to participate in the festival, therefore we will be seeing a selection of high-grade movies in the international competition,” Hamidi-Moqaddam said.

“Like any other festival, we were monitoring entries to other A-list international festivals over the past year and have selected a lineup of top films to be screened in Cinema Vérité,” he noted.

“You will typically see documentaries that survey major issues, providing real insight into current affairs,” he added.

Hamidi-Moqaddam said that no restrictions should be placed on filmmakers’ treatment of strategic subjects and current political and social issues facing society.

He added that such an attitude would aid in the search for solutions to these problems, and thereby infusing hope into society. 

The 2020 edition of Cinéma Vérité was held entirely online and the programs were streamed on Filimo, TVA and Hashure, the Iranian platforms providing video on demand (VOD) service for films.

Due to the pandemic, the international section was non-competitive and “Get Filled in the Blanks”, a documentary by Atieh Zare’ Aranadi about children of divorce, won the award for best film in the national competition.

Photo: DEFC director Mohammad Hamidi-Moqaddam.(DEFC)

MMS/YAW