TEHRAN- After a decade, the third international film festival on natural disasters and accidents is set to be held in the near future. 

Organized by Iran’s Natural Disasters Research Institute (NDRI), the festival will accept documentaries and short films focused on natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, fires, and others, IRNA reported on Wednesday. 

This year’s event will pay special attention to megacities in Iran and around the world and like previous editions, it will provide facilities for accepted films, the report added. 

Morteza Atashzamzam, a renowned Iranian filmmaker, has been appointed as the director of this edition of the festival. 

The two previous editions of the festival, titled "International Film Festival of Bam", featured prominent Iranian filmmakers such as Seyyed Reza Mirkarimi, Tahmineh Milani, Ebrahim Hatamikia, Iraj Taqipour, Kamal Tabrizi, Farhad Varahram, Zaven Ghokasian, and others as jurors.

The Bam earthquake was a devastating earthquake that struck the city of Bam, in southern Iran in 2003. The earthquake had a magnitude of 6.6 on the Richter scale and its epicenter was located in the city of Kerman, which is approximately 95 kilometers east of Bam. The earthquake caused widespread destruction and loss of life, with the official death toll estimated to be around 26,000 people. The city's ancient citadel, which was a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was completely destroyed, and many other historic buildings and infrastructure were severely damaged.

SAB/