Kiarostami missed at Iranian film fest

As Iranian films were being screened in the capital this week, it was but obvious that the attention would turn towards Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami who passed away earlier this month, and was celebrated across the globe for his films. However, even as Kiarostami’s films were discussed at the event, they were missing from the screening list. Movie buffs who attended the festival said that they missed the presence of the director’s work.
The four-day Iranian film festival, which was organised by Directorate of Film Festival (DIFF), in collaboration with the Iran Cultural House, began on Saturday.
Kisloy Sen, a mass communication student, said, "Kiarostami’s films have influenced a whole generation of filmmakers including directors like Majid Majidi. And we’ve seen a number of his films at different festivals, but sadly, even as the timing of the festival is just right, his films were not part of the festival." Another movie buff, Suket Gupta, echoed the sentiment, saying, "Iran’s cinema owes its global reputation to Kiarostami, and he was one of the Iranian filmmakers whose films brought international credibility to the Iranian films today. His films should have been included."
Iranian movies help you think in Persian
On the opening day, A Cube Of Sugar, a movie that was released in 2011, was screened. Achyut Gaur, an artist, said, "It’s sad that these films don’t get an Indian release, few of the films which are being screened were made five years ago. I’ve seen a few movies of Kiarostami and these films make you think in Persian and make you believe that human emotions are same everywhere."
Even though the movies were in Persian, Delhiites didn’t miss any dialogues, thanks to the subtitles. Sarah George, who works in Gurgaon, said, "As viewers of foreign-language films, subtitles help us understand films. After 10 minutes into the film, I forgot that I am reading subtitles and two men from Iran who were sitting beside me asked me thrice, ‘Do you understand the language?’And I wanted to say, ‘Actually, I don’t have to.'"
An Iranian musical group Ronak also performed on the sidelines of the festival on the first day and after their performance ended, an impressed Rajyavardhan Rathore MoS for Information and Broadcasting, said, "I think we need to extend their visa."