Alireza Davoudnejad: The Wisdom of Iranian Cinema is in Danger
According to cinemadrame news agency, Alireza Davoudnejad, a prominent Iranian filmmaker, stated on Friday evening, May 9, at the closing ceremony of the 100-Second Film Festival: “The title of the 100-Second Festival is very appealing to me because it highlights the issue of time in cinema.”
He added, “I wanted to be present at this festival because the theme of time is central to it.”
Davoudnejad, emphasizing the importance of narration and time in cinema, explained: “Time is the axis of cinematic wisdom. When you are going to tell a story within a limited time frame, this limitation makes the story very different.”
The film director stressed this point in cinema, recalling: “If we sometimes see good series, it is mainly because of directors who understand the wisdom of cinema and mastery of time.”
Davoudnejad stated: “The cinematic wisdom of our country is in danger. The management of creative artistic talent is an important matter, and frankly, we lack dedicated individuals for this.”
The director of “Sweet Agony” highlighted the importance of art cinema, saying: “If we don’t have art cinema, commercial cinema will also be at risk.”
Rasoul Sadr-Ameli, another film director, commented: “Davoudnejad was the teacher for all of us filmmakers after the revolution; both with the films he made and with his character and knowledge in Iranian cinema, and with his approach to cinema. How one can make films about the people of this land with such a unique perspective.”
He added: “He gave meaning to the concept of family in cinema. He has endured the hardships of cinema and, of course, has also narrated its victories.”
Following this, Alireza Davoudnejad was honored for his lifetime artistic achievements.
100-Second Film Festival Winners
Here are the winners of the 100-Second Film Festival:
International Section
- Zeynab Nejati received the Best Fiction Film award for “The Embrace.”
- Jan Cvitkovič from Slovenia won the Best Animation award for “The Skinny Ones.”
- Mohammad Javad Masoumi received the Best Documentary award for “Anthology.”
Farasad Special Section
- Alireza Aghamohammadi won first prize for his film “My Home Is Here.”
- “A School Day,” directed by Ahmed Aldanaf, received the second prize in this section.
- Masoud Dehnavi was awarded the third prize in the Farasad section for his film “Atefeh.”
Beloved Iran Section
Fiction
- Amir Rabouin received an honorary diploma for Best National Fiction Film for “Daily Practice.”
- Hamid Malihi won the Best National Fiction Film statue for “Eye Eye.”
Animation
- “Woman’s Peace, Home’s Peace,” directed by Alireza Pourshakouri, received an honorary diploma for Best Animation.
- “The Youngest Child” brought home the Best Animation award for Haydar Safar Pour.
100-Second Film Festival Winners (Continued)
Here are the additional winners from the 100-Second Film Festival:
Documentary Section
- Mahdieh Shahsavari and Atiyeh Sadat Hojati received an honorary diploma and a trophy for their film “Shoulder to Shoulder.”
- The Special Award from the Soureh Cinematic Organization went to Hanieh Bastan for the film “Painless.”
- Mohammad Ghaderi’s film “Kiosk” was selected as the second top film by the Cinematic Organization.
- Maryam Mohammadi received the third Cinematic Organization award for her film “Ferris Wheel.”
- “Someone Like Me” won the Young Iran Award for Morteza Motamedi Rad.
- Seyyed Mohammad Hossein Hosseini received the Special Secretary’s Award for his animation “Science.”
- The Special Jury Award was presented to Sajjad Entezari for the film “The Prophet.”
The closing ceremony of the 14th International 100-Second Film Festival was held this afternoon, May 9, at the Andisheh Hall of the Art Bureau, with the presence of cinematic figures and artists. Yousef Mansouri, the festival secretary, along with Mohammad Hamidi Moghadam, head of the Center for Documentary and Experimental Cinema Development, Mahmoud Razavi, film producer, and Rasoul Sadr-Ameli and Mohammad Reza Sharifinia attended the event.
