Iran will have strong presence at IFFI

Mumbai, Nov 15 (UNI) International film Festival of India (IFFI-2008), beginning in Panaji on November 22, will have a a strong focus on Iran.

The culturally rich Iranian films, which have enthralled world audiences will be showcased under the 'country focus' section, according to an official release.

The Iranian delegation would be headed by noted cinematographer and filmmaker Alireza Raisian, who would showcase his film, 'Havana File'. Senior actors like Ezatollah Entezami with his award-winning film 'Gaav' (The Cow) would also be a part of the delegation, which would also include renowned director Maziar Miri with his film 'Slowly', while Rakhshan Bani Etemad would present her film 'Blood Game'.

The section would also feature films like 'Cafe Satareh' by noted filmmaker Saman Moghaddam. Award-winning actress Golshifte Farahani would represent her film 'The Fish Fall in Love'.

Well-known actress Niki Karimi would also represent Iranian cinema during the ten-day long festival. Cinema of Iran is a flourishing film industry with a long history. Some critics now rank Iran as the world's most important national cinema, artistically, with a significance that invites comparison to Italian neo-realism and such other movements in past decades.

The continuous presence of Iranian films in prestigious international festivals such as Cannes, Venice and Berlin has attracted world attention to Iranian masterpieces.

Post-revolutionary Iranian cinema has been celebrated in many international forums and festivals for its distinct style, themes, authors, idea of nationhood, and cultural references.

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