TEHRAN -- Deputy Culture Minister for Cinematic Affairs Mohammadreza Jafari-Jelveh stated that Iran has developed the world’s fourth school of animation.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the first national seminar of animation at the IRIB College on Sunday, he said the Iranian school of animation stands fourth after the schools of Europe, the Far East, and Hollywood, adding, “Iran’s 5000-year-old historical credit attested by the discovery of the world’ first animation in the Burnt City of Zabol reveals the intelligence of this nation.”
Jafari-Jelveh also explained that fantasy and realism, human hopes and moral ideals, and storytelling are major elements of animation films in Iran.
Deputy Manager of IRIB College Mehdi Rahimian who also spoke at the seminar, said that the IRIB college is the first Iranian college to present courses on animation film.
Secretary of the seminar Akbar Aalami emphasized the need to pay more attention to animation, saying, “We must also work on training managers in different fields of art and help promote the spirit of teamwork.”
Noting that recently there have been some good developments at educational centers for animation films, he said the use of Arabesques and similar traditional designs would not help develop Iranian animation films. Such a development requires, he said, a deeper study of the nature of Iranian national identity.
He expressed concern about lack of a sufficient number of animation technicians, saying, “We are currently thinking of training animators while we need to have more technicians, that is, we need more centers to educate more technicians.”
Veteran animator Esfandiar Ahmadieh also delivered a speech on modern and traditional animation films at the two-day seminar