TEHRAN -- “Whisper with the Wind” director Shahram Alidi believes his movie aims to give a fillip to people to help improve their lives.

The movie was screened Friday on the 6th day of screening at the 28th Fajr International Film Festival which wraps up on February 4.
Afterwards, a session was held in the presence of Alidi, cinematographer Turaj Aslani, production manager Sasan Salur, the press and the artists.
“Whisper with the Wind” is about an old man who travels between the mountainous villages in Kurdish Iraq to deliver messages from families separated by war in the region.
Alidi was the first speaker and said, “The team that collaborated on this project was all my first choice and I absolutely believed in their potentials.
“Aslani is a young cinematographer but very professional. He is talented with high visual ability. Salur put in great efforts on this project, and sound effects recorder Mohammadreza Delpak accomplished the project with an air of spirituality.
“All the cast and crew helped create the poetic ambiance you observe in the movie. I am so delighted that a serious audience of cinema was able to watch this movie in Iran. I was always unhappy that this movie was seen around the world but not in Iran,” he explained.
Aslani continued, “I was determined to make this movie different with my previous works. I am a graduate of graphic design and Alidi has studied painting. Our ideas and impressions were influential and helped create the visual effects for the movie.”
Alidi went on to say, “I am interested in painting, graphic and cinema. My friend Jabbar Jamal Gharib is a writer and helped me write the dialogues.”
He next mentioned, “Talking about existing violence is necessary, and we must always emphasize that. We must always remind mankind that they can be a source of violence and invasions, and must advise them to stop treating each other coarsely.
“If my friends and I did not insist on making the movie, this project would not have been produced. I meant to remind people to make use of their short lives in the best way they can,” he concluded.
“Whisper with the Wind” was honored with a Don Quixote Award by the International Federation of Film Societies (FICC) at the Tromso International Film Festival (TIFF) in Norway last week.
The film has received several accolades at international events including the Cannes and Mumbai film festivals.
Photo: Director Shahram Alidi attends a press conference after a screening of “The Whisper with the Wind” at the 28th Fajr International Film Festival at the conference hall of Tehran’s Milad Tower on January 29, 2010. (Mehr/Ra’uf Mohseni)