TEHRAN -- The Iranian minister of culture and Islamic guidance called the Kish International Film Festival a new opportunity for competition of Eastern movies.

Seyyed Mohammad Hosseini proposed assigning a grand prix for Eastern cinema during his speech at the opening ceremony of the festival which was held on Sunday night at the Persian Gulf Hall on Kish Island.
“The Oscar belongs to Hollywood and cinema has a key role in development of the Islamic world,” he mentioned.
At the ceremony, the secretary of the festival Mohammad Khazaii said that the festival is a chance for unity among regional countries.
Veteran actor Ali Nasirian and directors Masud Jafari-Jozani and Farajollah Salahshur were honored at the ceremony for their lifetime achievements in religious and Iranian cinema.
Several foreign scholars and cineastes have also been invited to the festival, which will be playing host to German film historian and theorist Hans-Joachim Schlegel.
Schlegel has been slated to deliver a speech on a subject entitled “Beyond Hollywood and Globalization” during the event. He is a film historian and theorist who is an expert in Russian, Eastern and Central European cinema. He has authored many publications in the field of cinema.
British producer Donald Ranvaud has been invited to give a lecture on film distribution and digital cinema during the event as well.
In addition, Ankara International Film Festival Can director Ozgun and International Film Festival of Kerala artistic director Bina Paul Venugopal are scheduled to attend the festival.
Organizers of the festival have established the Grand Prophet (S) Award, which will be presented to a film promoting Muslim unity.