TEHRAN – Iranian cultural officials, documentarians and documentary cinema enthusiasts will gather at Tehran’s Felestin Cinema this morning to attend the opening ceremony of the 9th Cinéma Vérité, Iran’s major international festival for documentary films.

The organizers are scheduled to pay tribute to veteran Iranian documentarian Mohammadreza Moqaddasian (1947-2015).

His last documentary “Very Top Secret” about obstacles to press activities and rivalry between private and public sectors in Iran will premiere on the opening day of the event.

Filmmaker Omid Mohammadnejad’s “I Am Nasser Hejazi”, which chronicles the life story of Iran’s legendary goalkeeper and coach, Nasser Hejazi, who died of lung cancer in 2011 at the age of 62, is also among 48 films scheduled to be screened today.

The program will be followed by the screening of “Purgatory” directed by promising Iranian filmmaker Aida Panahandeh whose social drama “Nahid” was selected for the Un Certain Regard section of the 68th Cannes International Film Festival.

The European Documentary Network (EDN) will organize specialized workshops entitled “DocPro” on the sidelines of the festival from December 17 to 19.

The organizers are also scheduled to review several award-winning films from various editions of the International Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Animated Film -- DOK Leipzig.

Among the films are “Toto and His Sisters” directed by Alexander Nanau from Romania and “Forget Me Not” by David Sieveking from Germany.

Eight films, including “Allan, Man at the Age of Christ” by Arko Okk from Estonia and “End of the World” by Monika Pawluczuk from Poland, will be screened in the mid-length category.

In the full-length section, seven documentaries, including Danish-Polish joint production “Something Better to Come” by Hanna Polak, will compete.

Over 70 documentaries from Iranian filmmakers will be screened in the national competition section of the festival, which is organized every year by the Documentary and Experimental Film Center and will run until December 19.

The motto of the 9th Cinéma Vérité is “Truth Is the Best Guide”, which is one of the discourses of Imam Ali (AS).

Photo: Flags of participating country in Cinéma Vérité fly outside Tehran’s Felestin Cinema as a logo of the international documentary festival are seen in an undated photo.

AFM/YAW
EN