TEHRAN- The closing ceremony of the 44th Fajr Theater Festival was held on Sunday night at Tehran’s Vahdat Hall with honoring the winners in different sections. 

The ceremony was attended by a number of cultural officials, including Seyyed Abbas Salehi, Iran’s Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance; Mehdi Shafiei, Deputy Minister for Artistic Affairs; Reza Mardani, Director General of the Performing Arts Office; Raed Faridzadeh, Head of the Cinema Organization; and Niknam Hosseinipour, Head of the Public Relations and Information Center of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, ISNA reported. 

However, the event concluded without any official speeches or a designated opportunity for award recipients to address the audience, the report added. 

Despite this, several of the selected artists briefly voiced their concerns and requests in an informal manner, speaking without microphones and framing their remarks as complaints and appeals.

On the sidelines of the closing ceremony, Salehi highlighted the importance of creating an intermediate space within festival environments.

Salehi remarked that "the atmosphere of our festivals should be designed in a way that considers the current conditions of the country while ensuring that artists and audiences do not feel confined in a heavy and restrictive environment. Instead, there must be a balanced and acceptable intermediate space."

He noted that life is filled with ups and downs, stating, "However, theater has always been intertwined with life and shapes the narrative of our existence. Throughout various periods in Iran's history, theater has been alongside the people, and fortunately, the 44th Fajr Theater Festival proceeded under the banner of 'Solidarity with Hope.'"

Salehi emphasized the necessity of planning for the next edition of the Fajr Theater Festival starting now, adding, "Today’s closing ceremony is essentially a prelude to the 45th Fajr Theater Festival, as theater has always been and will continue to be a companion to life."

The Fajr Theater Festival is held annually in conjunction with the Ten-Day Dawn celebrations.

SAB/