TEHRAN Abbas Kiarostami's ***ABC Africa****'s debut on Aug. in the Cinema House attended by a number of cinematic authorities, critics and journalists was followed by a press conference between its first and second screening, IRNA reported.

Kiarostami replied to the posed questions and discussed the points brought up by the audience.

The film producer said, "I have tried to add a documentary dimension to ***ABC Africa****, which has raised some criticism by foreign reviewers who believe that ****ABC Africa****'s cinematic characteristics are missing, and that accounts for their dislike."

He said that at ****ABC Africa****'s debut overseas, the question posed by the viewers on leaving the cinema concerned the way one may help such children, which in my idea, is not the main concern of the movie.

He noted that calling attention to such cases in need of relief aid is the main purpose of the movie.

He added that despite what has been said he has not deviated from his own cinematic elements, but has just flavored the movie with a slight documentary approach.

Referring to the movie's name, he explained that it has simply been taken from a T-shirt put on by a boy adopted by an Australian couple.

He added, "I don't believe in names, and if filmmaking had been my permanent occupation I would rather have called my movies by figures.

"My choice of the movie's name have meant that every one of those children are small men in need of help."

Concerning the role of the little boy, whose image appeared on a rope in the preview posters, Kiarostami said that his fate is not predictable, and that his appearing over the clouds at the final scene was a cinematic solution, while 20 years is needed to find out his destiny as the final answer.

He said, ***"ABC Africa**** is similar to my movie of several years ago called ****Life, and Nothing Else'****. In fact my perspective on the philosophy of life made me visit the areas stricken by landslides where I witnessed people's eagerness for starting a new life despite all the destruction."

He noted that in Uganda with a population of 20-million, more zeal of life is observed than any other area.

He added that this may account for their taking aids as a divine phenomenon, and their ignorance that it actually arises from West.

He explained that the 7-minute dark scene was tended to call attention to the value of light against darkness.

Regarding the documentary aspect of the movie, Kiarostami said "I believe there is no purely documentary film, once an angle is chosen for the camera and a specific lens is placed on it, one makes his own film based on his own idea."

He added that every documentary has a story behind it, while some films narrate a story, others are just comprised of consecutive images.