TEHRAN -- The 5th International Green Film Festival opened at Tehran’s Felestin Cinema on Friday with participants who are all concerned about the protection of the environment.

The president of Green Me Global Festival Nicolai Niemann from Germany, along with the head of Iran’s Department of Environment, Masumeh Ebtekar, and Cinema Organization of Iran Director Hojjatollah Ayyubi attended the opening ceremony, Persian media reported on Friday.

The organizers of the festival honored Iranian filmmaker Khosro Masumi, whose films mainly focus on the environment protection, at the opening ceremony.

The ceremony was followed by live performances by the popular Iranian pop band, Pallet, which played songs on the environment in both Persian and English. 

Niemann as well as the co-founder of the Fredd Festival of Toulouse in France, Antonin Haddad, and New Guinean environmental activist Theresa Kamau-kas are the members of the festival jury, which also includes Ahmad Zabeti Jahromi and Alireza Shojanuri, both from Iran.

A selection of 26 full-length documentaries by filmmakers from around the world will be competing in the festival this year.

“Revolution” directed by Rob Stewart from Canada, “10 Billion – What’s on Your Plate?” by Valentin Thurn from Germany, “H2Omx” by José Cohen and Lorenzo Hagerman from Mexico, and “Jumbo Wild” by Nick Waggoner from the U.S. are among the submissions. 

A section dedicated to short documentaries will also screen eleven films including “Paper Box” by Zbigniew Czapla from Poland and “Food For Thought, Food for Life” by Susan Rockefeller from the U.S.

Actors Reza Kianian and Fatemeh Motamed-Arya are the ambassadors of the festival that aims to raise awareness about conservation of the environment and protecting limited water resources across the country.

The festival will be running in Tehran and several other Iranian cities until May 20.

RM/YAW
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