TEHRAN -- The 5th Celebration of Iranian Cinema was held Wednesday night in Milad Hall of the Tehran Permanent International Fair Grounds.

A number of journalists and even actors, actresses, and directors were forced to wait outside the hall for a long time due to lack of seats.

Wednesday was National Cinema Day, but it was the only thing which was not taken into consideration at the celebration.

After hours of waiting outside the closed doors of the hall, people were told that due to lack of seats, they would have to stand during the celebration. How is it possible for a journalist to properly cover an event while standing?

The House of Cinema is the only one which should be blamed. It was obvious that House of Cinema had given too many people invitation cards to the celebration without taking into consideration the capacity of Milad Hall. Even journalists had to stand.

The officials in charge of Iranian cinema, which has been lauded at international film festivals, do not even consider holding their events at an appropriate facility. How can an organization which can not properly stage an event at home compete with others at foreign festivals?

Last year the 4th Cinema Celebration was held in one of the stadiums of the Enghelab Sports Club, and there were enough seats in the stadium for a large number of people. It is a good thing that the House of Cinema occasionally decides to hold events in places which can accommodate everyone who wishes to attend.

House of Cinema should consider providing a press section for journalists at future events if they want their events to be covered.

We hope to see that day!