Controversies Surrounding Several Films Omitted from Fajr Festival; 'Absolute Rest'

Following the announcement of films in various sections of the 33rd Fajr Film Festival, the absence of several specific films among the accepted works has raised suspicions about the influence of censorship on the selection committee's decisions and the conservatism of this year's festival managers. The absence of films such as 'Absolute Rest' directed by Abdolreza Kahani, 'Whale Amber' directed by Saman Moghadam, 'I Want' directed by Bahman Farmanara, 'Delta X' directed by Alireza Amini, 'Mother of Atomic Heart' directed by Ali Ahmadzadeh, and 'Taboo' directed by Khosrow Masoumi in the competition section has sparked questions about censorship. It seems that the organizers of the 33rd festival aim to prevent incidents that occurred last year due to the presence of several controversial films. 'Absolute Rest,' Kahani's latest work, is reportedly absent due to censorship issues. According to the Tehran-based cinema newspaper 'Bani Film,' this film, featuring Reza Attaran and Taraneh Alidoosti, was ready for screening about three months ago, and the film's team submitted a version for a screening permit to the cinema organization at the end of October. However, due to the failure to issue a screening permit, rumors about censorship problems arose at that time. Under such circumstances, Kahani had no choice but to submit his film to the festival. According to 'Bani Film,' before 'Absolute Rest' was reviewed by the festival's selection committee, it was stated that many amendments had been made to the film. However, Kahani's negotiations with the supervision and evaluation office reduced the time for amendments. These amendments, which were never applied due to the upcoming festival, would have caused 'Absolute Rest' to fall below the standard of a feature film. The second amendments, which were shorter and did not harm the film, were those that Kahani accepted and the festival organizers were aware of. According to reports from 'Bani Film,' some members of the festival's selection committee were not inclined to include this film in the final list of the Simorgh competition. Their main concern appeared to be a lack of trust in Kahani, fearing he might not adhere to the accepted amendments after his film's name was announced in the final list. Previous films by Kahani, such as 'Nothing,' 'A Horse is a Noble Animal,' and 'Without Reason,' also faced challenges in participating in the festival but eventually succeeded in being screened at Fajr. Another film reportedly sidelined due to censorship issues is 'Whale Amber' by Saman Moghadam. This film, starring Reza Attaran, Mahnaz Afshar, and Vishka Asayesh, depicts a man's life from the 1960s to the 1990s. After the film's absence from the accepted works, the team behind 'Whale Amber' stated that they preferred to prepare their film for public screening in peace. 'I Want' is also the title of Bahman Farmanara's new film, an old Iranian filmmaker, which is not participating in this year's competition section. Initially named 'I Want to Dance,' the film was not approved under that title and, unlike several of Farmanara's previous works related to death, it is a celebration of life. It is said that the director was advised to withdraw from the competition to have his film screened out of competition, a suggestion opposed by the film's producer. Ali Taghipour, the producer of this film, wrote in a letter to the festival secretary: 'I, Ali Taghipour, the producer of the film 'I Want,' officially applied for participation in the Simorgh competition section of this year's Fajr Film Festival on the announced date and submitted the film version to the festival's secretariat. Today, on 10/12/93, I was astonished to see that my film's name was not on the list of accepted films in the Simorgh competition section. Initially, I was shocked by this news, and as the producer and official applicant for participation in the Simorgh competition, I have a question for you as the festival secretary...' The list of films outside the competition has not yet been announced, and it remains unclear whether Farmanara's film will be screened at the 33rd festival. 'Delta X' directed by Alireza Amini, 'Mother of Atomic Heart' by Ali Ahmadzadeh, and 'Taboo' by Khosrow Masoumi are also among this year's problematic works. All three films have not made it to the festival while previous films by their creators remain in custody. 'Block 9 Exit 2' by Alireza Amini and 'Kami's Party' by Ali Ahmadzadeh have been in custody since last year and have not had the opportunity to be seen. The film 'Bear' by Khosrow Masoumi, although shown at the Fajr festival two years ago, has not received a public screening permit and has been in custody since then. Khosrow Masoumi commented on the absence of his new film 'Taboo' from the 33rd festival, stating to Iran's Art News Agency: 'I believe many films that are excluded from the competition section are due to censorship that prevents them from being accepted in the competitive section.' He further stated: 'Every year, the festival faces certain problems, and these issues arise from changes in policies implemented by the festival secretary. The Fajr Film Festival has become a festival of complacency.' The names of the films outside the competition of the 33rd Fajr Film Festival have not yet been announced, and in the coming days, as these films are identified, it will be possible to comment more definitively on the absence of certain works from the festival.