Iranian Cinema House and Film Screening in Cologne, Germany

The first round of selected films from the Iranian Cinema House festival concluded its three-day event in Cologne, Germany, on Sunday evening, December 9. "Zanjamoreh" or "Wailing and Mourning" was the last documentary film showcased in this cultural-artistic movement. In this film, three women animal rights defenders from different parts of Iran, who have dedicated their lives to caring for dogs and other animals by establishing private and independent shelters, consider dog killing and animal slaughter as contrary to rational principles and human ethical values. A report on this film screening and the documentary "Wailing and Mourning": In the press conference for the selected films of the Cinema House festival, Siamak Pour Sharif, a member of this house and director of the Iranian Film Festival in Germany, called for the expansion of cultural relations between the Cinema House and countries worldwide, including Germany, to overcome the marketing challenges of Iranian films. Siamak Pour Sharif stated, "The German market is the most important cinematic and television market in Europe. It is very important because we have had a long-standing artistic and technical relationship with this market, and we still do despite these sanctions. Although these sanctions have somewhat limited us, especially due to them, the Cinema House must step forward to re-establish connections that have diminished for some time." Farhad Tohidi, the chairman of the Cinema House board, also described the traditional film market at festivals as unsuccessful in attracting Iranian films and noted that film distribution companies in Iran are also organizationally weak. Farhad Tohidi remarked, "Iranian cinema has had successful participation in various festivals for years. It is a proud cinema. However, economically, it has not yet reached the level of its artistic successes and the awards it has received. If Iranian cinema can establish connections with international markets, the circulating capital of Iranian cinema could significantly increase, leading to further advancements." Gholamreza Mousavi, head of the producers' council of the Cinema House, addressed the underperformance in marketing Iranian films despite the high production capacity in Iran and reminded that the marketing deficiencies could be resolved with the right and scientific methods. Gholamreza Mousavi stated, "In the planning that took place after the revolution regarding the film market, unfortunately, what needed to be done was not done at all. We had taken the festival as the main focus outside the country. Naturally, we succeeded; however, we should have considered the festival simultaneously with the market and developed a capable private sector in this area. Moreover, we unfortunately did not utilize the resources of compatriots abroad who are active in cinema." In the press conference, Mohammad Ali Basheh Ahangar, a director and member of the Cinema House, also referred to the hardships and injustices he faced regarding his latest film titled "Malakeh" and briefly reflected on the poor economic situation and marketing of Iranian films. Mohammad Ali Basheh Ahangar stated, "The film Malakeh put a lot of pressure on me and my team. My team and I are all striving for a standard cinema, apart from the cinema that has moved towards a greenhouse cinema due to economic problems and other issues. Yes, Iranian saffron also faces problems abroad. Iranian cinema, with all the young talents in Iran, does not have a good situation outside the country. If there were a cinema in every country showing our film, the economic situation of cinema inside the country would not be under such pressure." Mohammad Mahdi Asgarpour, the CEO of the Cinema House, also spoke about the high production level of Iranian cinema, self-censorship among filmmakers, and job security for Cinema House members, emphasizing that part of this job security also relates to the government. After this press conference, the first round of selected films from the Cinema House festival began its three-day activities at the famous Ludwig Museum cinema in Cologne, Germany. In this cultural-artistic movement, six feature films and five documentaries, all of which have received awards inside and outside Iran, are being shown.