TEHRAN – “Shahjahan”, an Iranian documentary about the role of Iranian merchant Parviz Shahjahan during the Constitutional Movement, won two awards from the 16th Iran Cinema Celebration on Tuesday.
The best film award and the best documentary award were presented to its producer and director Hassan Naqashi during the ceremony.
Produced by the Documentary and Experimental Film Center (DEFC), “Shahjahan” chronicles the role of the merchant and how he supplied weapons, ammunition and money to the revolutionaries.
The Iranian Constitutional Movement took place between 1905 and 1911, and led to the establishment of a parliament in Iran.
Winners in the documentary section of the celebration were announced during a ceremony held at the Iranian House of Cinema (IHC) in Tehran.
“AK,Ap,As”, a doc about the pottery of Kalpurgan in Sistan-Baluchestan Province, won the best short documentary and the best short film awards.
Directed by Mohammad-Ali Hashemzehi, the short is produced by DEFC.
The documentary “Memories for All Seasons” by producer Morteza Razzaq Karimi won the best long documentary award, while Mohsen Ostad-Ali received the best documentary award for his “A Place to Live”.
The IHC holds the Iran Cinema Celebration every year in several categories.
Speaking at the ceremony, secretary of the celebration Mohammad Borzorgnia hoped that the documentaries would have the chance to be screened widely in theaters.
IHC Managing Director Mohammad-Mehdi Asgarpur also made a brief speech and said that he believes cinema must reflect some of the realities existing in society. “If it doesn’t reflect the realities, it is more like television rather than cinema.”
The celebration will reach its climax with the announcement of winners in the feature film section on September 12, which is Iran’s National Cinema Day.
RM/YAW
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