TEHRAN, July. 7 (MNA) The president of the 36th Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF) has said that it is crucial that Iranian filmmakers attend the event, which will be held in the Egyptian capital from November 26 to December 5.
We will certainly screen films by Iranian directors, even if they will not be able to attend the event, Amir Al Omari told the Persian service of FNA in an Internet interview on Saturday.
Egypt refused to issue visas to a number of Iranian cineastes to attend the 35th CIFF in 2012.
The Private Life of Mr. & Mrs., a drama directed by Ruhollah Hejazi on a marital discord, and Flight of the Kites, directed by Ali Qavitan about a teacher and his pupils in a remote region, were the Iranian entries to the festival last year. However the filmmakers missed the festival over Egypts refusal to issue visas to them.
Al Omari, a film critic who has recently been appointed to the CIFF, said that he plans to invite Iranian filmmakers to the festival. However, he added that issuance of visas to the filmmakers will depend on the climate of political relations between Iran and Egypt during the upcoming months.