Book documentary festival in Tehran

November 16, 2008

by Suzan Abrams

*the first English-language blog on the web to present this news, besides official world media agencies.

I would label the Republic of Iran as one of the top countries in the world, to stay solid in its representation of an exacting creativity; that courageously pushes boundaries in book, literary and cinematic formats, so as to rest in its forte as a fascinating art form.

In line with the celebration of the country's 16th nationwide book week, and with the main aims of encouraging reading as well as regaling in the appreciation of the country's writers and publishers, Tehran Municipality is running the first national Book Documentary Festival that stretches across the capital city until November 17.

It is the first time that Iranian documentary makers have united to draw up films that focus solely on books and reading.

Among the 16 films being shown on literature, are Qu'ran manuscripts by Kioumars Derambakhsh, three productions featuring the lives of famed literary figures Allameh Dehkhoda, Seyyed Jafar Shahidi and Badr Al-Zaman, and also Abbas Shahidi, the renowned cartographer and Nima Youshij, the father of modern Iranian poetry.

In addition, viewers enjoy an exhibition on photography displaying the various stages of book publishing and four special workshops on reading, storytelling and communication skills. Students can also expect free programmes.

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