An executive meeting was held to implement a memorandum of understanding between the Secretariat of the National Public Culture Council and the Iranian Cinema Organization, focusing on the use of cinema and the arts to address cultural priorities across Iran.
According to the Public Relations Department of the Iranian Cinema Organization, Raed Faridzadeh, President of the Iranian Cinema Organization, described the agreement as a practical step toward using cinema more effectively to communicate cultural and social concepts.
“The issues covered by this memorandum are among the key areas of public culture and are already reflected in a significant portion of our documentaries, short films, and feature films,” Faridzadeh said.
He stressed that clear indicators and criteria should be developed so that broad cultural concepts can be translated effectively into visual narratives and promote values such as social capital, religious engagement, civic culture, cultural management, role models, and dentity.
Faridzadeh said the areas addressed by the agreement also overlap with major priorities of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance and with projects supported by the Iranian Youth Cinema Society (IYCS), the Documentary, Experimental and Animation Film Center (DEFC), and the Farabi Cinema Foundation (FCF).
He also emphasized support for films dealing with provincial challenges, even when they do not necessarily offer direct solutions.
“This cooperation is not merely symbolic,” he said. “Cinema can provide a platform for addressing problems facing the provinces in different areas.”
Qader Ashena, adviser to the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance and secretary of the National Public Culture Council, said the purpose of such agreements is to move beyond signing documents and create practical joint programs.
He identified four major areas of focus for the council: civic culture, social capital and public trust, strengthening religious culture among teenagers, and cultural management during periods of national defense.
Ashena also highlighted the role cinema could play in implementing Iran’s National Cultural Engineering Map. He said provincial frameworks based on the plan have so far been introduced in 28 provinces, with each province asked to identify five major cultural priorities.
The plan addresses subjects including family, Iranian and religious identity, media literacy, and the cultural and creative economy.
Ashena said film productions, festivals, and other cinematic activities in the provinces should take these locally identified priorities into account.
He added that the Iranian Youth Cinema Society, children’s and youth filmmakers, and documentary filmmakers could make effective use of cinema to explore provincial cultural issues and contribute to addressing them.
The meeting was also attended by officials from the Iranian Cinema Organization and the Secretariat of the National Public Culture Council.