First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref has emphasized the role of art and cinema in preserving national cohesion and the country’s social capital, saying filmmakers bear a significant responsibility to portray the greatness of the Iranian nation and the country’s achievements and should play an active role in countering efforts by the enemy to undermine social cohesion.
Aref also addressed economic pressure and what he described as an economic blockade, stressing that Iran is capable of importing all necessary goods. While the Persian Gulf remains the country’s most convenient trade route, he said alternative routes and corridors have also been activated to meet national needs.
According to the Public Relations Department of the Iranian Cinema Organization, citing the First Vice President’s official news outlet, Aref made the remarks at a meeting of the Supreme Council of Cinema.
Congratulating the film community on National Cinema Day, he thanked artists and filmmakers for their contribution to cultural affairs and efforts to reduce social harm.
“The strong and high-quality participation of artists in last year’s Fajr Film Festival deserves appreciation,” Aref said. “Festivals of this kind provide an opportunity to assess the development of art and cinema, and filmmakers should evaluate how the qualitative growth of the film industry has progressed.”
He said Iran takes pride in cinema working alongside science and technology to strengthen the country’s influence within the Iranian civilizational sphere, the region, and the wider world.
“Art plays an important role in establishing closer cultural ties between Iran and countries within this civilizational sphere,” he said.
Referring to Iran’s diversity of ethnic groups, dialects, and languages as a source of pride, Aref said art can play an important role in bringing these diverse social elements together and strengthening national solidarity.
Government Approves Establishment of Council for Arts and Literature
Aref also discussed the 14th administration’s approach to culture and the arts.
“National consensus is one of the president’s central themes, and art has an important role to play in achieving that goal,” he said. “The 14th administration attaches particular importance to art and artists, although the challenges of the past two years have prevented this approach from being reflected as fully as it should have been.”
He announced that the government had approved the establishment of a Council for Arts and Literature at the proposal of the minister of culture and Islamic guidance.
The new council will operate alongside the Supreme Council of Cinema and, according to Aref, represents one of the administration’s initiatives to enhance the standing of literature, writers, art, and artists.
“In the remaining two years of the 14th administration, we need to pursue a more serious and accelerated course in the arts,” he said.
Filmmakers Called On to Portray Iran’s Achievements
Referring to what he described as the roles played by the “fronts of the battlefield, the streets, public service, and science and technology” during the two recent imposed wars, Aref said artists—particularly filmmakers—have a major responsibility.
“Artists, especially filmmakers, have the significant task of portraying the greatness of this nation and the achievements of our country,” he said. “Cinema is an eloquent expression of the civilization and identity of which we are proud.”
Aref described committed, nationally oriented art as a foundation of national cohesion.
“The enemy failed to achieve any of its objectives during the 12-day war and the Ramadan War, but it has not abandoned its strategy of overthrow,” he said. “It has now entered an economic war aimed at causing social disintegration.”
He added that, alongside economic pressure, the country’s social cohesion was also being targeted.
“Under these circumstances, artists have a responsibility to make greater use of the subtle and powerful language of art to preserve and strengthen this valuable social capital,” he said.
General Framework for National Fund to Support Iranian Cinema Development Approved
The meeting also reviewed the implementation of previous decisions by the Supreme Council of Cinema.
Participants agreed to establish a Committee for Follow-Up on Supreme Council of Cinema Resolutions, which will regularly monitor and report on the implementation of the council’s decisions.
The council also approved the general framework for establishing a National Fund to Support the Development of Iranian Cinema, aimed at creating a sustainable source of revenue for the film industry.
Under the decision, the Secretariat of the Supreme Council of Cinema, the Plan and Budget Organization, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Finance, the Presidential Legal Affairs Office, and the Administrative and Recruitment Affairs Organization were tasked with finalizing their proposal on the fund’s legal structure within two months.