Mohandespour: Festival Can Turn Iran into a Regional Cultural Hub

The festival could turn into a cultural focal point in the region given its broadness, said Mohandespour, adding that the timing of the festival would make it difficult for inviting the foreign troupes.

He said that he was interested in separating different sections of the festival, for example, the play writing section to be held in the summer.

Of course, the director said, the play writing section was held before the festival and its poster and advertisement medium competition would be held in March, adding that one of the main objectives of the festival was to host the highest number of theater groups with a wide variety.

He explained that Iran theater section was divided into two sections and some veteran director would perform such as Hassan Majouni, Jalal Tehrani and Mohammad Rezaeirad as guests of the festival, adding that he was planned to have a popular theater section but it was not implemented because of financial restrictions and other reasons.

"What I have insisted to be followed in this festival is preparing the ground for dialogue among members of theater community," Mohandespour said.

Dashtaray said that he watched 167 videos of performances for international section, 20 of them were admitted into different sections of the festival, adding that some renowned theater experts were invited to have panel discussions.

The festival will open on January 18 in Tehran.