Amir Dejakam Evaluating Razavi Theater Festival
Impacts of Festival Can surpass North Khorasan
Amir Dejakam, Iranian director, says if the various art events are centered in one region the audience in other places would be deprived of such positive circumstances and this would gradually lead to deep weakening of the field, which cannot be resolved easily.
Amir Dejakam said that any move that would lead to a pure art masterpiece was valuable per se, meaning that holding theater festivals in cities other than capital was a good gesture.
“It is not fair all privileges and knowledges such the best aviation and medical facilities and festivals and cultural events are centered in the capital,” he said and urged, “Everything must be spread across the country equally.”
The director of “Mother Courage and Her Children” stressed that due attention must be given to organizing cultural events such as Razavi National Theater Festival.
“This festival has grown but needs reform and improvement. Whenever any festival is organized if it leads to a pure artwork, it can influence the public,” Mr Dejakam said and stressed, “If the goal of a festival is not production of a pure artwork, it should be shut down.”
One of the themes of Razavi National Theater Festival is to picture the holy prophets and Shia Imams, especially Imam Reza (AS), the eight Shia imam whose shrine is in Mashhad, Razavi Khorasan province. Many groups are working on the topic, the quality of some are high. There are lots of works on the field but they should stay away of propaganda and repetition.
“There are lots of sensitives about such plays so due care must be paid to their production,” he stressed.
“Producing such works is not an easy task either in theater or in cinema. For example, the movie of “Loneliness, Every Night” in which great actors Hamed Behdad and Leila Hatami starred, did not enjoy the required high quality,” Mr Dejakam explained. “The plays revolving around religious topics should influence the audience deeply.”
He added that Razavi National Theater Festival should be popular and its impact should spread all the country rather than North Khorasan province.
He also questioned selection of few out of lots of plays to be performed at the festival.
“When 100 works are produced and just 10 out of them are admitted into the festival, do you know how much harm would result? Also, the 10 admitted groups have also burden expenses. Festivals must reassure them that they will be publicly performed and this is the most important element for any festival,” he said.