An Iranian filmmaker comes to town
Sitting at the conference room of the Iranian Cultural Centre in Dhanmondi, Afiat shared his views on moviemaking and his experience at the festival with The Daily Star.
About The Owl, Afiat says, "It's about an author going through a 'writer's block'. His solitude and the tranquility of the night take over his senses. He wants to create something original; something he is not aware of."
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Afiat is one of the young Iranian filmmakers inclined to realism. In the last few decades, Iranian films have come a long way. Not only have they shaped the taste of the masses, Iranian movies are now fetching accolades at prestigious international film festivals like Cannes.
How did this movement for quality cinema begin in Iran? According to Afiat, "During the late '60s, a wave of films with a never-before-tried approach swept over Iran. Ace filmmakers like Abbas Kiarostami and Bahram Beizaei brought about a reform in filmmaking. A decade later, after the revolution, creative filmmakers like Majid Majidi and Mohsen Makhmalbaf emerged on the scene. The flow of quality movies in Iran has been continued by a new breed of young filmmakers."
Why does he prefer short-films? Afiat's response: "I like to make experimental cinema and as we all know predominantly commercial movies are the ones that can pull in a large audience. In other words, experimental cinema has a niche crowd, which does not make the genre feasible for filmmakers. By making short-films, I can keep the production costs low and satisfy my creative needs as well."
"Besides short-films are more effective in portraying realism," adds Afiat, who is studying modern and post-modern films at the Tehran University. Among the films made by him are: Nighoh, Sudden Spring, Out of Focus and The Owl. So far, he has participated in film festivals in US and Switzerland.
About the current trend in movies, Afiat says, "Huge progress has been made technologically in films over the last 100 years. However, when it comes to focusing on the inner meaning of a story, we haven't evolved much."
About the festival, Afiat says, "I participated in this festival mainly because I wanted to know more about Bangladeshi films. I also want to generate interest in Iranian cinema among the Bangladeshi cine-goers. I'm quite impressed by the turnout at the festival." About his impression of the Bangladeshi short-films screened at the festival, Afiat says, "Bangladeshi filmmakers tend to focus on social issues. However, much progress has yet to be made."