TEHRAN – The secretary of the 36th Fajr International Film Festival, Reza Mirkarimi, said that none of the foreign guests were paid for their attendance at the event. “We did not give any guest money,” Mirkarimi told the Persian service of MNA on Sunday and added, “The extent of service provided for Oliver Stone and […]
TEHRAN – The secretary of the 36th Fajr International Film Festival, Reza Mirkarimi, said that none of the foreign guests were paid for their attendance at the event.
“We did not give any guest money,” Mirkarimi told the Persian service of MNA on Sunday and added, “The extent of service provided for Oliver Stone and his wife was that we paid for their plane tickets.”
“This demonstrates the skills and proficiency of the organizers of a festival if they are able to arouse the curiosity of its guests about the event,” he stated.
He also added that their method to invite the guests was so alluring that the invitees felt there would be a loss if they would miss the event.
A rumor went around on Persian social networks that the foreign cineastes at the Fajr festival, including the American filmmaker Oliver Stone, got paid a lot of money to be a guest at the event.
“We made good use of them; i.e. they held numerous workshops, delivered speeches and gave many interviews during their stay in Tehran,” Mirkarimi said.
The 36th edition of the Fajr International Festival was held in Tehran from April 19 to 26 as Bulgarian director Milko Lazarov’s drama “Ága” was selected as best film at the event.
