The section will feature productions centered around the resistance of the Palestinian people, IRNA quoted Mehdi Hamed Saqaian the secretary of the event as saying on Tuesday.

“Given the importance of the Palestinian resistance and recent events in Gaza, special attention will be given to the diverse works that have arrived in different sections of the festival with this theme,” he added.

“In the various sections of this year’s festival, including the stage, street, student, playwriting, and radio theater sections, works centered around Palestine and Gaza have been introduced, which will also be present in the special Gaza section after going through the festival’s selection process,” he explained.

The 42nd edition of Fajr International Theater Festival is scheduled to be held in the Iranian capital from January 13 to February 1, 2024.

On October 7, Israel started a deadly war on Gaza after the territory’s Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, launched a surprise retaliation strike against the occupying regime, codenamed Operation Al-Aqsa Storm.

The Israeli regime’s offensive has claimed the lives of nearly 18,000 individuals in Gaza, with a significant majority being women and children. Furthermore, over 49,000 people have suffered injuries as a result.

Israeli officials, including the prime minister, have made public statements endorsing or pledging to carry out acts of genocide against Palestinians throughout the course of this conflict. These alarming declarations have raised serious concerns regarding the protection of human rights and the safety of the Palestinian population.

Tel Aviv has also imposed severe restrictions on essential resources such as water, power, and gasoline in one of the world’s most densely populated areas. This deprivation has resulted in a scarcity of medical supplies and food, leaving 2.3 million Palestinians at risk of starvation.

SAB/

The post Fajr International Theater Festival to dedicate section to Gaza appeared first on Iran News Daily.

 The 37th Fajr International Theater Festival named winners during an award ceremony on Sat. evening, awarding the festival’s grand prix to ‘(Fore)named’ directed by Ali Asghar Dashti from Iran.

The post 37th Fajr Theater Festival names winners, ‘(Fore)named’ wins grand prix appeared first on Iran News Daily.

“All the plays have previously been staged, and this will give us a good opportunity to choose the best plays while helping us to organize a better festival this year,” Borhani Marand said during a press conference in Tehran on Tuesday.

He noted that the organizers have almost forgotten that the festival is a celebration and have somehow ignored its celebratory aspects for years.

“The best thing is to understand and follow the rules of holding a superb celebration. We believe it is the right of every individual to attend a festival, which is mixed with celebration,” he added.

The Fajr theater festival is one of the events that Iran organizes every year during February to celebrate the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Due to current adverse economic conditions confronting the country, Borhani Marand also expressed his hope that the international competition would go well.

Saeid Asadi, the director of the international competition, also attending the conference, said that eight international troupes are expected to take part in the festival.

“The foreign troupes will also give performances in the street theater section as well,” he said.

A number of foreign theatrical figures have also been invited to attend meetings with Iranian thespians and directors. They are also scheduled to hold workshops on the sidelines of the festival.

“These meetings appear to help introduce Iranian theater productions to the world,” Asadi added.

The festival will also host the representatives of several world theater companies, the names of which will be announced later.

Photo: Fajr International Theater Festival director Nader Borhani Marand attends a press conference at Tehran’s City Theater Complex, July 31, 2018 to brief the media on the 37th edition of the event. (Mehr/Mohammadreza Abbasi)

The post 37th Fajr Intl. Theater Festival to review top plays of the year appeared first on Iran News Daily.

The director of Iran’s Dramatic Arts Center, Shahram Karami, and the secretary of the 37th Fajr International Theater Festival, Nader Borhani Marand, attended the meeting, the center announced in a press release on Thursday.

Kemper asked if Iran would have difficulties in organizing the festival due to its current economic climate.

“There are economic troubles at all levels in the country, but it doesn’t mean we are unable to host great works,” Borhani Marand said.

“We prefer works of high quality and appropriate to our culture,” he noted and expressed his hope that the foreign embassies in Tehran would encourage great troupes to participate in the festival, which will take place in Tehran during January 2019.

“We don’t have any concern about the country’s economic and political problems,” noted Karami.

“We have learned how to deal with this situation and despite current conditions, I hope we will organize a great festival,” he added.

Kemper pointed to those German troupes that have participated in the Fajr festival since 2014 when he began his mission in Tehran and expressed his hope that more of the various theatrical troupes from Germany could attend the festival, which is organized every year to celebrate the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.

Photo: The first secretary and director of the Cultural Section of the German Embassy, Justus Kemper (R), meets the organizers of the Fajr International Theater Festival in Tehran on July 11, 2018.

The post Germany, Iran discuss expansion of ties on Fajr theater festival appeared first on Iran News Daily.