Interview by Mandana Ansari;
Mehdi Yarmohammadi is an independent filmmaker, distributor of Iranian short and documentary films, and the founder and director of the Independent Short Film Support Base and the Independent Khorshid Short Film Festival in Iran.
He is serving as a member of the jury at the second edition of the International Sahar Festival in Manchester, England.
On the occasion of his participation, we sat down for a friendly conversation and he answered our questions.
Mr. Yarmohammadi, how did you first come across the Sahar Festival?
I first came across the festival through Facebook in its very first year. Since I run a short film website in Iran, the festival caught my attention right away. Through getting to know the festival’s directors and understanding the cultural values and motivations driving them, I decided to come on board and collaborate — and I’m very glad I did.
You are a filmmaker and festival organizer in Iran, and you also served as a jury member at the Sahar Festival. How do you feel about being part of the Sahar Festival — and given that you live in Tehran and weren’t able to be there in person, did your absence have any effect on your judging?
Yes, I am the founder and director of the Independent Khorshid Film Festival in Iran — a festival dedicated to independent and experimental films, one that strives to introduce thought-driven and creatively grounded Iranian cinema to the international community as a true reflection of Iran’s thoughtful, intellectually engaged filmmaking tradition. And of course, as a distributor of Iranian short films, I have over this time collaborated with many festivals both inside and outside the country.
What I find truly wonderful about working with the Sahar Festival is the passion and energy its directors bring to presenting and showcasing the best of Iranian cinema and creatively and artistically driven short films — and to my mind, that matters enormously. It will no doubt pave the way for a bright and promising future for the Sahar Festival.
As for judging the films from Iran — in today’s world, borders are growing thinner and thinner. It is only the human mind and force of habit that continue to draw these geographical lines. The world is moving ever closer to becoming a true global village, and the idea that you can be sitting in Tehran and travel through the world of film to any corner of this earth was, for me, a fascinating, strange, and genuinely astonishing experience.
As for the judging itself — given the clear and specific criteria we had for selecting the winners, watching the films from Iran posed no difficulty whatsoever.
What advice would you give to young filmmakers?
My most important piece of advice is this: before you make a film, have a world of your own. Know your own perspective, your own voice, your own personal philosophy. Live with it, keep learning, and then make films. In today’s world, the short film functions as a think tank — and to succeed and grow within it, you must first and foremost be a thinker…
It is worth noting that the second edition of the International Sahar Festival — with the aim of introducing contemporary Iranian cinema and the Iranian Nowruz tradition, as well as discovering independent films and creative filmmakers and bringing them to the attention of the wider film industry — will be held from April 23 to 30, 2016, in Manchester, England.
