Eurasia Press & News
TEHRAN (FNA)- Renowned Iranian filmmaker Ebrahim Hatami-kia, who is mostly admired for his films on 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war, is upset about Iranian filmmakers’ neglect of the war cinema, known as the Sacred Defense.
“I have made 13 films on various portions of the war and I am very sorry to see that I am still considered to be the only master of the genre,” he said during a press conference for his latest film, “Invitation”, at the Hak Film office in Tehran on Wednesday.
“There is no filmmaker who could surpass me in this field and yet I’m very sorry about that,” he added.
Currently a box office champ in Iran, “Invitation” is his first movie concerning a social theme not connected to the war. Many conservatives are disgruntled by his shift.
The situation got worse after he employed box-office ploys such as Mahnaz Afshar and Mohammadreza Forutan, who are usually used for the boy-meets-girl love story films.
Written by Chista Yasrebi, “Invitation” tells five parallel stories of several families facing similar problems but reacting differently to them, Tehran Times reported.
“Arranging the stories was my main concern… A powerful beginning or an effective ending was not the aim. Luckily, it has been well received by filmgoers. My main objective was to make audiences think,” he noted.
“That’s occurring, as I have seen the couples remain thoughtfully silent in their seats after the film ends,” he explained.
