BBC Persian – February 8, 2020
On the seventh day of the 38th Fajr Film Festival, the press conference for the film Atabai (2020), directed by Niki Karimi, was held.
During the Q&A session between reporters and the film’s crew, a verbal altercation broke out between a journalist and Hadi Hejazifar, the film's writer and actor, over the use of the Turkish language in the movie.
The critical journalist asked, “The official language of the country is Persian. What kind of filmmaking is this in Iran where we must watch an Iranian film with Persian subtitles?”
Niki Karimi responded, “In fact, we have done far too little regarding other languages and regions.”
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| Niki Karimi |
Hadi Hejazifar accused the journalist of holding “fascist views and attitudes” and added, “It’s precisely this kind of thinking that leads to separatist sentiments.”
Mahmoud Gabrloo, who was moderating the session, made several attempts to interrupt Hejazifar’s remarks and ultimately asked him to turn off his microphone.
Unlike the previous year, when four female directors were featured in the Fajr Festival, this year, Niki Karimi is the only woman director participating in the event.
Karimi’s latest film follows the story of a 40-year-old man named Atabai, who lives in the village of Pirkandi in Khoy County. He studied architecture but, during his university years, experienced heartbreak, which led to significant psychological effects. As a result, he dropped out of university and returned to his hometown.
The link to the original article in Farsi on BBC Persian:
درگیری لفظی بر سر زبان ترکی فیلم 'آتابای' در نشست پرسش و پاسخ فیلم