First meeting of Iran’s High Council for Cinema held

TEHRAN, Jan.1(MNA) -- The first meeting of Iran’s High Council for Cinema was held on Thursday with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad overseeing the council.

The council was established during a government cabinet meeting on July 21, 2010 to be Iran’s highest state body for making policy in cinematic affairs.

Reviewing technical equipment, construction of new movie theaters, providing life insurance for cineastes, and establishment of a cinematic organization for pursuing these issues were discussed during the meeting.

The council is composed of the minister of culture and Islamic guidance who acts as its president, deputy culture minister for cinematic affairs, the IRIB director, the Islamic Ideology Dissemination Organization director, five cineastes and a number of other officials.

The office of the deputy culture minister for cinematic affairs was previously Iran’s highest state body for making policy in cinematic affairs.

Filmmakers have to get a permit from this office to produce their films, which after filming must also be approved by it for public screening.

The plan for the establishment of the council was announced by Javad Shamaqdari after he was introduced as the deputy culture minister for cinematic affairs during a ceremony in October 2009.

“I have talked with him about being an aid and a friend of cinema in all stages,” he said during the ceremony.

“So fortunately, he agreed to my proposal for establishing the high council,” he added.

The cinema high council will convene every six months to make decisions on major policies for cinematic affairs.