#Iranian Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Mohammad-Mehdi Esmaeili

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A Great Childrens Film Festival:)

As we notice,on the stage of Isfahan Theater,are characters of known western animations: The dwarfs of Disney's Snowhite animated film:)

Who'ld ever guess that the Densey movie would get fans in Iran!

TEHRAN –The 35th edition of the International Film Festival for Children and Youth opened in the central Iranian city of Isfahan on Friday evening.

The ceremony was attended by Iranian Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Mohammad-Mehdi Esmaeili, the Governor of Isfahan Seyyed Reza Mousavi, the Mayor of Isfahan Ali Qassemzadeh, and the secretary of the festival Majid Zeinolabedin as well as a large number of children and youth.

“The festival offers a unique platform for Iranian children to unite and collectively aspire towards achieving great heights,” the minister said during the opening ceremony. 

The education and development of the new generation of artists must include a fundamental incorporation of culture and art in their learning journey, he added. 

The ministry is keen on partnering with the Farabi Foundation to implement cinema into the school curriculum and this would involve arranging dedicated sessions for film and cinema lessons, he explained. 

He emphasized that cinema has the power to serve as a shared language between diverse nations and cultures,and that the dynamic contributions of Iran's younger generation will be integral to the industry's ongoing advancement.

For his part, Zeinolabedin said that this year, more than 550 films applied for the festival in the four competitive categories and national and international sections in the field of short and feature films. 

After a meticulous selection process, a grand total of 68 films qualified for the final phase of the competition.

The inclusion of 835 children and youth jurors is a testament to Isfahan's children's fervor and eagerness for the festival, as well as the widespread support from the community.

The 35th International Film Festival for Children and Youth will run until October 12.

Source:https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/489837/Children-s-film-festival-kicks-off-in-Isfahan

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The Good ties of Iran with Japan

The great case is how steadily have gone real Deep and Nice the affairs of Iran with Japan.This doesn’t happen from the one day to the other,it takes time.Along with other benevolent factors on strengthening these ties.So let’s see factors.

The death Of Koniko Yamamura

On July 3 several Iranians mourned Japanese-Iranian cultural figure Koniko Yamamura.Yamamura, who was called by her Iranian name Saba Babai after her marriage to an Iranian man, died on Friday from a respiratory problem.“Immigrant from the Land of the Sun”, her memories of living in Iran written by Iranian author Hamid Hesam, was published in 2020.

Photo below:Koniko yamamura in tehran holding the photograph of her Martyr son

“Who was She?”,is possibly your question. “I never thought my life story would turn into a book, because if I were living in Japan with my parents,I would have had a typical life,but marrying an Iranian Muslim changed my life totally,” she has said. She married an Iranian Muslim in Japan and moved to Iran afterwards, where her life was totally changed after her 19-year old son Mohammad was martyred during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war .

“After the martyrdom of my son, several writers proposed to write my biography but I did not agree, but in a journey to Hiroshima I met Hesam and I trusted him, and the interviews began for the book,” she added.Hesam has also said that he met Yamamura in 2014 during a visit to Hiroshima along with a number of Iranian cineastes, authors and war veterans who attended the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony.

Iran seeks to attract more sightseers from Japan

Leyla Ajdari said last week that maximum attraction of Japanese tourists will be possible with a coherent program.

“Having plans to attract Japanese tourists, we will soon participate in the JATA Tourism Expo Japan,” she said.Elsewhere in her remarks, the official reminded some tourism projects being carried out using Japanese expertise.

“In addition, based on an agreement, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is undertaking projects to develop tourism infrastructure in the (Iranian) provinces of East Azarbaijan, West Azarbaijan, Ardabil, Zanjan, Qazvin, and Kordestan.”“Those provinces are expected to have a serious entry into the international markets on the one hand, and experience the prosperity of domestic tourism on the other hand”.

“Japan ranks third economic power in the world. It has a population of over one hundred and twenty-six million people with some four million incoming tourists and three million outgoing travelers”.

“Japanese tourists are more interested in traveling to countries such as the U.S., China, France, the Philippines, and South Korea, and most tourists who travel to Japan are from countries such as the U.S., China, Vietnam, South Korea, and India.”

Ajdari said Japanese travelers are one of the best. “Japanese tourists are among the best travelers in the world… And Japan is the traditional target market for Iran tourism.”

“Japanese children read about Persia in textbooks from a very young age. We should appreciate this market and improve our infrastructure and service standards. Hoping to attract the maximum number of Japanese tourists will be possible with coherent planning”.

According to the deputy tourism minister Ali-Asghar Shalbafian, a total of 715,519 foreign travelers, mainly from Iraq, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, visited Iran during the first three months of the current year (started on March 21),

Iran’s tourism industry has tremendously suffered from the international coronavirus restrictions so the number of foreign arrivals in 1399 decreased by more than 94% in comparison to the year 1398, Shalbafian said.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the deputy minister said only 74 foreign travelers arrived in the country during the spring of 1399. “During the first three months of the year 1399, only 74 foreign tourists visited Iran.”

“Citizens from the neighboring countries have been the main source of tourism for Iran since coronavirus restrictions were eased several months ago,” Shalbafian said, addressing the World Tourism Industry Conference held in Seoul, South Korea, on June 23.

“A turning point in the country’s tourism trend in the post-coronavirus period is the welcoming of tourists from neighboring countries.”

Iran’s tourism has experienced a boom in domestic tourism and a large number of Iranian citizens traveling during the Persian new year holiday (Noruz), the increase in incoming tourists following the re-issuance of visas, and the facilitation of the required conditions for tourists in post-coronavirus time, the official explained.

Last year, the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts announced that tourism in the country was growing before the corona outbreak, its revenues reached $11.7 billion in 2019, which accounted for 2.8% of GDP, nearing the average share of tourism in the world GDP, which was 3.2 percent.

Experts expect Iran to achieve a tourism boom after the coronavirus is contained, believing its impact would be temporary and short-lived for a country that ranked the third fastest-growing tourism destination in 2019.

A wallet-friendly destination with hospitable people, Iran has long been a desired destination for nature lovers, birdwatchers, powder chasers, culture devotees, pilgrims, museum-goers, foodies, adventurers, and medical travelers to name a few.

All things considered, the ancient land is determined to get through the coronavirus crisis with a greater reliance on its numerous tourist spots of which 26 are UNESCO World Heritage, and above all, its welcoming, sociable people.

Plus my post:https://at.tumblr.com/ashitakaxsan/japan-to-hold-cultural-festival-in-iran-speaking/30m1skncj0l1

Photo below: Japanese Ambassador in Iran Kazutoshi Aikawa and Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Mohammad-Mehdi Esmaeili pose after a meeting in Tehran on July 17, 2022.

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Japan to hold cultural festival in Iran

Speaking in a meeting held on Sunday with the Iranian Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, Mohammad-Mehdi Esmaeili, Kazutoshi Aikawa said that the month-long festival will be held in Tehran, in the northwestern Iranian city of Tabriz and on the Persian Gulf island of Kish.

He invited the Iranian culture minister to attend the opening ceremony of the festival.

On his part, Esmaeili briefed the ambassador about a campaign the ministry has launched to promote the reading of “Immigrant from the Land of the Sun”, the memoir of Japanese-Iranian cultural figure Koniko Yamamura who died on July 1.

He also expressed his sympathy over the assassination of the former prime minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, and said, “Our people have always had a deep affection for the Japanese people and deem them a diligent people.”

“The expansion of political relations and mutual cooperation is the first necessary condition for initiating friendly relations between two nations, and this condition is easily seen in the relationship between Iranian and Japanese nations,” he noted.

“Iran’s Islamic Culture and Relations Organization and the Iranian cultural attaché in Tokyo have performed well in expanding cultural relations between Iran and Japan, and we hope that this good performance will help improve political and social relations between the countries,” he added.

Aikawa thanked Iranian officials’ messages of condolence over Abe’s death, and said that the Japanese politician played a key role in the development of political relations between Iran and Japan.

He also praised Koniko Yamamura, who was known as Saba Babai in Iran, for her cultural activities as well as Iranian people’s support for the cultural figure.

Aikawa said that there is a great cultural affinity between Iranians and Japanese people, and added that Iranian movies have often been warmly received in Japan.

Photo: Japanese Ambassador in Iran Kazutoshi Aikawa and Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Mohammad-Mehdi Esmaeili pose after a meeting in Tehran on July 17, 2022.