Iran, Pakistan collaborate on joint film project celebrating Iqbal
The Minister of Culture of Pakistan, Jamal Shah, lauded the dynamism of Iran’s cinema industry and announced the collaboration between Iran and Pakistan on a joint film project, including one that pays tribute to Allama Muhammad Iqbal, known as Iqbal Lahori.
This announcement comes as part of Pakistan’s commitment to strengthening cultural and artistic ties with Iran.
In an interview with IRNA, Jamal Shah revealed Pakistan’s determination to develop cultural and artistic connections with Iran.
He highlighted the recent meeting with his Iranian counterpart on the sidelines of the Conference of Ministers of Culture in the Islamic World in Doha, expressing Pakistan’s eagerness to host an Iranian film festival.
The Iranian Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, Mohammad-Mehdi Esmaeili, and the Director of the Cinema Organization of Iran, Mohammad Khazaei, were invited to visit Islamabad to attend this festival.
Furthermore, Minister Jamal Shah disclosed that several Iranian officials, including directors and filmmakers, are scheduled to participate in the festival in Islamabad. This gathering aims to facilitate the exchange of experiences and negotiations towards the finalization of the joint production of a film on Iqbal Lahori.
Jamal Shah underscored that Iqbal Lahori is an important cultural and shared heritage of both Pakistan and Iran.
He also expressed Pakistan’s readiness to provide the necessary facilities for the development of other collaborative cultural and artistic productions and films.
The Pakistani official praised the progress made by Iran in various cultural fields, particularly in music, filmmaking, and visual arts, after the Islamic Revolution.
He underlined the honor it brings to the Islamic community, making special note of Pakistan’s keen interest in mutual exchange and joint production in the film and cinema industry.
“We are eager to not only benefit from Iran’s achievements in various cultural fields, but also to utilize their experiences in the field of film,” said Jamal Shah.
He further announced Pakistan’s Ministry of Culture’s readiness to collaborate with the Cinema Organization of Iran for the joint production of films, emphasizing the role such projects play in deepening cultural ties between the two countries.
He expressed Pakistan’s enthusiasm for hosting an Iranian film festival as proof to the strength of Iran’s cinema industry.
Minister Jamal Shah highlighted the long-standing and strong cultural, historical, religious, and geographical ties between Iran and Pakistan.
He recalled that these relations came before Pakistan’s establishment, dating back to a time when this region was under Persian rule.
In conclusion, Jamal Shah stressed the need to promote multifaceted cultural, artistic, educational, and literary cooperation between Iran and Pakistan.
He called for immediate action to prevent the ongoing Israeli atrocities against Palestinians in Gaza, and for the world community, Islamic nations, and leaders to join forces in supporting the defenseless people of Gaza against the relentless Israeli aggressions.
Iran’s Ambassador to Islamabad Reza Amiri-Moqaddam expressed satisfaction with the strong people-to-people relations between the two neighboring countries and emphasized the importance of diversifying cultural exchanges.
He confirmed Iran’s willingness to expand comprehensive cultural, artistic, and cinematic cooperation with Pakistan.
During their meeting, Esmaeili and his Pakistani counterpart agreed on the organization of a joint cultural week celebrating the cultural heritage of both nations in Islamabad.