Tehran, Astana seal film cooperation deal
Iran and Kazakhstan signed a bilateral agreement on film cooperation on December 11, during an official visit by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian aimed at widening economic and cultural ties between the two countries.
The memorandum of understanding, signed in the Kazakh capital by Iranian Culture and Islamic Guidance Minister Abbas Salehi and Minister of Culture and Information of Kazakhstan Aida Balayeva, was concluded on the sidelines of high-level talks attended by Pezeshkian and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, IRNA reported.
The agreement sets out a framework for joint production of feature films, documentaries, short films and animation, with an emphasis on shared historical and cultural narratives.
It also provides for the exchange of films in regional and international markets and removes procedural hurdles for the use of locations, studios and technical facilities in both countries.
Officials involved in the talks described the deal as a practical step to move cultural cooperation from general exchanges to project-based collaboration, linking producers, film institutions and training bodies on both sides.
The MoU also opens the door to academic and professional mobility, including exchanges of lecturers and students, joint training courses and the deployment of specialist crews on co-produced projects.
Filmmakers from each country will receive reciprocal invitations to festivals and industry events, while joint Iran–Kazakhstan film weeks are planned to raise the profile of national cinema in both markets.
The cinema agreement builds on a broader cultural cooperation program signed in June 2022, when Tehran and Astana concluded a set of bilateral memoranda during a presidential summit, laying the groundwork for sustained exchanges in culture and the arts.
The cinema accord forms part of a broader package of bilateral agreements signed during Pezeshkian’s visit, spanning transport, trade facilitation, media and cultural cooperation, as Tehran and Astana look to lock in closer ties more than three decades after establishing diplomatic relations.
By anchoring cooperation in concrete production and training mechanisms, the two governments aim to translate political goodwill into bankable projects, giving filmmakers access to new locations, audiences and financing structures.