A meeting between the managers of the General Directorate of Performing Arts and the groups from Russia and France.
A meeting to honor and appreciate the artists from France and Russia was held by the General Directorate of Performing Arts during the 20th Tehran International Puppet Theatre Festival – Mobarak.
According to Cinemadrame, quoting the media office of the General Directorate of Performing Arts, Atabak Nadari, the acting head of the General Directorate of Performing Arts, along with Amir Sultan-Ahmadi, the secretary of the 20th Tehran International Puppet Theatre Festival – Mobarak, and Mozhgan Vakili, the head of the international office of the General Directorate of Performing Arts, met with the international groups attending this artistic event on Saturday morning (1st of Dey).
At the beginning of the meeting, Atabak Nadari welcomed the festival guests and said, “Before considering myself a manager, I am primarily a child of theatre and one of its practitioners. For this reason, I use the phrase ‘we, the artists.’ We, the artists, are the architects and workers who build the bridges of dialogue, connection, and culture to reach a common language.”
He continued, “I thank God for giving us the gift of theatre, because this art is a clear voice in the world. Especially puppet theatre, which not only connects us through a common language but also takes us into the world of imagination— a world that our poets like Saadi, Hafez, and Rumi dreamed of, and now these puppets take us there.”
Nadari added, “The costs of organizing an international festival are high, but the government’s, president’s, and minister’s view, despite the tough economic conditions, still focuses on intercultural dialogue and connections with the world. That’s why all resources have been mobilized to maintain cultural exchanges with other countries, especially Russia, with whom we have a long-standing relationship.”
He stated, “The Iranian people are known for their hospitality, and I hope your presence in the cold of Tehran will warm our theatre.”
Later, the representative of the French group mentioned, “This is my first time visiting Iran, and my experience here has been a new discovery. The dynamism and activity of the younger generation have been interesting to me. This collective movement and the cooperation of puppets gave me a beautiful feeling.”
The representative of the Russian group said, “I’m happy to be here again after ten years, invited by Mr. Sultan-Ahmadi, and to conduct a workshop for young puppet theatre students.”
He continued, “I have some suggestions for joint collaborations between Russian and Iranian universities, and I hope we can discuss them at an appropriate time.”
Another Russian artist at the event, while thanking the organizers of the International Puppet Theatre Festival, said, “We are fortunate to have come to your festival. It’s exciting for us to see the diverse techniques Iranian artists use. I started watching works from the children of Shiraz. I saw the performance of ‘Heart to M’ and the captivating technique and artistry of the director and actors of that piece, and eventually reached the magnificent opera ‘Molavi,’ directed by Behrouz Gharibpour.”
At the end of the ceremony, the acting head of the General Directorate of Performing Arts and the festival secretary presented gifts to the international groups attending this year’s festival to show their appreciation.
