Good films should reach the audience: Majid Majidi at IFFK 2018

"Good films should always reach the audience. They should never be termed as festival films and limited there,” said globally acclaimed Iranian filmmaker Majid Majidi in at the 23rd International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK). He was speaking at the ‘In Conversation’ session of the festival.

The maker of cinema wonders like Children Of Heaven (1997) and Muhammad: The Messenger Of God (2015), Majidi is the jury chairman at the IFFK.

“I’m so happy to be in Kerala. The faces of the people, who have watched my films, their feelings and joy, excite me. I have received accolades from numerous film festivals, but that is what is most important to me as a filmmaker,” he said in the session with Bina Paul, vice chairperson, Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, and the artistic director of the festival.

On his experiences as a filmmaker, he said, “The road was always difficult. Children Of Heaven was refused by several production companies. It is only a brother and a sister and a shoe, no one would watch it, they said. My friends suggested me to drop the project. I never gave up. Things turned around, I found a producer who accepted to do it, but on a low budget.

"But then it went on to receive over a hundred awards all across the world. It got translated to over 50 languages, and the entire world watched it. It has even been incorporated into the school and university syllabi in several countries. Hard work brings success.”

The 2015 production, Muhammad is a collaborative project with Indian musical maestro AR Rahman. “I had always wanted to work with Rahman. We share a very good relationship. I wanted for Muhammad, the bests in the business. And about Muhammad, it though portrays the childhood of the prophet, is not a religious film, but is about humanity. I wanted to narrate to the people, what Islam in reality is – it is all about kindness, friendship, and love. The violence and terrorism, is not what it is.”  

“I have been working on my next project for the last four months. Hopefully, it will reach the audience in 2019,” he added. Majidi was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at IFFK this year.

The week-long festival concludes on 14 December.