French festival eager to ‘Watch Me’
the Pakistan Movement, Allama Iqbal can be a poet-prophet and a role model for us.” he said.
Influenced by contemporary philosophers such as Friedrich Nietzsche, Iqbal shed light on their thoughts, Valipour said, adding, Nietzsche’s ‘super human’ is an imaginary concept. However, Iqbal in Pakistan, like Avicenna in Iran, are super humans themselves who belong to all generations.
He said that Iqbal was not just the national poet of Pakistan but his message of unity has worldwide appeal which raises his stature as international poet.
Reza Sabzevari, Iran’s former cultural attaché to Pakistan noted that Iran’s short animated piece ‘Watch Me’, directed by Reza Mehranfar, found its way into the Third International Film Festival on Disability (IFFD) in France.
‘Watch Me’ is the only movie from Iran to be screened in the international event which is themed on health-related issues, according to ifilmtv.ir.
“A boy lives in a world of anxiety and fear; fear which is meaningless to others and is therefore ignored. Normal life goes on, but all he experiences is darkness and loneliness,” the plot of the movie reads.
According to the official website of the festival, “The third edition of International Film Festival on Disability (IFFD) will present a new opportunity for anyone who still have prejudices, apprehensions or even fears toward disability to come and open up to this parallel universe… that we actually share.”
The festival will be held from February 1-6 in Lyon, France. holding cultural seminars prepares the ground for political cooperation among nations.
Commenting on the commonalities between renowned Iranian poet Ferdowsi and Iqbal, Sabzevari said the two poets saved their nations with their masterpieces.
“People in Ferdowsi’s ‘Shahnameh’ are depicted as assiduous, peaceful and pacifist — just as Iqbal’s utopia, in which people are polite, united, responsible and have positive thoughts.”
Rezaei-fard reported on some cultural events organized by his office in Lahore, in the northeastern end of Pakistan’s Punjab Province, such as celebrating Iqbal’s birthday on November 9 and holding Iranian film week as well as courses in Persian calligraphy and miniature.
“In addition, a major on Ferdowsi was founded at Lahore College for Women University in the year to March 21, 2018,” he said.
Elaborating on the origin of the two countries’ ties, Rezaei-fard said Iranpakistan cultural cooperation began in 1956 with the establishment of the first cultural house in Lahore, and the roadmap for cultural exchanges between the two countries is rewritten every three years.
While reciting Iqbal’s verses, renowned Pakistani scholar Rashid Naqvi called Iqbal a universal poet who possessed remarkable knowledge of not only religious and political thought but also understanding of Western civilization. Iqbal apprised the world about decline of social norms a century ago and all of his predictions in his poetry today proved true.
Describing Iqbal a revolutionary poet, Kiumarsi, underlined the need for further research into the thoughts and philosophy of Iqbal and said that Iqbal revolted against all such concepts which were against humanity.