Iranian documentary film festival kicks off in Tehran

TEHRAN,Nov.8 (MNA) -- The Cinéma Vérité, the Iranian international festival for documentary films, opened in Tehran on Monday Felestin and Sepideh theaters are playing host to all screenings at this event, which is held annually by the Documentary and Experimental Film Center (DEFC). A total of 30 films are scheduled to be screened in the international competition section of the festival, which will be running until November 12, the Persian media outlets reported. The organizers have also selected 170 films by Iranian documentarians for the national competition section. The festival is scheduled to highlight films on the Islamic uprisings that have occurred over the past few decades around the world, said festival secretary Shafi Aqamohammadian, who is also DEFC director. Filmmakers from Egypt, Norway, France, Iran and several other countries are competing in this section. The DEFC also had planned to dedicate a section to films on riots that hit the U.S. and some countries in Europe and the Middle East in 2011. However, the plan was not implemented due to a lack of films submitted to this section.