Photographer of ‘Faces of War’ to Judge Fajr International Film Festival in Shiraz

According to the correspondent of Iran’s Book News Agency (IBNA) in Shiraz, Alfred Yaghobzadeh was born in 1958 into a cultural family with an Armenian father and Assyrian mother in Tehran. With the events of the Iranian Revolution in 1979, he abandoned his studies in interior design and entered the world of photography.

He is one of the most prominent and influential war photographers in Iran and globally. In addition to his work in this field, he is also a recognized figure in photojournalism and social documentary photography. Numerous exhibitions of Yaghobzadeh’s works have been held across the globe.

During the presence of the creator of the book “Iran-Iraq War Photo Collection: A Requiem” at the festival, in addition to his role as a judge, an exhibition of his works will also be held. This exhibition will feature approximately 47 photos from various global conflicts, including the eight-year Sacred Defense and the Gaza War. These works will be open to the public.

Yaghobzadeh will also conduct a workshop for photography enthusiasts to share his experiences and knowledge with the Iranian photography community.

The opening ceremony of the 43rd Fajr International Film Festival will take place at 5:30 PM on the fifth day in Shiraz, with the presence of international, national, provincial officials, and filmmakers. At this ceremony, a reconstructed version of the film “Under the Olive Trees,” directed by Abbas Kiarostami, will be screened.

Five Iranian filmmakers will serve as judges in the International Competition, Eastern Panorama, Horizon, and Broken Olive sections of this festival. They will evaluate the submitted works alongside foreign judges whose names will be announced later.

Mahmoud Kalari, an Iranian cinematographer, photographer, and film director who has captured lasting images in cinematic works, along with Christophe Rezaei, a composer, will judge the International Competition section alongside foreign judges. In the Eastern Panorama section, Hoda Zeinolabedin, an actress, will serve as a judge. Mehdi Karampour, a screenwriter and director, will judge the Horizon section, which focuses on the first and second films of directors. Farzad Motamen, a director, is a judge for the Broken Olive section of this festival.

According to IBNA, the Fajr International Film Festival will be held from November 26th to December 3rd at the Honarshahr Aftab Cinema Complex in Shiraz.