Overwhelming response for first Iranian Film Festival in Malaysia

The first ever Iranian Film Festival Malaysia has received overwhelming response during the screening of the movies from Iran in Kuala Lumpur.

Iranian Embassy cultural counselor Ali Mohammad Sabeghi said during the festival, six selected Iranian movies including 'Under The Smoky Roof' that bagged last year's Crystal Simorgh Award for best actress In a leading role at the Fajr Film Festival in Tehran, would be on show for free at selected Golden Screen Cinemas (GSC) International screens.

He said the response was overwhelming at the launch in Kuala Lumpur last week with tickets for the movies snapped up two days before the screening and an occupancy rate of 97 per cent recorded.

"Iranian films are largely about family values and it contains minimal violence, which makes it attractive for all," he told reporters after the launch of the festival here.

He said Malaysia and Iran had a lot in common, especially in cultural aspects and the film festival would showcase aspects of Iranian culture through stories of common folk around the country.