Tehran - BORNA  - The prestigious festival brought together a wide array of Iranian and international artists, filmmakers, and foreign dignitaries, who took part in various events related to the festival.

Among the foreign dignitaries who attended this year’s festival in Shiraz, the famed city of poets and gardens in southern Iran, was Pakistan’s minister for culture, Aurangzeb Khan Khichi.

Khichi led a delegation of prominent Pakistani filmmakers at the prestigious festival.

The Pakistani minister delivered a keynote address on the sidelines of the film festival, emphasizing the importance of joint film productions between Pakistan and Iran.

He highlighted the deep social, cultural, religious, and historical ties shared by the two neighboring countries, noting that cinema serves as a powerful medium for promoting cultural identity and strengthening people-to-people connections, according to a press statement.

He said that the screening of Iranian films in Pakistani cinemas – and Pakistani films in Iran – would help bring the two countries even closer.

“Cinema is a powerful tool to showcase a country’s culture and values,” he said, expressing hope for increased collaboration between filmmakers on both sides.

For the first time, three Pakistani films – Actor in Law, Umro Ayyar: A New Beginning, and Taxali Gate – were featured in the festival lineup, marking a significant milestone for Pakistan’s film industry.

The minister participated in various festival events, including a visit to the Pakistan Pavilion, where he met with the Chairman of the Cinematic Foundation of Iran.

During the meeting, he invited the Iranian official to visit Pakistan for consultations with stakeholders from the Pakistani cinema industry.

Khichi reaffirmed the government’s commitment to revitalizing Pakistan’s film sector and strengthening cultural cooperation with Iran.

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