Tehran Times, Iran
June 30 2004

Iranian Filmfest To Host Filmmakers From Central Asia, Caucasus

Tehran Times Art Desk
TEHRAN (MNA) -- For the first time filmmakers from the countries of
Central Asia and the Caucasus will participate in the Fourth Varesh
Short Film Festival to be held from September 12 until September 16,
2004 in Babol in the northern Iranian province of Mazandaran, the
public relations office of the festival announced on Tuesday.

The filmmakers are from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Armenia,
Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Georgia, Russia, Turkmenistan, Dagestan, and
Chechnya.

`Presence of the filmmakers at the festival will be a good
opportunity for development of cultural ties between these countries
and Iran,' said Yazdan Ashiri, the director of the festival's public
relations office.

This year's theme of the festival theme is short films featuring
public culture. Varesh is a local Mazandarani word meaning rain.

This year, the festival is also scheduled to highlight the works of
young filmmakers from the southern Iranian province of Hormozgan.