In this regard, Kamal Tabrizi, who is one of the prominent figures of Iranian comedy cinema and observed all the works during this period of the festival, criticized the current situation of the genre. Although Tabrizi’s recent films in the last decade have also failed to repeat the successes of comedy films, his criticisms of comedy decline in Iranian cinema have been reflected.
The forty -third of the Fajr Film Festival ended, but its margins continue, and what attracted to Kamal Tabrizi was a member of the jury and one of the most prominent comedy directors in Iranian cinema; Filmmaker, with works such as “Lizards”, “Always in a Woman”, “Lily is with me” and even the film has played an important role in promoting social comedy in “Calm Streets”.
Directors such as Kamal Tabrizi were capable of turning comedy into a tool for social issues. Tabrizi, in support of cooperation with satirical screenwriters such as Reza Maghsoudi and Peyman Qasemkhani, succeeded in introducing humor as a means of criticizing and analyzing society and indirectly involved in community concerns.
Comedy crisis from the viewpoint of the “Lizard”
In a detailed interview with ISNA, Kamal Tabrizi explicitly stated in a detailed interview with ISNA, “Comedy films in recent years have been so discredited that even audiences have no interest in seeing them at the festival.” “These films are so deprived of artistic values that they have become more a tool for superficial entertainment,” he said. The criticism comes as this year’s festival hosted several comedy films; But the reactions to these effects clearly showed that expectations of the genre were not met.
A look at the comedy present at this year’s festival confirms these concerns. The film “Antique” directed by Hadi Naigi, originally a nostalgic comedy, failed to attract critics because of the use of stereotypical and superficial jokes. Some criticisms even went further and accused the film of reproducing superstitions instead of criticizing it. The presence of Pejman Jamshidi and Bijan Banafshekhah also failed to help the audience attract the film. The film “One Hundreds” directed by Pedram Pourmiiri, starring Reza Attaran, who was focused on the Iranian -Iraq war atmosphere, initially promised a new experience, but eventually fell into the trap of repetition and rhetoric, and from his potential. It didn’t use it properly. Another comedy of the festival was the “Sufficient Negotiation” directed by Soheil Success and produced by Ibrahim Amerian, who was also a disappointing work in his director’s career with a scattered script and over -dependence on the element. It is noteworthy that among the comedies present at the Sonzuz Film Festival, in addition to obtaining a acceptable score from critics and media, it was able to obtain a special Simorgh jury to be an indicator for evaluating favorable and adverse comedy in the Fajr showcase.
But the main question is, what happened to the dominant flow of Iranian comedy cinema, once with works such as “Apartment # 1”, “Rentals” and “Mom’s Guest” Dariush Mehrjui, “Lily is with Me” and “Lizard” Kamal Tabrizi , St. Petersburg Behrouz Afkhami and even the “Forbidden Gentlemen” Young Rambad could present deep social concepts and serious criticisms in the form of humor. Have it been produced today?
Changing the taste of the audience or the quality of the quality?
Part of this response may be returned to the audience’s taste, but the more important factor is the over -repetition of the tailor formulas, repetitive jokes, and distance from risk. Iranian comedy films were once critical and cleverly portrayed serious society’s serious issues in humor; But today, many of the works are content to produce fleeting moments of superficial laughter instead of criticism and humor.
Converting comedies into a mere entertainment is part of the developments that have taken place in the patterns of cultural consumption in Iranian society, especially in new generations. In the past, cinema, especially comedy cinema, was a tool for social criticism and the crises of society, but today it has become more of a tool for entertainment and escape from reality. This change has influenced the type of comedies displayed in festivals and cinemas and has made works that have depth and message to be more superficial.
It should be noted that one of the most important problems that arise is the weakness of the script in comedy. Ashil’s heel screenplay is a comic film, but unfortunately there is a misconception that spending a few humorous actors in itself creates a funny and successful work. However, many of the lasting works of this genre have succeeded precisely because of their strong script, clever dialogues and delicate payment of social humor. The disregard for this key element has led to much of today’s comedy films, with no cohesion and influence, and rely solely on superficial and instant jokes.
The future of comedy in Iranian cinema
Tabrizi’s criticism may be a warning to return to the same path that once put Iranian comedies in a different position; A path that requires the boldness, innovation and revival of artistic values within the humor. It may be time for Iranian cinema to answer the question again: Is comedy just to laugh or can it still be a mirror of the bitter and sweet realities of society? Tabrizi’s remarks and criticisms of this year’s festival films show that Iranian comedy cinema has faced an identity crisis. From the brilliant and meaningful comedies of the past decades, we have come across works that rely more on superficial jokes and repetitive stories.
Isn’t it time for Iranian comedic cinema to return to its original roots and, like Lily with me, once again presents a combination of humor, thinking and social criticism?