The private screening, in collaboration with TGV Cinemas and Suraya Filem, was part of the embassy’s year-long cultural exchange initiative to strengthen the cultural ties between Iran and Malaysia through arts, music, film and food diplomacy.
“The Sun Children” carries an important and sobering message about the distressing global issue of child labour.
Directed and co-written by renowned Iranian filmmaker Majid Majidi, the film was released early last year and quickly made its way to prominent international film festivals including the Venice International Film Festival, Miami International Film Festival, Munich Film Festival, Moscow International Film Festival, Fünf Seen Film Festival and the 15th Asian Film Awards in Busan.
The film is about a 12-year-old boy and his gang of street kids who are hired by a dangerous criminal to dig up a treasure buried below their school.
What makes the film even more meaningful is that the director chose his actors from actual street children in Iran, after nearly 4,000 auditions.
The film was dedicated to the 152 million children who have been forced into hard labour around the world.
In a video message to the guests prior to the screening, Majidi expressed his excitement at the inaugural screening of the film in Malaysia.
“This movie revolves around child labour, which is a major issue globally.
“It is our social obligation to be responsible to ensure these children have an enjoyable childhood and have their primary right in life, which is access to education.”
Majidi said his intention to select his cast from real street children was to prove that all kids are talented and if given the right attention, can become assets to their country.
Commenting on the importance of foreign films, Iran Ambassador to Malaysia H E Ali Asghar Mohammadi said that the film industry has evolved tremendously over the past decades, and thanks to vast streaming networks, nothing more than a good film can acculturate and enculturate a nation.
“Foreign films let us learn more about a culture. Through foreign films, we gain a new perspective by seeing the world of a culture entirely different from our own.”
“These films offer us so much to learn about a nation’s history, traditions, and people,” he said, pointing out how Malaysia and Iran were both melting pots of culture.
In 2018, both countries collaborated on a television film titled “Janji Zehan” featuring renowned Malaysian actress Nur Fazura.
The drama was entirely filmed in Iran and included 43 locations across the country including the city of Shiraz, Persepolis and Yazd.
The Iran ambassador also said he hoped that these efforts would open up more doors for broader cultural initiatives and partnership between Iran and Malaysia, especially in the film industry.