The Sixteenth Motovun Film Festival, which is held from 27 to 31 July 2013 in Croatia, has granted its Special Maverick Award (Independent Art) to the film “THE GARDENER” by Mohsen Makhmalbaf.
This award has been granted to the extraordinary achievement by the filmmaker in opening new borders and helping in removing some unacceptable and inhuman practices that still exist in today’s world, with his very original and unpredictable film. And above all this award is to the filmmaker’s braveness and his mastery of cinematic art.
Mohsen Makhmalbaf who was present as a guest of honour at the festival, where they held a retrospective some of his works, while receiving the award said:
" I hope this award could be used as a key in unlocking the doors of cultural and political prisons.
With this hope in my mind, I dedicate this award to that eighty-year-old Baha’i man who has been sentenced to twenty years of prison and is passing the last years of his life in one cell with his grandson.
I dedicate this award to that Baha’i mother from Semnan who is in prison accompanied by her infant child.
I dedicate this award to all the 130 Baha’i prisoners who are in Iran’s political prisons only because they have adopted a different religion or because they have taught Baha’i youth at their homes while the government of Iran has deprived these youth from entering Iranian universities.
Let us reflect on the ages of the Baha’i prisoners and the years that they have to spend in prison from the following list:
1. Jamaloddin Khanjani (80) sentenced to 20 years of prison.
2. Behrouz Azizi Tavakkoli (62) sentenced to 20 years of prison.
3. Mahvash Shahriari Sabet (61) sentenced to 20 years of prison.
4. Saeid Rezaie Tazangi (55) sentenced to 20 years of prison.
5. Afif Naimi (52) sentenced to 20 years of prison.
6. Fariba Kamalabadi Taefi (51) sentenced to 20 years of prison.
7. Vahid Tizfahm (41) sentenced to 20 years of prison.
8. Navid Khanjani (26) sentenced to 12 years of prison.
9. Farhad Fahandej sentenced to 10 years of prison.
10. Farahmand Sanaie sentenced to 10 years of prison.
11. Shahram Chiniyan Miandoab (31) sentenced to 8 years of prison.
12. Vesagh Sanei sentenced to 6 years of prison.
13. Pooya Tebyanian sentenced to 6 and a half years of prison.
14. Adel Fanaiyan sentenced (57) to 6 years of prison.
15. Rozita Vaseghi (44) sentenced to 5 years of prison.
16. Sima Eshraghi Aghdaszadeh (48) sentenced to 5 years of prison.
17. Kamran Mortezaie (61) sentenced to 5 years of prison.
18. Iqan Shahidi (27) sentenced to 5 years of prison.
19. Azizollah Samandari, sentenced to 5 years of prison.
20. Kayvan Rahimian (48) sentenced to 5 years of prison.
21. Davar Nabilzadeh (52) sentenced to 5 years of prison.
22. Kamal Kashani, sentenced to 5 years of prison.
23. Siamak Sadri, sentenced to 5 years of prison.
24. Payam Markazi, sentenced to 5 years of prison.
25. Kourosh Ziari, sentenced to 5 years of prison.
26. Amanollah Mostaghim, sentenced to 5 years of prison.
27. Sonia Ahmadi, sentenced to 5 years of prison.
28. Noura Nabilzadeh, sentenced to 5 years of prison.
29. Foad Moghaddam (63) sentenced to 5 years of prison.
30. Jalayer Vahdat (46) sentenced to 5 years of prison.
31. Afshin Ighani (40) sentenced to 4 years of prison.
32. Peyman Kashfi, sentenced to 4 years of prison.
33. Noushin Khadem, sentenced to 4 years of prison.
34. Mahmoud Badavam (60) sentenced to 4 years of prison.
35. Ramin Zibaie (46) sentenced to 4 years of prison.
36. Farhad Sedghi (66) sentenced to 4 years of prison.
37. Riaz Sobhani (67) sentenced to 4 years of prison.
38. Afshin Heyratian, sentenced to 4 years of prison.
39. Kamran Rahimian (44) sentenced to 4 years of prison.
40. Foad Khanjani (23) sentenced to 4 years of prison.
41. Shahrokh Taef (64) sentenced to 4 years of prison.
42. Behfar Khanjani (38) sentenced to 4 years of prison.
43. Manijeh Nasrollahi Monzavian, sentenced to 3 years of prison.
44. Didar Raoufi (33) sentenced to 3 years of prison.
45. Siamack Ighani (45) sentenced to 3 years of prison.
46. Taraneh Torabi and her infant child, sentenced to 2 and a half years of prison.
47. Alibakhsh Bazrafkan (61) sentenced to 2 and a half years of prison.
48. Anisa Fanaeian (34) sentenced to 22 months of prison.
And all the other prisoners and the long line of those Baha’i who are awaiting their sentences.”
“The Gardener” Makhmalbaf’s most recent creation, which is shot in Israel, has been screened in various international film festivals across Europe and Asia including Busan film Festival in Korea, Rotterdam film festival in Netherlands, Tokyo Filmex in Japan, Mumbai film festival in India and... The film has also received the award for the best film from Beirut international film festival in Lebanon.
Click the link to watch the trailer of the film THE GARDENER
