UNESCO supports Parvaz International Film Festival

Parvaz International Film Festival in cooperation with the UNESCO, screened a selection of films from last year’s Festival, dedicated to raising public awareness of disability issues and dispelling negative stereotypes, myths and prejudices regarding people with disabilities, AVA Diplomatic reports.

The movie screening took place in Niavaran Palace in the presence of Iranian film directors, actors, NGOs, UN agencies, and people with disabilities.

In her opening speech, Ms. Esther Kuisch Laroche, Director and Representative of the UNESCO Tehran Cluster Office, said: “About 15 per cent of the world population lives with some form of disability. Often the greatest barriers that people with disabilities face are attitudes based on stigma and discrimination and misplaced ideas about disability.” She went on to say: “UNESCO’s aim is to promote social inclusion and empowerment of people with disabilities through all of our programmes in education, sciences, culture, communication and information. And this is why we have been supporting the Parvaz Film Festival since the beginning.”

The short films that were screened showed the challenges that people with disabilities and their family members face in day-to-day life, but also highlighted some extraordinary achievements of people with disabilities.

At the end of the movie screening, Ms. Kuisch Laroche and Ms. Amiri of Parvaz International Film Festival unveiled a special stamp of the Festival.

The 2016 Parvaz Film Festival will take place from 6-8 December in Tehran and interested film makers can already submit their entries. For more information, please see: www.parvazfilmfestival.com