Short Animation Honors Farokhi Yazdi

TEHRAN.(Iranart) – Iranian short animation ‘For Freedom’ directed by Ahmad Khosh-Niyyat is to be screened at the short film section of the first Bute Street Film Festival, in the town of Luton, Bedfordshire, England, in March.

The short work poetically narrates the last days in the life of Iranian poet and journalist Mohammad Farokhi Yazdi (1889-1939), Roozrang Magazine wrote. Yazdi had to leave school due to poverty and start work at an early age. However, at 16 he had already started writing poetry and gradually became active in the Constitutional Revolution in Iran between 1905 and 1911 that culminated in the birth of a parliament during the Qajar Dynasty.  Yazdi was imprisoned because of his writings opposing the infamous 1919 Anglo-Persian Agreement that involved Britain and Persia and ensured the former colonial empire’s access to Iranian oil fields. The deal was formally denounced by the Iranian Parliament in 1921. In the same year Yazdi published the political newspaper ‘Toufan’ (storm), and gained popularity for his poetry and critical approach to key social issues of his time. In 1939 he was arrested and given a prison sentence. He died in jail. An independent event which is planned to take place annually, Bute Street Film Festival aims at showcasing the best innovative and creative shorts and features. For its first year, the two sections of the festival (short and feature films) will be held at different dates; the short film festival is to be held on March 10 while the feature film festival is slated for July (exact date will be announced later).