Hot Docs producer learns about Persian art from Iranian docs
TEHRAN.(Iranart) – Dorota Lech, a programmer and producer of the Hot Docs Forum, has said that she is eager to learn more about Persian poetry and art through those documentaries on these subjects made by Iranian filmmakers.
“I have seen some poetic and beautiful documentaries from Iran before. You have this incredible history of poetry and art, so I am very interested to learn more about that from the documentaries I watch,” she told the Tehran Times on Tuesday.
Lech is in Tehran by invitation of the organizers of the Cinema Verite festival currently underway at Tehran’s Charsu Cineplex.
“I am here just to experience the festival and to see the films. It helps a lot. I have seen so many films from Iran. There are so many submissions from Iran but sometimes you can’t understand the place, the people and the films until you see how it is in person. It is like research. It just helps understanding,” she added.
Lech is an industry programmer at Hot Docs, North America’s largest documentary festival, where she works as a producer for the Hot Docs Forum.
“The forum is an international and a co-production event, where documentarians are pitched to world broadcasters and distributors, film funds and film producers to obtain partnerships,” she said.
“My other job in the other half of the year is at the Toronto International Film Festival, where I am a program associate for documentaries,” she added.
Dorota also said that she is lucky to have been invited to the festival in Tehran.
“I am here to observe how the festival runs, to watch some documentaries and most importantly just to meet a lot of filmmakers and film producers and just learn about films coming from Iran. Hopefully, some of them will be submitted to us at the Hot Docs or Toronto festivals and we can have some selections from Iran in our documentary festivals,” Dorota explained.
She also talked about the elements she considers in choosing docs coming from any country and said, “To be honest for me every topic is interesting or beautiful. I like art films, I like political films, what matters is how every individual film comes across. If it is filmed really well, if it is edited really well, if it is compelling, if it has a good story line, if it is unique, or if it is interesting, then that is the best film. It does not have to be political or about art. It should be just the most beautiful package; the most interesting package.
“It could be anything. It could be about one woman who has not left her house for 50 years. The topic could be as interesting as just a big historical film about the history of this neighborhood in Tehran,” she said.
Dorota holds a double M.A. in political science and gender studies from McGill University.
She is also the doc conference programmer and a programming associate at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).
The Documentary and Experimental Film Center is the organizer of the Cinema Verite festival, which opened on December 10 and will run until December 17.