Dr. Masoumeh Ebtekar

Vice President

Head Of The Policy Council

The base of life on our planet, is the environment. Unfortunately we live in a time when the environment is threatened. Every year new records of high temperatures and extinction of species are reached and the natural catastrophes warn us that if we don’t make necessary decisions for reducing pollutants and changing our lifestyle, a dark future awaits us.
Human behavior change is a cultural matter and requires education. People must be aware of the impacts of their individual and social actions, because awareness is the most important prerequisite for changes in behavior that take place in a cultural evolution based on beliefs and characteristics of nations, beyond governmental programs.
Different branches of art, especially cinema, play a pivotal role in such trends and that is the reason why the Department of the Environment created the Green Film Festival in 1998 to screen the best Iranian and international environmental movies in all provinces of the country and provide an opportunity to educate all members of the society in an effective manner. The 5th edition of this festival was held last year after a 10-year stoppage and now efforts are made for the 6th edition to gain its rightful place as the most inclusive cultural and artistic environmental event of the country and the region.
I wish success to the directors and organizers of the 6th Iran International Green Film Festival and hope this edition will be an occasion for all Iranians from authorities to artists and intellectuals to come, work and think together to achieve the common goal of reviving and protecting nature and the environment.