Igor Lopatonok in the workshop on the preparation and production of multinational films for the Sobh festival

Referring to Israel’s crimes in the heart of the Gaza Strip, American filmmaker Igor Lopatonok stated: “It is the duty of filmmakers to uncover the truth; we must create a film about this crime, and our mission will persist until justice is achieved.”

The professional workshop on the conditions, requirements, and mechanisms of preparing and producing multinational films was held on Sunday, May 19th, on the third day of the Sobh International Media Festival at IRIB University.

During the meeting, Lopatonok discussed the requirements of international filmmaking, the filmmaking conditions in America, and censorship in the country. He also referred to the bloody events in Gaza and discussed the important role of the filmmaker as a truth revealer and a changer of the dominant media narrative.

Filmmaking transcends borders.

Lopatonok added, “I am very happy to host you, future filmmakers. I have been working in the field of filmmaking for 19 years and have completed 53 projects. Additionally, I have been studying directing under Oliver Stone for the past 10 years.”

The director went on to say, “The first principle of filmmaking for me is that I never make a film that I am not interested in. I’m also not in a rush to get things done; some projects have taken up to 7 years to reach the production stage. It usually takes me a year to develop a good script, and another year to complete photography and post-production.”

This international filmmaker considered knowing an international language to be one of the main requirements for the production of multinational films and said: Despite its limitations, filmmaking moves beyond borders and can be a suitable capacity to convey a message.

This filmmaker also said about the experience of making a film in Iran: Iranian culture has differences from my culture, and this creates better situations for me as a filmmaker.

Today’s world is no longer bipolar.

This international filmmaker said about the experience of knowing cultures around the world: encountering different cultures is not a challenge; rather, it is a blessing. This has made me appreciate different people. Every culture has different achievements, and this exposure to cultures enriches your thinking. For example, when I read the Shahnameh, I see how a country with a history of 5,000 years and a country with a history of 300 years claim to teach it history.

In another part of his talk about American cinema, Igor Lopatonok said: Hollywood invites everyone who has ideas and capital to cooperate; but after people go to Hollywood, they just produce for the studios and don’t master the script. Only big names like Nolan, Spielberg, and Stone still dominate their scripts.

According to Lopatonok, today’s world is no longer bipolar, and we have just been freed from American domination. He said, I have been affected by censorship in America. Apple TV and Amazon have removed my movies, even movies that have had unprecedented visits. But today, there are different ways to get rid of censorship. For example, we can consider decentralized networks such as Twitter and Rumble in Canada.

The filmmaker fights with his mind.

This director said to future filmmakers: Always stick to your principles regardless of everything and don’t believe every story. This procedure teaches you to fight with one hand or even without hands and with the power of your mind.

The 2nd Sobh International Media Festival, with Mohsen Yazdi as the festival director, started on May 19 with the screening of documentary, animation and short film works, along with the holding of professional workshops on the topic of media.

For more information please visit sobhfestival.com