Iranian cineaste Esfandiari selected for Russian festival jury

An Iranian cinematic figure Amir Esfandiari who works at the Farabi Cinema Foundation was selected to evaluate the films at the 17th Pacific Meridian International Film Festival of Asia-Pacific Countries which opened in Vladivostok, Russia.

The festival which opened on September 13 will run until September 19.

Esfandiari, Anna Melikian (Armenian-Russian film and TV director and producer), Royston Tan (Singaporean director), Maximilien Arvelaiz (Venezuelan producer) and Jingsong Dong (Chinese cinematographer) will judge the films of Competition section of the Russian festival, ISNA wrote.‌

The festival is hosting films from 109 countries in 15 sections including Competition (presenting films from Asia Pacific countries), Panorama, Russian cinema and Documentary.

One of the new programs of the festival is dedicated to the Year of Theater. Another collection celebrates a 100^th anniversary of Korean cinema.

The festival was established in 2003 in Vladivostok, Russia. It is the only Russian film festival, which focuses on the cinema of the Asian Pacific region countries. Actively participating in the development of cultural exchange, the festival brings together more than 100 countries in Southeast Asia, North and South America and the Pacific Rim.