Khosro Masumi: Chinese Films Aiming for a Hollywood Style

Iranian director Khosro Masumi is a Shanghai legend, having won the Golden Goblet Award twice which is unprecedented in the history of SIFF. Interviewed by Daily News, he reveals the three mysterious secrets of his success, global topic, simple style, and love. As one of the icon representatives of Iranian films, he, together with other Iranian directors, for example, Asghar Farhadi, who won an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film for A Separation, believes that the global market is of great importance as well as Iran\'s domestic market.

Daily News: You are the only director to win the Golden Goblet Award twice in the history of SIFF. What is the key to your success?
Khosro Masumi:There are three elements. First, the subject. I tend to choose world-recognized subjects. Second, my work is always simple in style. Third, love is well-recognized worldwide. Thanks to love, we are able to feel the beauty in films, so my films attach great importance to love.

Daily News: As a judge this time, how do you assess a good film?
Khosro Masumi:I am so glad to come here a third time as a judge. I said in my acceptance speech last year I wanted to be a judge and that dream has come true. I am so honored. A good film should be original and innovative. A good story could be boring if it is heard many times. Then, the casting should be right. Thus, the actors can better express what the director wants, and naturally be accepted by the audience.

Daily News:Is there a Chinese film style that you favor?
Khosro Masumi:China has a lot of great directors, like Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige. Their works are attractive and enlightening. I have seen their films many times and they are outstanding treasures of the Chinese film industry. Nowadays, Chinese films are heading toward Hollywood style, which wants action rather than art. Why was Ang Lee\'s Life of Pi so successful? His works, influenced by the Hollywood style, are world-recognized and have won a lot of awards, even the Oscar. However, I personally prefer Zhang Yimou rather than Ang Lee, because Zhang maintains his own style. Among his works, Red Sorghum is my favorite.

Daily News: Is Asghar Farhadi a leading figure in the contemporary Iranian film industry?
Khosro Masumi:There is no leader of Iran filmmakers because all the good directors work very hard together. By the time I had made five films, Asghar Farhadi had made none. He will never change his art for the sake of money. He is a very smart person, for he has caught on to what the audience wants to see most. That\'s why he makes such good films. What is remarkable is that as well as Farhadi there are many other Iranian directors shining on the international stage and winning many prizes. So the leader is not a specific person.

Daily News:What do you think of the influence Abbas Kiarostami had on Iran films?
Khosro Masumi:He is also a mentor of my films and I got a lot of inspiration from him. This lead me to make my films better, because Abbas is highly skilled in reaching out to the audience with simple plots. He also has international vision.

Daily News: As for the current situation in Iranian movies, what\'s the biggest difficulty in production?
Khosro Masumi:Iranian directors are often faced with the dilemma of commercial influence and art. As I said before, except for our domestic market, I also value the international market. We try our best to balance both of them. On the one hand, we should maintain the art; on the other hand, the  box office is also very important. With increasing domestic support, Iranian films will have a bright future.

Daily News:You just mentioned making international films. Does it mean you prefer that market?
Khosro Masumi: I have the same goal with as Asghar Farhadi which is that we hope our films will get good responses in Iran and can also be seen internationally. However, if someone asks me to make a movie according to his requirements with a lot of money, I will absolutely refuse him. I make films mainly for art. Why did my films Tradition of Lover Killing and The Bear win prizes at SIFF? Because I made them according to my own thinking rather than put a lot of money into them.