Mrs. Elahe Rezaei, a capable children’s presenter, said: If we can create suitable opportunities for children, this field can be utilized to cultivate the future audience of cinema.
According to IQNA, Elahe Rezaei, the presenter of children and young people programs, regarding the reason for the stagnation of children and young people cinema after its golden era in the past two decades, stated: This stagnation requires expert analysis, but filmmaking based on the needs and interests of children is necessary for them, an event that unfortunately currently happens less often. In recent years, most cinematic productions are about children, whereas children’s film must first and foremost be made for children.
This artist attributed the prosperity of children and young people cinema in the 1980s to the identification of their needs and tastes, and said: In this decade, efforts were made to communicate with the child in a childlike language and based on their needs. This issue was completely evident in the structure and content of television programs and cinematic films made for the children of that era, and the cinematic works were also welcomed by these audiences.
In response to which of the approaches “for children” and “about children” should be considered by today’s children’s cinema, Rezaei said: In my opinion, both approaches are necessary and we must put both on the agenda. Because we must understand the child’s interaction with various subjects and fields in individual and social life so that programming for them becomes easier.
Regarding the reason for the success of children’s television programs during her active period, she said: I am glad to have the kindness of the people, friends, and colleagues, but if any success has been achieved, it stems from my love for children and teenagers and partly due to familiarity with the field of psychology. Of course, if we want to look at the issue fairly, I must say that in our era, the variety of programs was not to this extent. Nowadays, children can easily watch the world’s daily cartoons. This issue has made the television’s job difficult in attracting children.
Emphasizing attention to psychological and scientific principles in raising children, this TV presenter stated: According to psychological knowledge, children aged 3 to 7 will behave in the future according to what they have learned, so the better visual and educational food we provide for them at this age group, the better results we will get in the future. This feature can also be considered in the field of religious and Quranic propaganda. Meaning that if children can be the audience of religious works from childhood, certainly in the future their taste will also lean towards the desired works.
She described her love for children’s programs as follows: I love children and their future is important to me. I tried to perform my share appropriately and usefully in their television programs. In performing for children, one matter must be considered in a special way. And that is to let children be decision-makers themselves, because if we want to force contents onto them, it will not yield a desirable result.
Rezaei added: Children and teenagers need proper and useful cultural education, and this age group is very important and their needs must be properly paid attention to and answered. Childlike needs also have two aspects. In the first form, attention must be paid to the attractiveness of productions so that the child is attracted to the work through visual beauties, and in the second form, works that pay attention to meaning and somehow set a directional thought path for children.
In response to the question whether religious and Quranic concepts can be propagated in the seventh art through children’s works, this television presenter stated: As I mentioned before, children’s cinema is a place for training cinema audiences. We can clearly observe this point in prominent world cinema works, as to how they convey their missionary propaganda in the format of children’s works to their viewers. This form of work is also done in a very subtle way. This approach can also be considered in our cinema, especially since we have assets in the field of Quranic works that can be well utilized in the field of children’s cinema.
In another part of her remarks, she stated: I hope that programmers who do not find a suitable position to work in the field of children will gain the opportunity to produce their works for children and teenagers under suitable conditions. These filmmakers each make films for children from their own perspective, and this diversity is necessary for children and young people cinema. In this regard, I must add that the entry of experienced and prominent filmmakers into children’s cinema can bring about very good events for our cinema, because their credibility helps production works to be considered more seriously.
In conclusion, this children’s presenter said: The exaltation and prosperity of children’s cinema will also be economically profitable for cinema, an event that is well seen in world cinema; we only need to provide the conditions like in the past so that production works can desirably hit the screen.