Seven Questions for the Next President

House of Cinema, which is the most important nongovernmental guild institution, has posed seven basic questions to presidential candidates on the eve of the 10th presidential election and has asked about their viewpoints on cinema. This is the first time that a nongovernmental institution is inquiring about presidential candidates’ programs. Since the lion’s share of cinema budget is provided by the government and Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance and the Iranian cinema is managed by one of the departments of that ministry, answers given by candidates will be taken as their official statement on cinema. If no answer is given (which is quite improbable) it would mean that the candidate has no specific plans for cinema. The seven questions include: 1. What is your plan for prosperity of arts economy, especially in cinema and how you are going to increase share of the Iranian films in global markets?; 2. Do you consider production and supply of works of art, especially films, a right or privilege?; 3. In what time will you put insurance plan of the artists, which has been stipulated by the Fourth Economic Development Plan, into force?; 4. What is your opinion about censorship and presentation of works of art, especially films, and what is your favorite mechanism in this regard?; 5. What is your plan to support material and intellectual rights of filmmakers and their products and how long it will take to implement that plan?; 6. Do you believe that structures, goals, and plans of the existing administrative system in the area of culture and arts are suitable for management and development of artistic activities? If not, what is your plan?; 7. Who is your candidate(s) for the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance?