Ayatollah Khamenei the Leader of the Islamic Revolution met today with the cast and crew of a popular Iranian serial on the life of Prophet Joseph, which was broadcast nationwide on Iranian TV. Speaking at the meeting, he said that Oscar prizes are worthless and that artists should not try to win such prizes.
Ayatollah Khamenei expressed his gratitude for the popular serial and said: "This serial was in fact a prelude to other original artistic productions within the framework of revolutionary art."
His Eminence described the plot of the serial as one of the prominent features of the televised production and added: "In the world of modern art and cinema, different techniques - including erotic scenes - are utilized in order to attract viewers. Unlike most other productions, the plot of this serial - which was highly popular in Iran as well as many other countries - revolves around chastity."
Ayatollah Khamenei said that there are political agendas behind the appearance of the modern cinema industry. "Most of the Hollywood companies are the manifestations of the will of a solid political system behind American politics, which has gone beyond governments in some cases," he noted.
His Eminence stressed that advanced communication and artistic facilities have turned the cinema industry into an influential means of promoting ideologies and political agendas, further reiterating: "The Islamic Republic of Iran has new ideas for the world, which have to be presented through influential artistic techniques."
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution added that religious democracy is one of the new ideas introduced by the Islamic Republic. "Democracy accompanied by religious truth has been practiced in Iran, and we can introduce this unprecedented reality to the people of the world through artistic means and dramatic arts."
Ayatollah Khamenei said that the fearless resistance of the Islamic Republic against oppression is another unprecedented reality in the world. He added: "The Islamic government contains interesting ideas that are highly popular among peoples around the world, and these ideas can be presented in the form of short or long productions through artistic techniques."
The Leader stressed the need for further utilization of these capacities for promoting the ideology of the Islamic Republic and reiterated: "Such artistic works will undoubtedly become great works, but they will never win Oscar or Nobel prizes because the global organizations that support art have already been disgraced in the world."
He added: "These prizes are totally worthless, and artists should not try to produce any artistic work in order to win such prizes."
Ayatollah Khamenei said that artists should produce artistic works with the purpose of clarifying reality. "One should try to learn the artistic techniques and produce artistic works that are based on the reality. And this goal can only be achieved through the efforts of committed artists and faithful youth," he said.
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution said that one of the main weaknesses of films produced inside the country is the lack of a good plot. He added: "The strength of an artistic film originates from the appropriateness, influence, and attraction of its plot."
At the end of this meeting, the cast and crew of the serial had a friendly talk with the Leader. Afterwards, they said their evening prayers led by Ayatollah Khamenei.