Magic of Fantastic World of Cinema Excites Children; Director of “Leshy”

Born in Latvia, Irina Frederika Tarvida, director of “Leshy”, is promoting her film in Isfahan. In an interview with the 30^th International Film Festival for Children and Youth said that theme based festivals like the 30^th International Film Festival for Children and Youth give artists the opportunity to do networking and share their films, while children, teens, and practitioners can get to know the newest works of Iranian and foreign directors.

How does Leshy take place and how is a child the center of attention of the film?

My work portrays the story of a child, Fedya, who meets Leshy, a spirit of the forest inherited by Slavic mythology. I have chosen to shoot this film because it reminds me of the stories I've been told during my childhood. The idea was to bring onto the screen that kind of extraordinary world, ruled by the discontinuous ambiguity between imagination and reality, typical of most children. We all know that fantasy plays an eminent role in children's life and in this sense I believe that fantasy must be seen as a reflection of their perception of reality.

Another important aspect I'd like to pinpoint is the presence of a character who brings the young protagonist to change his attitude towards his family, the nature, and his view of the world. The existence of this character is indispensable to teach the young viewers something concrete, valuable, as most of children's films should have clear educational purposes. I find this goal extremely important in terms of moral and personal growth - children can have fun by watching films, but also keep something for themselves, once they're out of the cinema hall.

How can the 30th International Film Festival for Children and Youth help to promote your work?

My film distributor Davide Abbatescianni was seeking for some international venues where to present our work and suggested to submit my film to Isfahan, due to the historic ties that your festival has with another important children and youth event based in Italy, Giffoni Film Festival. We're very happy that Isfahan will screen our work.

Do you find a festival particularly for children and youth a way to promote and improve children cinema?

I definitely agree that hosting film festivals for children and young adults is an excellent way to promote shorts and features aimed to this peculiar audience. It is my belief that there are not too many festivals that promote children films, though lately there are an increasing number of established events all around the world. For many, love for animation and filmmaking starts with children films - they're very young and they're fascinated by the magic of cinema. Who knows, maybe someone sitting in the cinema hall will be inspired by some of the works screened at Isfahan and take the filmmaking path in his life. Finally, theme based festivals as such give artists the opportunity to do networking and share their films, while children, teens, and practitioners can get to know the newest works of Iranian and foreign directors.

To what extend are you familiar with the Iranian cinema?

Unfortunately, I am not so familiar with Iranian cinema but hope that attending the festival will fill this gap.

Where do you see children film industry in the world? Do you find it as effective as other entertainment industries?

A number of children films are released yearly, with both entertaining and educational purposes. In my opinion films are great means to teach the right values and inspire children and young people. We all know how influential the role of media is during childhood and youth. Therefore, by adopting the right approach and portraying touching stories, it is possible to bring up something really valuable to the mind of a whole generation, who will lead our future. That is why the quality of children films and their teachings are extremely important.