TEHRAN -- The Fajr International Film Festival has found a new permanent home in Shiraz. For the first time in its history, the heart of Iranian cinema is beating outside the capital. 
Shiraz, long known as the city of poets, gardens, and light, is now stepping into the frame as a center for cinema.
After hosting major cultural events like the Fajr Visual Arts Festival and the International Poetry Festival, Shiraz has proven that it has the capacity and the spirit to carry a major artistic event. 
With the signing of an agreement between the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance and the Fars Provincial Government, this transition has become official. The next edition of the Fajr International Film Festival will be held in Shiraz.
Local filmmakers and cinema organizers believe this decision could be transformative. Over the past few years, multiple cinema complexes and screening venues have opened throughout the city, thanks to high public demand.  
But the real significance of bringing Fajr to Shiraz lies in what it can do for the future of filmmaking in the province. Local filmmakers now have the chance to meet major directors and producers from across Iran and the world. They can attend professional workshops, join industry panels, and even present their work in the hope of finding collaborators and distribution channels.
It’s also a chance for Shiraz to attract investment in its own cinematic projects. From development to post-production, the presence of an international festival raises the standard and broadens the vision. 
Young filmmakers in Fars who used to dream of access to better equipment, training, or even a place to show their films, now have something concrete to work toward. It gives them a reason to stay, to create, and to grow where they are.
This is also the moment to bring serious technical training to Shiraz. Workshops in screenwriting, cinematography, sound design, and editing led by respected figures from Iran and abroad could shape the next generation of filmmakers in Fars. Screenings followed by critiques could help young directors see their work in a new light, and perhaps push them toward their best.
For decades, the centralization of Iranian film culture in Tehran has created barriers for filmmakers in the regions. Now, with the move of Fajr to Shiraz, those barriers begin to fall. What comes next depends on how this opportunity is used.