TEHRAN — An international arts festival centered on lullabies and motherhood is set to invite women from around the world to dedicate lullabies to the children of Minab, organizers announced, describing the initiative as a cultural response to the recent terrorist U.S. attack in southern Iran.
The inaugural “Minab Awakening Lullabies” International Festival, organized with the participation of Iran’s Islamic Culture and Relations Organization, will be directed by filmmaker and cultural organizer Mazyar Rezakhani. A public call for submissions is expected to be released in the coming weeks.
Speaking to IRNA, Rezakhani said the festival was conceived following the U.S.-Israeli terrorist attack on Minab during the second day of the recent war.
“The U.S.-Zionist crime on the first day of the second war in Minab caused grief and anger among free people across the world,” Rezakhani said. 
“The enemy is trying, through cognitive and narrative warfare, to distort the facts and consign this crime to oblivion. Presenting a truthful account of what happened in Minab is therefore a strategic necessity.”
Rezakhani said the festival will feature both domestic and international sections, reflecting what organizers describe as the universal bond of motherhood.
“Maternal affection transcends geographical borders, and lullabies for children are the common language of mothers everywhere,” he said.
According to the organizers, mothers and artists from around the world will be invited to produce and submit works inspired by the festival’s theme once the official call for entries is published.
Rezakhani said the event is being organized in cooperation with the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization, adding that planning meetings between festival organizers and the organization have been underway for the past two months.
“Following the final agreement, the festival secretariat will soon be established,” he said.
The organizers said additional details, including submission guidelines and festival categories, will be announced when the official call for entries is released.
Rezakhani said the festival seeks to preserve public awareness of the events in Minab through artistic expression.
“At a time when the enemy is trying to conceal the dimensions of the horrific crime at the Minab school, the need for such an artistic event has become more important than ever for artists, cultural officials and all free people around the world,” he said.