According to the IRIB News Agency, . Sajed Ghoddusian, appearing in the Khabar Network studio, said: The festival's main goal is to promote joy and strengthen the position of comedy as a tool for expressing social criticism.

Referring to the event's suspension last year due to the country's war conditions, he added: The festival has been held in four editions since 1400 (2021), but last year it was not possible to hold it due to the country's conditions. For this reason, in the new edition, special attention has been paid to the subject of war and the capacities of comedy in narrating these conditions.

Ghoddusian, referring to the new approach of the Audio Deputy to strengthen the pioneering and driving role of radio in specialized fields, added: In the festival's new edition, extensive changes have been made to its structure and manner of holding, and four bodies — Radio Saba, the Nasim Network, the Comedy Office of the Art Bureau, and the General Directorate of Provincial Audio — participate in holding it.

Stating that the "Under the Umbrella of Smiles" festival is held in two branches, professional and public, he said: The professional section is for colleagues of the IRIB organization and affiliated bodies, including national, provincial, and city networks, who submit their works through the relevant network.

He added: In the professional section, two main and special sections have been planned. The subject of the main section is free, and participants can present their works in the designated formats by choosing their desired subject in the field of comedy.

According to the festival secretary, the formats of the main section include a combined program with a maximum duration of 30 minutes, a short program or mini-program with a maximum duration of five minutes, a dramatic piece, program production with artificial intelligence, and a video-play or videocast with a maximum duration of 15 minutes.

Ghoddusian also said about the special section: In this section, the format of works is free, but participants must address one of four subjects: "War and Smile," "Satirizing the Enemy," "Iran 1430" focusing on Iran's future, and "Comedy in Persian Literature." The maximum duration of works in this section is 15 minutes.

He emphasized that submitted works in both sections must have a comic nature, and addressing the subjects seriously and without humor is not in line with the festival's main goal.

The secretary of the "Under the Umbrella of Smiles" festival, referring to the special attention given to the public section in the new edition, stated: This section has been expanded with the aim of providing an opportunity for enthusiasts of radio program-making and producers of comic content in cyberspace to participate.

He named the four central themes of the public section as a humorous narration of wartime days, smart and humorous satire of the enemy, drawing a proud picture of Iran's future, and introducing the luminaries of the land of Iran, and added: The works must be produced with a humorous outlook and literature so that they can be accepted into the festival.

Ghoddusian, referring to the six formats planned for the public section, said: A podcast or short radio program with a maximum duration of 15 minutes, a radio comedy performance or radio stand-up, a family play, a radio comedy text, and program production with artificial intelligence are among the formats of this section.

He said about the family play: Families can produce multi-minute comedy plays with simple means, even using a mobile phone, and send them to the festival. The radio comedy text is also judged independently, although the submitted text must be performable and observe radio components.

Ghoddusian, about the addition of the AI-based productions section, added: Artificial intelligence is an all-encompassing phenomenon that has affected various fields, and it can be used as an assistant in the content production process.

He added: The goal of paying attention to artificial intelligence is not to push all productions toward this technology, but it can be used to find fresh ideas, pass the initial stage of production, and achieve better results.

The festival secretary, referring to the possibility of judging works produced with this tool, said: Separate prizes have been planned for the festival's various formats, and submitted works, if they comply with the call's conditions, enter the judging process.

He also said about the conditions for submitting works: The works may have been previously published in cyberspace, and there is no necessity for them to have been produced exclusively for the festival, provided they comply with the announced subjects and rules.

Ghoddusian added: Given the two-year gap between the previous and new editions, works produced in this interval can also be submitted to the festival if they meet the necessary conditions.

According to him, enthusiasts can visit the Radio Saba website and the Hodhod system to learn about the regulations and the manner of submitting works.

The secretary of the "Under the Umbrella of Smiles" festival, referring to the slogan "Happy Iran" for this edition, said: This festival was formed with the aim of strengthening the flow of joy and laughter among audiences and program-makers, a subject that has gained greater importance in society's current conditions.

Emphasizing the difference between comedy and a work merely being funny, he added: Comedy must contain a point and a concept and be able to raise a criticism. Many serious issues can be raised with the help of sweet language and humorous expression, so that the ground for dialogue is provided and tension and confrontation are reduced.

Speaking about the role of the cooperating institutions, Ghoddusian said: The Comedy Office of the Art Bureau will cooperate in the festival's policymaking and the judging of works, especially in the radio comedy text section and public participations. Holding training meetings and sessions for participants in cooperation with this body has also been planned.

He added: The Nasim Network, given its experience in the field of visual comedy, will also cooperate in broadcasting the works, harnessing public talents in this network's programs, and the festival's visual coverage.

The festival secretary, referring to this event's capacity for identifying and attracting fresh talents, said: In previous editions too, a number of the festival's selected participants have cooperated with Radio Saba, and in the new edition efforts have been made, by increasing the diversity of sections and expanding the scope of participation, to provide the ground for using more capabilities.

According to the festival secretary, the closing ceremony of the new edition of "Under the Umbrella of Smiles" is planned for early Bahman (late January).

Source: IRIB News Agency