Speaking at a seminar on filmmaking in Tehran Sid Ganis declares no film capable of distorting the Iranian culture or civilization.

President of the US Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), Ganis praised the Iranian civilization and said the film 300 was based on a comic strip; its audience was not intrested in the film's credibility.

He also said Iran has the potential of making “big movies” if it can attract investment to cinematic marketing.

The Iranian capital Tehran is hosting seminars on screenwriting and directing, documentary making, and acting under the direction of two guest teams from Hollywood. Movie marketing is another issue being focused on in the series of seminars.

American actor William Horberg expressed optimism that more Iranian films would be screened in the US, allowing Iran's cinema to become more popular.

The Hollywood delegation visiting Iran includes film director Frank Pierson, actress Annette Bening and producer William Horberg. They arrived Friday February 27.

NAT/JG