According to IRIB, Iran's Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani and the Iranian Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, Mohammad Hosseini attended the opening ceremony along with a number of international critics and cinema cineastes on February 4, 2012.

About 400 international representatives from Algeria, Tunisia, Turkey, Iraq, Yemen, Morocco, Kuwait, Egypt and the UK attended the congress held at IRIB's conference hall.

A number of cultural attachés, foreign ambassadors and representatives of different news agencies also participated in the event.

The forum discussed effects of cinema on Arab uprisings and will present the findings in the form of a declaration during the closing ceremony of the 2012 Fajr International Film Festival.

Ali Larijani during the opening ceremony said “Islamic Awakening is a movement of self-confidence among Muslim nations.”

He added the Islamic revolutions should be considered the most outstanding developments in the region.