Mr. Rezaei, where did your collection's activities begin and how did they take shape?

This collection actually started in 1966; although my father, as its founder, had entered this industry since the early 1960s. At that time, cinema chairs were not manufactured in Iran and were mostly imported from American and often British companies, who also took care of their installation. During that time, my father was working in a large furniture factory, and due to the reputation and credibility of that factory, someone came to install some chairs that he had personally imported. The matter was examined, and eventually my father completed the installation of those chairs, although with great difficulty.

I remember my father, who also loved cinema very much, recounting that after installing those chairs, he looked at them and said to himself: “This is what you call a job!”

After this first experience, they gradually received other installation orders until finally someone suggested that they manufacture the same type of chairs. They agreed and eventually succeeded in producing about 200 to 300 chairs similar to foreign models, which they themselves installed in the hall.

This process gradually continued, and my father's collaboration with that factory expanded until challenges arose, causing disruptions in this collaboration.

What kind of challenges?

For example, I remember my father saying that cinema owners were wealthy individuals at that time, often connected to the court, and therefore it was common for them to abuse their position and influence, not paying for their work, which could not be addressed. This issue eventually led the factory owner to withdraw from this business; however, due to my father's passion, he continued this work independently, although for about six months he was in partnership with the manager of that factory. But ultimately, this partnership ended in late June 1967, and my father registered and established the company “Rezco” in his own name.

In any case, I can honestly say about my father that he is the father of cinema chairs in Iran and continued this work until 1979, when he was still alive; although this activity has always been accompanied by ups and downs since the revolution.

If possible, could you touch on some of these ups and downs?

As you know, in the early days following the victory of the revolution, unfortunately, due to the negative perception of cinemas in the past regime, many cinemas were set on fire until Imam Khomeini (RA) mentioned in a speech that cinema, by its nature, is not bad and can even be beneficial if good films are shown. After this speech, the trend changed, but very soon the country became engulfed in a war. The reality is that during the war, more important issues arose.

For this reason, a period of stagnation was created in cinema, which gradually found itself again as Iran achieved victories in the war and regained control over cinema conditions. On the other hand, around 1983, the need for building conference and meeting halls gradually emerged to conclude speeches in the country, which also impacted our activities, and we resumed our work with a focus on constructing lecture halls.

After the end of the war and the arrival of the reconstruction era, which required the inclusion of all organizations’ and personalities’ opinions, it significantly boosted the construction of lecture and conference halls until 1999 when my father passed away, and I, as the production manager of the factory alongside him, took on the responsibility of managing this collection.

It seems that, as can be seen, the company's activities have undergone significant changes and considerable development over the years?

Yes, that old story which began with the installation and construction of cinema chairs has now reached a stage where we enter after the foundation phase of projects and carry out all stages of design and implementation of the hall until the end, especially in terms of cinema halls where the crucial element is sound isolation, and this issue becomes more pronounced when several halls are constructed adjacent to one another, as sound must not enter from one hall into another at all. Additionally, the aspect of sound acoustics is also involved.

How do you assess the level of our halls in Iran compared to global experiences?

I must say that I have seen about 70% of our global competitors closely and visited their factories, and I also have familiarity and close contact with domestic companies.

Accordingly, I believe that amphitheater halls in Iran are among those that are unique worldwide, like our carpets, pistachios, and saffron. Of course, this is my personal feeling, and I don’t want to claim that we have built the best amphitheater halls in the world, but I can confidently say that we are among the best in the world.

However, the major issue with our amphitheater halls is their multifunctionality, and we always face problems with employers in this regard. Most of them, whether government or private, expect that for the cost they incur, they can use a hall for various occasions and situations, sometimes as a cinema, sometimes as a theater, sometimes for speeches, and sometimes for celebrations.

This multifunctional perspective has acquainted us with various skills, meaning we possess the expertise of all global builders in this field; however, none of our halls meet the quality and foreign standards. Because in the world, there are no halls that serve all these purposes.

The problem arises from the fact that the language of each of these usages is different; for example, in theater, the entire hall body must reflect sound because there is no microphone, but in a cinema hall, the walls must absorb sound.

Now imagine we have halls in Iran where speakers are installed all around for cinema use, but they also host theater performances, and some jacks have been installed for musical equipment, and in the meantime, there is a translation system for international conferences, and ultimately, it must also be usable for speeches and voting. This complexity complicates our work and makes us, so to speak, a jack of all trades in this profession; however, in some cases, necessary standards are not met. Of course, recently we see that employers’ views are changing, and good cinemas and amphitheater halls are being built in the country with a completely specialized perspective, and we ourselves have such projects under construction.

Overall, how do you see the future of this industry in the country?

I feel that the problems that are currently arising in our society due to sanctions and economic crises are transient, and once resolved, we will have much to say to the world. Of course, I am inherently an optimistic person, but nonetheless, that is my feeling and perception.

I think that within the next less than five years, no more multifunctional halls will be built in Iran; because if we want to progress, we have no choice but to adopt the latest global standards in the country.

In general, I can say there may be one or two items left in this country that still need time and investment to achieve. However, the remaining cases are accessible; and if we strive in this work, we can produce more than 90% of the materials and equipment in Iran and bring them to the design and execution stage.

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