TEHRAN – The Iranian documentary “Hollein in Iran” directed by Hadi Afarideh won the Screen Tourism Award at the International Travel Film Awards Festival, which was held from September 26 to 29 in Barcelona, Spain.

In addition to receiving the Screen Tourism Award, “Hollein in Iran” was also honored with the festival’s Golden Plaque, Mehr reported.

Furthermore, the Spanish Tourism Film Congress invited Afarideh to participate in the Spain Film and Tourism Congress 2026, a prestigious event in the field of cinema and sustainable tourism.

Produced by Iran’s Documentary, Experimental, and Animation Film Center, the documentary focuses on the prominent Austrian architect Hans Hollein’s journey to Iran in the 1970s, exploring Iranian architectural heritage, especially his artistic vision in the design of the Abgineh Museum in Tehran, also known as the Tehran Museum of Glass and Ceramics.

The museum is known not only for the beautiful artifacts it displays within, but also for the beautiful architectural artifact that the building itself is. 

This more than a century-old building was converted to a museum by the Pritzker Prize-winning architect Hans Hollein (1934-2014). A well-known individual, known for his compelling and unique work in architecture as well as other diverse arrays of designs.

The original structure of the Abgineh Museum has traditional Persian architectural elements as well as elements of European and Russian architecture influence during that time. The building is octagonal-shaped with two stories and a basement.

The façade of the building is decorated with brick reliefs, indicating the Seljuk era. The wooden door windows, ornamented with intricate designs around them, adorn the façade. The Qajar era-style porch and pillar mark the entrance.

The two stories are connected with a horseshoe-shaped staircase. The design of the staircase was inspired by 18th to 19th-century Russian architecture.

Many of such old structures were destroyed under the pretext of modern architecture. This structure is one of the few that survived. The building itself, similar to the objects displayed within it, has significant cultural and historical value. It has served as a house to Ahmad Qavam, an Iranian prime minister and Politician during the Qajar period. Later, it was also used as an Egyptian embassy and for various other purposes until it was turned into a Glass and Ceramics Museum in 1980 by Hollein.

Converting this structure to use it for displaying history and knowledge to the public has played a crucial role in preserving the structure. In 1998, it was registered in the list of Iran’s National Heritage.

During one of his lectures, Hollein explained the concept behind the Abgineh Museum as follows: “The concept behind the Tehran Museum of Glass and Ceramics was a harmonious relationship between the old, which was to be preserved, and the new, which was being introduced. The new, while having an identity and character of its own, would embody the presence of tradition in its contents and in their Qajar setting.”

“Hollein in Iran” creates a dialogue between past and present and seeks to build a bridge between Iranian culture and international audiences.

The International Travel Film Awards Festival, held under the theme “Tourism and Sustainable Transformation”, hosted films from around the world addressing topics of travel, human experiences, and connection with nature.

SS/SAB