TEHRAN – “Upstay” and “Paper Offerings” won awards for best films in different categories at the 13th edition of the International 100-Second Film Festival.

“Upstay” by Colombian filmmaker Carlos Andrés Reyes shared the award for best fiction film with “La Nube” (“The Cloud”) by an unnamed director in the international competition of the festival.

“Upstay” is about two brothers who communicate using a tin can phone even when one of them is in the afterlife.

“Paper Offerings” was picked as best animated film. The film has been co-directed by Singaporean students Ning Xuan Tan, Vanessa Ming Yan Ng and Winona Marie Labarinto Mazo.

“Paper Offerings” is the debut film of the team, all members of which are currently studying at the School of Art, Design and Media of the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. 

The animated film tells the story of an old Taoist ghost that is left thoroughly confused after receiving unusual gifts from her descendants. It is a tribute to our grandmothers and their tech savviness.

The closing ceremony of the International 100-Second Film Festival was held at Tehran’s Eyvan Shams Hall.

“Barsa” by Shiva Prasad received an honorable mention in the fiction film section.

“Yarmuk’s Last Poem” by Kiumars Mohammad-Chenari won the award for best documentary, while “History” by Esmaeil Azimi was awarded an honorable mention.

The festival was held last Wednesday and Thursday after a three-year hiatus resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Art Bureau of the Islamic Ideology Dissemination Organization is the organizer of the festival.

In a short speech, Kamal Tabrizi, a member of the national jury, praised the festival entries for their high quality.

“I was a member of the juries in the previous editions of the festival; this year’s films are really astonishing compared to films that competed in the previous editions; there is significant progress in the quality of the films this year,” he said.

“I think that the organizers should show more tolerance. Some of the submissions that were more critical in their themes failed to enter the festival,” he lamented.

He addressed the organizers and said, “Let youth make whatever they want.”

Photo: “Paper Offerings” directed by a team of Singaporean students was named best animated movie at the 13th International 100-Second Film Festival.

MMS/YAW