TEHRAN-The Iranian film “Yadoo” directed by Mehdi Jafari won a prize at the award ceremony of the first Golden Panda Awards in China on September 20.

Seyed Morteza Najafi, cinematographer of the film, was awarded the Best Cinematography in the TV Drama Category, IRNA reported on Friday.

The story happens in the early months of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war, when enemy forces surround the southern Iranian city of Abadan. A teenage boy named Yadoo, his mother, brother and sister are among those with nowhere to go. Daily artillery attacks, water shortages, lack of supplies and power cuts make life increasingly difficult. Yadoo must find a way to save his family.

Milad Soveylavi, Setareh Pesyani, Mohammadmehdi Alboali, and Reyhaneh Aryamanesh are in the cast among others.

A joint production of Farabi Cinema Foundation and the Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults, the film was picked as best film at the 34th Isfahan International Film Festival for Children and Youth in 2021.

The winners of the inaugural Golden Panda Awards, which honor global film, TV, documentary and animation achievements, were unveiled on Wednesday in Chengdu, the capital city of southwest China's Sichuan Province, which is known as the home of the giant panda. Twenty-five awards were unveiled at the gala.

The award show received a total of 7,024 film and television works as submissions, with 4,927 international submissions. Among the 90 nominated works, 53 were overseas entries.

This inaugural edition provided participants from around the world with the opportunity to cultivate a deeper sense of cultural unity and foster cultural exchanges.

“All works transcend borders, race and culture,” said Zhang Yimou, the renowned Chinese director and chairman of the Awards jury. “Good works serve as a bridge that connects people from all around the world who appreciate art and beauty, as well as inspiring and thought-provoking creations.”

The Golden Panda Awards aims to boost cultural exchange between China and the world.

SS/SAB