TEHRAN-The video art “Sculpture” by Iranian artist Ramin Hosseinpour is among the shining winners of January-March 2024 round of the HALO International Film Festival in Saint-Petersburg, Russia.

It won the award for Best Animated Music Video in the latest edition of the festival. “Sculpture” is about the life story of Persian poet and mystic Molana Jalal ad-Din Rumi and Shams-i Tabrizi, IRNA reported.

Rumi undertook one or two journeys to Syria, during one of which he met the dervish Shams. However, he was deeply influenced by Shams during their second visit to Konya in 1244.

For months, the two men constantly interacted, and as a result, Rumi neglected his disciples and family, who could not tolerate the close relationship.

One night in 1247, Shams disappeared forever. This experience turned Rumi into a poet. The Divan of Shams (The collected Poetry of Shams) is a true translation of his experiences into poetry.

Hosseinpour’s video art has been previously won awards at various international festivals including 2022 Vancouver Independent Film Festival Award, 2022 Rome Music Video Award, One-Reeler Short Film Competition, International Music Video Underground, Munich Music Video Awards, Boden International Film Festival, High Tatras Film & Video Festival, Art Blocks International Film Festival, Europe Music Video Awards, Vegas Movie Awards, Accolade Competition, Europe Film Festival U.K., Stockholm Gold Awards International Film Festival, Prague International Film Festival, International Izmir Short Film Festival, International Music Video Awards, Zagreb Film Festival, LA Music Video Awards 2022, and King Film Awards 2023 in London.

Every month, the organizers of HALO International Film Festival select best works that will run in the annual program and screened in the famous Saint-Petersburg cultural and historical center Kazanskaya 7. HALO has been conceived for upcoming stars of tomorrow's film industry that is happening now. It seeks interesting and shining stories, visions, and filmmakers.

SS/SAB