TEHRAN-The Iranian short film “The Brother” directed by Mahdieh Ghotbudin Mohamadi won an award at the 19th Show Me Shorts Film Festival in New Zealand.

An Oscar-qualifying festival, this year’s edition of Show Me Shorts, which concluded last week, presented the Best International Film Award to “The Brother,” making it eligible to enter the upcoming Academy Awards, IRNA reported.

The jury called the moving and uplifting Iranian fable about human connection within a revolution: “Shockingly good; transcendent in its theme of empathy; a perfect short story. Beautiful performance from the lead, and an effective naturalistic style”.

The eight-minute drama is about a young man who is preparing for his wedding in the midst of the revolution when he meets a soldier who needs help.

Show Me Shorts is New Zealand’s leading film festival showcasing the best short films from across the world. Its mission is to connect New Zealand audiences with short films and share New Zealand short films with the world. 

It prioritizes cinematic narrative style, documentary, and animated films with strong audience appeal, as well as films that are making their premiere in our festival. This year, the festival screened 126 short films from 85 filmmakers.

It also provided professional development and networking opportunities for aspiring short filmmakers through Industry Day, Short Film Talks, Filmmaker Resources, and various masterclasses.

SS/SAB