TEHRAN-One series and two Iranian films have received awards from the Accolade Global Film Competition in California, the U.S.

The series “The Asphalt Jungle” directed by Pejman Teymourtash, and the films “The Last Request” by Taha Mohammadi and Bita Alemi and “Smile at Me” written, directed, and produced by Keyvan Azad are the works from Iran, which were honored at the event, IRNA reported.

“The Asphalt Jungle” received the special mention of the Awards of Excellence. It is about a girl named Hengameh, who risks everything to save her brother from execution. 

The series delves into the complexities of human resilience and survival, a gripping tale of desperation, courage, moral ambiguity. It is not just a drama, but a profound exploration of human spirit. 

The stellar cast includes Navid Mohammadzadeh, Amir Jafari, Merila Zarei, Farshid Hosseini, and Alireza Jafari among others.

The Iranian short films “Smile at Me” and “The Last Request” were among the recipients of the Award of Merit.

“Smile at Me,” a 6-minute social drama, is about a young boy who decides to commit suicide by jumping off a bridge as a result of having difficult problems in life including loneliness, financial strains, and so on. However, on his way to the bridge, he faces a reality that completely changes his decision.

The cast of the 2024 production includes Amirhossein Fahadan, Arian Farshizadeh, Parham Gholamlu, Arian Tavasoli, Ayhan Ghorbani, and Samiyar Bagheri among others.

In September, the short flick received an honorable mention from the 4th Youality International Short Film Festival in France.

“The Last Request” depicts siblings Maryam and Amin who lost their father in an accident. Their father’s wish and last request was to be buried in his hometown, which is located in another province. However, Amin and Maryam do not have enough money or conditions to do that. Moreover, they know that if the news of their father’s death reaches anyone, they will send them to the orphanage. so, they decide to hide the body at home and start making money to transport their father’s body to his hometown.

A production of 2023, the 13-minute experimental student film has Mhsa Faraji, Amirali Bahoush, Majid Tizro, Aliasghar Habibi, Tina Hajmohamadreza, Dianoush Bonakdar, Seyed Amir Naghibi, Alireza Yektan, and Rasoul Molaghanbari in the cast.

Accolade Global Film Competition is the original, top-tier, internationally respected global virtual online competition – recognizing film, TV, and media professionals who demonstrate exceptional achievement in craft and storytelling.  

The Accolade is unique and the industry leader in virtual film competitions. Attracting both powerhouse companies as well as talented new filmmakers, it is an unparalleled, truly international awards competition, not a traditional film festival – which allows filmmakers from around the world to enter their films in this prestigious competition.

Established in 2003, Accolade gives talented directors, producers, actors, creative teams the positive exposure they deserve. It discovers and honors the achievements of filmmakers who produce high quality projects. The Accolade promotes award winners through press releases to over 100,000 filmmakers and industry contacts through FilmFestivals.com.

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