TEHRAN – Iranian films “Birthday Night” and “Animal” won awards at the Linz International Short Film Festival in Austria, the organizers announced on Monday.

Directed by Omid Shams, “Birthday Night” received the award for best fiction, and “Animal” by Bahram and Bahman Ark won director of photography Ali Abpak an award for best cinematography.

“Birthday Night” is a film about Ahmad and Ali, two friends and business partners who face a dramatic situation on their birthday night.

“Animal” tells the story of a man who attempts to cross a frontier disguised as a ram.

Farnush Samadi, director of the acclaimed Iranian short “Gaze”, which opened the festival on October 11, was a member of the jury. Romanian director Sorin Dorian Dragoi and Italian animator Lucia Bulgheroni were the other members of the panel.

Spanish director Alessandro Novelli’s “Contact” was named best animated movie, and “The House We Were” by Italian filmmaker Arianna Lodeserto won the award for best documentary.

Sebastián Nemo Arancibia from Chile was selected as best director for “Un cortometraje sobre la educacion” that also won an award for best cinematography. 
  
“Daughter” by Polish director and writer Mara Tamkovich received the award for best script.

Photo: Babak Behshad (L) and Nader Fallah act in a scene from “Birthday Night” by Omid Shams.

MMS/YAW