TEHRAN – Iranian short movie “Haboob” has won a special mention from the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (ITFS) in Germany.

The movie directed by Mahsa Samani received the honor in the international animated short film competition.

“Haboob” tells the story of a man and his daughter, who are accustomed to living in harmony and peace with nature, but some disruptions change their lovely little life.

“We decided to give a special mention to ‘Haboob’ because we found it to be a very sensitive and touching film with a very clever use of the material it’s talking about as the medium of the film,” the jury said in their statement. 

“The ending, in particular, put the whole film together and shared a light on the phenomenon of Haboob in south Iran,” the jury added.

Earlier in January, the film received the award for best short animation at the 11th Karama Human Rights Film Festival in Amman, Jordan.

The Stuttgart festival, which is one of the most outstanding events for animated films, announced winners last week.

The Grand Prix went to “Precious” directed by Paul Mas from France, while “Only a Child” directed by Simone Giampaolo from Switzerland won a special mention.

The short movie “Have a Nice Dog!”, a co-production between Germany and Syria, received the Lotte Reiniger Promotion Award, which is given to the best graduation film.

“I’m Here” by Polish director Julia Orlik won an honorable mention in this category. 

“Have a Nice Dog!” also garnered the Young Animation Award for the best student film.

The AniMovie Award for the best animated feature film was presented to “Wolfwalkers”, a co-production of Ireland, Luxembourg and the USA. The movie was directed by Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart.

The Trickstar Nature Award, which is given to the best international animated short film that deals with the topics of climate protection, biodiversity, environment and sustainability, went to “Migrants” from France.

“Cha” by Gagandeep Kalirai from the UK was honored with the FANtastic Award for best animation talent, and “Roberto” by Spanish director Carmen Córdoba González won the Tricks for Kids Award for best children’s animated film.

Photo: “Haboob” by Iranian director Mahsa Samani.

MMS/YAW