TEHRAN – Iranian short movies “I Will Never Leave You” and “The Gift” have won awards at the Anthem Libertarian Film Festival in Las Vegas.

Directed by Alireza Biglari based on a true story, “I Will Never Leave You” was selected as best international short narrative.

The film shows that Kabul has fallen and the Taliban have taken control of the city, killing ordinary people, journalists, artists and women. A journalist has filmed one of the executions by the Taliban, and now he wants to send the truth to all the news agencies in the West. But the Taliban have found out about him and are looking for him to destroy his camera and kill him.

“The Gift”, a science fiction and horror film directed by Farbod Ardebili, was given the best short drama award.

The film explores the darker side of human nature and how catastrophic events can occur when a climate of fear is cultivated. 

It is set in the near future after alien ships appear in the skies above Earth’s major cities, throwing the world into chaos. But instead of destroying the planet or invading, the aliens do nothing. They simply hover in place for years; silent, inscrutable. Unable to determine the alien’s motivations or why they refuse to make contact, the media feeds the planet a steady diet of fear, uncertainty and doubt. When the alien’s true intentions are finally revealed, an unspeakable tragedy unfolds.

Winners were announced at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas on July 16.

The Anthem Grand Prize was given to the documentary “Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words” directed by Michael Pack.

In this film, Justice Clarence Thomas recounts his extraordinary life story from living in poverty as a child to serving on the Supreme Court.

It also won the Anthem Vault Prize for best original score and the audience choice award in the feature film category.

Photo: A scene from “I Will Never Leave You” directed by Alireza Biglari.

MMS/YAW