The 18th Poppy Jasper International Film Festival (PJIFF) that is underway in California, the U.S., has dedicated a day to Iranian films.

On April 17, the festival will have a special showcase featuring 19 short films from Iran, which will also include Q&A with the filmmakers, ILNA reported.

The films include “The Steak” by Kiarash Dadgar Mohebi, “Fruitless” by Solmaz Etemad, “Cow” by Amirali Ziarati, “War” by Mahyar Zaheri, “Now What?” by Saman Darvish, “Cover” by Vahid Alvandifar, “Symphony of the Knots” by Hossein Ranjbar Shirazi, “Aban” by Abbas Taheri and Mahdieh Toosi, “Loser” by Ali Falah Mobarakeh, and “A Minute’s Silence” by Mohammad Pourriahi among others.

This year’s PJIFF program includes 267 films from 30 countries including features, documentaries, short films, animations, and music videos. The festival is dedicated to supporting new and diverse storytellers.

The PJIFF has been entertaining audiences in the greater San Francisco Bay Area for more than 18 years. It is a non-profit arts and educational organization with a mission to promote inclusion, diversity, and women empowerment along with educating people of all ages about filmmaking; and encouraging them to find their voice through film while also building a strong sense of community around the art of visual storytelling.

In addition to showcasing a diverse spectrum of films, tributes, and galas, PJIFF also offers panels with industry professionals including directors, writers, producers, women in films, and VFX professionals as well as Q&A sessions with a diverse selection of filmmakers. Having started on April 10, the festival will continue until April 17.

Post PJIFF, the Poppy Jasper Asian Film Festival will take place on May 19 in partnership with DingDing TV to showcase 40 films on June 9 in Los Altos Community Center with a Gala Celebration. The festival will focus on Asian culture and identity, heritage, community, and experience through the filmmakers’ lens. The festival was created to have a platform to promote and uplift the wide range of voices in the Asian community throughout the world, with a day of film screening, Asian cultural celebrating, panel discussion, Q&A sessions with filmmakers from a diverse cultural background, and an award ceremony.

SS/SAB