TEHRAN- Iranian actor Hassan Pourshirazi has won the Best Performance Award at the Transilvania International Film Festival, which was held in the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca. 

The award was presented to him during a ceremony on Saturday for his outstanding performance in Oktay Baraheni's film "The Old Bachelor".

“The Old Bachelor” explores the tumultuous relationship between two middle-aged brothers and their tyrannical father, who has a history of verbal and emotional abuse. The father's second wife left him due to his chauvinistic behavior, and now he directs his venom towards his eldest son. The younger brother, meanwhile, harbors dark fantasies about ending his father's life. 

When the father rents out the flat above to a young woman, who has her sights set on marrying him, the situation becomes increasingly volatile. As the woman's affections for the older brother grow, the family's fragile dynamics are pushed to the brink, threatening to shatter their already damaged relationships.

Starring Hamed Behdad, Leila Hatami, Hassan Pourshirazi, Mohamadreza Davoudnejad, Reza Ruygari, and Babak Hamidian, “The Old Bachelor” is Baraheni’s second feature film. 

His debut feature film “Bridge of Sleep” (2016) was screened at several international film festivals in Australia and Switzerland among others.

A film director, writer, and producer, Baraheni, 49, is a graduate of the fine arts from York University in Toronto, Canada. His successful career includes several short films and a documentary about the well-known Iranian poet and writer Reza Baraheni (his father).

“Girls Will Be Girls” by Indian director Shuchi Talati received Transilvania Trophy and Best Director Award was awarded to Sebastián Quebrada from Argentina for his film “The Other Son”. 

The Special Jury Award was given to “The Adamant Girl” by Vinothraj Palani from India, while “Summer Brother” by Joren Molter from the Netherlands won the Audience Award.

The Transilvania International Film Festival (TIFF) is presented by the Romanian Film Promotion. As the first international feature film festival in Romania, it has established itself as a significant event in Eastern Europe's film industry. 

Founded in 2002, the Transilvania International Film Festival is the first and largest international film festival in Romania and one of the most important film events in the region, with over 100,000 participants at each edition. The festival takes place every year in the heart of Transylvania, in Cluj-Napoca, a modern city with a rich history. Since 2021 Cluj-Napoca is part of the UNESCO City of Film network.

The festival features a competitive section for debut and second-time directors, providing a platform for emerging talent to showcase their work. 

Open to the general public as well as industry professionals, the Transilvania International Film Festival shows over 250 films and its program includes cine-concerts, concerts, as well as art exhibitions and meeting opportunities between filmmakers and the Romanian audiences.

Photo: Iranian actor Hassan Pourshirazi acts in a scene from Oktay Baraheni’s “The Old Bachelor”

SAB/