TEHRAN-Iranian animators received two awards at the 27th edition of the Religion Today Film Festival in Trento, Italy.

At the closing ceremony, which was held last week, Baran Sedighian won the Best Animation Award for her short animation “The Deer” and Mona Shams was awarded the Special Jury Mention for the short animation “Phoenix,” ISNA reported.

In a statement about selecting “The Deer” as the winner, the jury said: “We are delighted to present the award for Best Animation Short Film for a beautifully crafted tale that resonates with the themes of transformation and self-discovery. The film tells the story of a wounded deer who embarks on a journey of healing and introspection and chooses to leave his herd and set out in search of his new self. This captivating animation explores the courage it takes to embrace change and find one's true path”.

A production of 2023, “The Deer” is a five-minute animation with no dialogues. The life of the deer in this animation changes radically after getting injured by hunters. His old world no longer seems to fit him, so he decides to leave.

On selecting the recipient of the Special Jury Mention, the jury said: “It goes to a film that merges the artistry of animation with the rawness of real-life experiences; a powerful documentary animation from Iran that explores the profound themes of migration and the search for a new homeland. Through the poignant story of a soldier who decides to leave everything behind and start again, this film offers a deeply moving portrayal of the courage it takes to rebuild one's life”.

“Phoenix,” produced by the Documentary, Experimental, and Animation Cinema Expansion Center, delves into the concept of migration and leaving one's homeland. It was crafted using the actual voices of Iranian migrants across the world.

It is an animated documentary, six minutes, based on real sounds. The story of the film is about a person who decides to immigrate, and different voices of immigrants collected in documentary form narrate the feelings and events of the hero of the film.

There were 64 films in competition, from 32 countries. The international jury was composed of leading professionals from the international film industry including producer and researcher Fateme Javhersaz from Iran.

Established in 1997 as the first Italian festival of spiritual cinema and inter-religious dialogue, the Religion Today Film Festival has come a long way, and today this appointment with religious cinema is well known and appreciated all over the world.

Religion Today is an international and itinerant film festival dedicated to religious diversity for a culture of peace and interfaith dialogue. It promotes a journey “exploring the differences”, both in religious practices and beliefs and in cinematic styles and languages, towards a mutual enrichment through reciprocal knowledge and comparison.

Together with the world cinema competition, open to any film with a religious connection, it offers a platform for exchanging ideas and viewpoints, including a “living workshop” involving filmmakers of different faiths and nationalities.

SS/SAB