TEHRAN-The 41st Tehran International Short Film Festival (TISFF) concluded on Thursday at Milad Tower, where the winners of different categories received their prizes.

At the beginning of the ceremony, Mehdi Azarpendar, the secretary of the festival, paid tribute to the memory of Martyr Yahya Sinwar, saying, “He was born in a camp, grew up in prison, and fought until his last moment. In my opinion, the world is awestruck by the bravery of Martyr Yahya Sinwar,” Honaronline reported.

Yahya Sinwar (1962-2024) was a Palestinian politician who served as the chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau from August 2024 and the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip from February 2017 until his martyrdom earlier this month. Sinwar lost his life in a confrontation with Zionist occupation forces in Gaza.

Following the secretary's remarks, a video clip of resistance martyrs was shown to the audience.

Later in the program, a memorial ceremony was held for Martyr Mehdi Ashiri, a member of the Iranian Youth Cinema Society (IYCS) who was martyred in the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988), and a commemorative plaque was presented to his family.

The IYCS is the organizer of the Tehran International Short Film Festival.

Raed Faridzadeh, the head of Iran Cinema Organization, honored the memory of the nation’s martyrs, the martyrs of resistance, and those who sacrificed their lives for justice and freedom, stating, “I started my career with the IYCS 23 years ago, and now I have returned to my home. The festival is now 41 years old and has reached maturity. With such a long history, this festival has established itself on the international stage, and this year, more than 13,000 works were submitted from various countries. Numerous workshops were offered at the event demonstrate that the TISFF is forward-thinking and incorporates the latest global technologies.”

“The festival is a realm of creativity and courage for the younger generation, allowing them to solidify their place in the art world and work with passion and bravery,” he added.

The next part of the ceremony was dedicated to awarding the winners in different categories.

In the international section, the Golden Leaf for the best film, the grand prize of the festival, was presented to “A Short Film about Kids” by Ibrahim Handal from Palestine.

The Golden Leaf for the best fiction was awarded to “Crack of Dawn” by Anna Llargues from Spain.

“The Poem We Sang” by Annie Sakkab from Palestine won the Golden Leaf for the best experimental film.

The Golden Leaf for the best animation was presented to “In the Shadow of the Cypress” by Hossein Molayemi and Shirin Sohani from Iran.

“The Granny & Fishes” by Ehsan Farokhi Fard and Maria Mavati from Iran won the Golden Leaf for best documentary.

The special prize in the artificial intelligence category was awarded to “Miracle” by Afrouz Bavafa from Iran, who presented her award to the Palestinian children.

“Moment of Flight” by Ruhollah Jalalitalab received the Golden Leaf in the Book and Cinema category.

In the Truth Seekers category, “Incident” by Bill Morrison from the U.S. received the prize and “Sour Candy” by Nishi Dugar from India won the award in the Silk Road category.

In the national section, “Under the Shady Oak” by Hossein Allahyari was the big winner of the night, grabbing four awards. Allahyari received the Golden Leaf awards for best film and best original screenplay. Moreover, the Golden Leaf awards for best sound editing and sound mixing were presented to Meysam Kiamarsi and Reza Godazgar, respectively.

Two Iranian works, which were honored in the international section, repeated their achievement in the national section as well. “In the Shadow of the Cypress” won another Golden Leaf for the best animation and “The Granny & Fishes” won another Golden Leaf for best documentary.

“The House and My Mother’s Leprosy” by Navid Sadeghi won the Golden Leaf of best research in the documentary category.

The Golden Leaf for the best artistic achievement went to Morteza Ghadiri for his performance in “Farewell Paris”.

“Iliha” by Reza Daneshpazhouh won the Golden Leaf for best director of experimental films.

The Golden Leaf for best editing went to Pegah Ahmadi for “Alone Together” and Ehsan Amini won the Golden Leaf award for best adapted screenplay for “Tunnel”.

“Thirteen Years Old” by Mohammad Esfandiari won the Golden Leaf for best film from national view. Erfane Karimi received the special award by the festival secretary for her film “Hanabandoun” and “Limo Knew Everything” by Edris Mahmoudian received the jury special prize.

This year’s edition of the TISFF received 13,651 submissions from more than 30 countries. The number of submitted films is a new record in the history of the event, about twice the number of submissions last year. Of the total submissions, 107 short films competed for the top awards.

The line-up included 59 short fiction films, 21 animated movies, 18 documentaries, and nine experimental films. The submitted works were from India, China, Poland, the U.S., Egypt, Greece, France, Palestine, Turkey, Spain, Argentina, Brazil, Russia, Australia, Japan, Germany, Italy, and Cuba among others.

The TISFF has been held for 41 consecutive years in Iran, by the Iranian Youth Cinema Society – one of the most renowned schools of cinema and short film production in Iran and throughout the world. 

The festival is approved by the Academy Awards® (Oscars) and the winner of the Grand Prize becomes eligible for the Oscars.

Photo: Hossein Allahyari holding his award for “Under the Shady Oak” at the closing ceremony of the festival, October 24, 2024.

SS/SAB