The 42nd edition of the Tehran International Short Film Festival concluded at the "Iran Mal" complex in the capital, Tehran, and the festival received a record 10,200 films submitted from 145 countries.
In the international competition alone, 95 films from 53 countries were selected to compete directly in their categories, including AI, animation and experimental films.
The festival is currently a global event with a wide participation that transcends continents and regional borders, reflecting its position as an important international film platform.
In this context, the director of the film "Holy Death", Mehdi Hadizadeh, said that "the film, which is a surreal work inspired by the book of divine comedy, depicts the journey of man between the isthmus, heaven and hell according to the construction of the hero's journey."
"This is my second film, and I had previously participated in the film 'The Story of a Night' two years ago, this year's festival was beautiful although it was less crowded after moving to Iranmal, but the quality of the films has clearly increased thanks to increased support and production," Hadizadeh added.
"I believe that Iranian cinema, with its Islamic roots and deep national culture, is able to present a humane discourse to the world about family, generational upbringing, and social values, like Kiarostami's cinema, that can communicate with human beings everywhere," he said.
For her part, Nada Daqdouk, a member of the jury in the category of films produced by artificial intelligence, said that "what I saw at this festival promises beautiful things, and experience says that in the future, the use of artificial intelligence will be very intense."
As for the winner of the award for the best photo collection of Ajgar Basharti, he said, "I am from Qeshm Island, I participated in the photography section of the collections and won the first place, I was also here in the previous edition, and I see that the organization and atmosphere this year is much better and warmer."
"The only observation is that the photo gallery was not displayed in a suitable location, and it deserved a better location that highlighted the work properly," Bicharti said.
In addition, one of the festival's pioneers, director, producer and photographer Arash Rasafi, said, "The Tehran Short Film Festival has reached a global level today, and has become one of the most important festivals in the Middle East."
"I have watched the festival for thirty years, and I can say that it has reached the stage of maturity and true independence, being officially qualified for the Academy Awards has made it an important international station, and its demand is constantly increasing, all thanks to the efforts of the Iranian Youth Cinema Association and the short film lovers who have preserved it for decades," Rasafi said.