Persian Film Fest Winners Announced
WINNER
Short documentaries
BUBJAN
Special Jury Prize for Excellence in Filmmaking
‘Bubjan’ chronicles the journey of Parwiz Zafari, a former member of the Iranian parliament who dedicated his life to cultivating a progressive, modern, and free society in Iran – before the rise of the Islamic Republic eclipsed those aspirations in 1979, and forced him to leave behind everything he knew. Told from the perspectives of […]
U.S. Narrative
THE PERSIAN VERSION
Grand Prize
When a large Iranian-American family gathers, a family secret is uncovered that catapults the estranged mother and daughter into an exploration of the past, and to discover they are more alike than they know.
Short narratives
FORBIDDEN TO SEE US SCREAM IN TEHRAN
Best Director
The front woman for an Iranian death metal band risks everything as she plots to call the cops on her own underground concert in the hopes that the raid will help her secure her asylum in another country.
HIDDEN
Best Cinematography
Parham, a young Iranian boy, feels undermined by his younger step-brother’s presence. After a mental and physical confrontation while playing at the beach, the step-brother becomes sick and dies. Unsure of his role in this unfortunate event, Parham feels guilty and has to confront his inner emotions. Beautifully filmed by the late Halyna Hutchins.
TOOTH OF A TREE
Best Storytelling
While driving to a vacation garden with his wife, a man accidentally knocks over a cart of pomegranates. He offers to pay for the ruined fruit, but the price is far more than they can ever repay. This eerie, elegant story is full of mythical allusion and a rising sense of terror.
THE SPRAYER
Best Animation
In the land occupied by the sprayers army, no one has the right to grow any kind of plants, either in public or private. So many of the people and soldiers do not know how a plant grows or even what one looks like, until one day one of the soldiers finds a seed buried […]
COFFEE WITH BABA
Best Short Documentary
Amin (Omid Iranikhah) and his father Hossein (Shary Nassimi) don’t talk much anymore. Aside from the occasional phone call and brief get-together here and there, they aren’t as close as they would like to be. The COVID pandemic, now on its third year, has only added to that distance. One day, Hossein gets into a […]
Saturday 8:05pm
TANGLE
What is the cost of emigration? What are the entanglements left behind? Can we ever unravel the sense of connection and yearning for a past that no longer exists? Animated.
Sunday 12:20pm
WHITE WINGED HORSE
A man returns to his Iranian war-torn hometown, searching for his childhood sweetheart who had promised him eternal love – if he were to return as a white-winged horse.
Sunday 1:20pm
BLOOD SNOW
In his last days before his transfer away from patrolling the border, a young soldier is forced to make a decision he instantly regrets.
Sunday 3:00pm
SPLIT ENDS
A bald girl and a young boy with long hair whose car has been confiscated because he is not wearing a hijab are trying to solve their problem with the Tehran Morality Police without having to pay a fine. Police surveillance cameras have mistaken the boy for a woman because of his long hair, and […]
Sunday 3:20pm
PARVAZ MAHIHA
When the new teacher in the village sees that the only girl in his class has cigarette burns on her hand, he tries to offer his help.
Sunday 3:36pm
ONE NICE DAY
A teacher has a new backpack to give to one student. To be fair, he asks the children to write their names on a piece of paper, and he draws one to pick the winner. What happens next will warm your heart.
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