37th Fajr Intl. Film Festival Concludes with Announcing Winners

The weeklong event celebrates the cultural exchange, and it is considered one of the most prestigious cinematic events in western Asia, by bringing together veteran directors and new filmmakers in the country.

The festival announced the full lineup of winners at Tehran’s Vahdat Hall for their works on independent, art house, alternate, fiction, documentary and animation films from across the globe, according to official website of FIFF.

Iranian and international officials, dignitaries, filmmakers and guests attended the closing ceremony on Thursday, April 25.

Addressing the ceremony, Festival Director Seyyed Reza Mirkarimi said unilateral sanctions imposed, have not only targeted Iran’s economy but its culture as well: Despite these difficulties, we managed to organize the annual cinematic event. The good news is that many international filmmakers, critics, and scholars who love Iranian cinema didn’t leave us alone.

"This is one of the oldest and the most important film festivals in West Asia," the award-winning director and screenwriter added.

Full Lineup is as follows:

International Competition (Cinema Salvation)

Golden Simorgh for Best Film: A Russian Youth directed by Alexander Zolotukhin, produced by Eduard Pichugin, Alexander Sokurv (Russia)

Silver Simorgh for Best Director: Soroush Sehat for Dance with Me! (Iran)

Silver Simorgh for Best Script: Gernot Kraa, Oliver Haffner for Wackersdorf by Oliver Haffner (Germany)

Silver Simorgh for Best Actress: Martina Apostolova for Irina by Nadejda Koseva (Bulgaria)

Silver Simorgh for Best Actor: Jesper Christensen for Before the Frost by Michael Noer (Denmark)

Diploma of Honor for Best Actor: Ali Mosaffa for Dance with Me by Soroush Sehat (Iran)

Silver Simorgh for Special Jury Prize: Best Costume Design for Spring Sparrow by Jingxiang Li (China)

Silver Simorgh for Best Short Film: Excess Will Save Us by Morgane Dziurla-Petit (Sweden)

International Competition Jury (The Cinema Salvation): Wang Xiaoshuai (China), Mike van Diem (Netherlands), Muzaffer Özdemir (Turkey), Navid Mohammadzadeh (Iran), Labina Mitevska (Macedonia), Peter Fleischmann (Germany), Narges Abyar (Iran).

Asian Film Awards

Trophy for Best Asian Film: Without My Friend by Mohammad Ali Talebi (Iran)

Diploma of Honor for Best Asian Film: Rona, Azim’s Mother by Jamshid Mahmoudi (Afghanistan)

Trophy for Best Asian Director: Huo Meng for Crossing the Border (China)

Trophy for Best Short Film: Sacrifice by Mehdi Mahmmad-Nejadian (Iran)

Eastern Vista Jury (Panorama of Films from Asian and Islamic Countries): Khosro Masoumi (Iran), Rusudan Glurjidze (Georgia)

Best First Film Award

Trophy for Best First Feature Film: A Russian Youth by Alexander Zolotukhin (Russia)

First Film Jury: Behrouz Shoeibi (Iran), Ghassan Salhab (Lebanon), Ammar Hadi Al-Arady (Iraq)

Muhammad Al-Ameen Award

Trophy and Diploma of Honor for Muhammad Al-Ameen Award: Hamid by Aijaz Khan (India)

Certificate of Peace

Amina by Iyman Zidan (Syria)

International Critics Award

Diploma of Honor to Best Feature Film in Eastern Vista Section: The Announcement by Mahmut Fazil Coskun (Turkey/Bulgaria)

International Critics Jury: Cüneyt Cebenoyan (Turkey), Robert Safarian (Iran), Barbara Lorey (Germany)

Interfaith Award

Diploma of Honor to Rona, Azim’s Mother by Jamshid Mahmoudi (Afghanistan)

Interfaith Competition Jury: Seyyed Mohammad Hossein Navab (Iran), Inês Mendes Gil (Portugal), Douglas P. Fahleson (Scotland)

NETPAC Prize

Narrow Red Line by Farzad Khoshdast (Iran)

NETPAC Jury: Latika Padgaonkar (India), Seyyed Gholamreza Mousavi (Iran), Aijaz Gul (Pakistan)