Iran's Cinema Vérité Festival Announces Winners

The 15th edition of Cinema Vérité festival was held in Tehran from December 6-16.

The festival had several sections including National, International, Martyr Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani Award, Martyr Avini Prize, Special Screenings, Portrait, Mirror of a festival, Focus on a country, Panorama, Workshop, and Doc Market.

Due to the spread of coronavirus, this year’s edition of the festival will be held in online and remote format.

The list of the winners is as follows:

*National Section:

Best Short Documentary's Director: “Leave” by Hamid Jafari

Best Mid-Length Documentary's Director: “Surviving Fortress” by Farshad Fadaian

Best Full-Length Documentaries' Director: “Persian School” by Hassan Naqashi

Best Researcher: “Life in the Archive” by Borhan Ahmadi

Best Cameraman: “Surviving Fortress” by Farshad Fadaian and Faraz Fadaian

Best Sound: “Bibijan” by Meisam Hasanlou (Sound Reorder), Bamdad Afshar (Sound Design)

Best Edit: “Dying” by Arash Asgari, Hojjat Taheri

Best Narration Writing: “Persian School” (narration writer: Hassan Naqashi, narrator: Hadi Esfandiari, Farshad Fadaian)

Best Music: “Takiah-Dowlat” by Mahdi Mahmoudkhani, and “A story of the last year” by Younes Eskandari

Best Documentary: “Surviving Fortress” by Farshad Fadaein, Elaheh Nobakht

The special award of the jury went to Ali Hamraz for “Exit Less” and “That Night” by Mina Qassemi Zavareh

*Special Award of National Section: “Let go of Mr. Sayyad” by Mohammad Sayyad, “Scent of a Mother, Scent of a Lake” by Reza Mohammadpour

*Martyr Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani Award went to “Avertin” by Hassan Vazirzadeh

*International Section Prize: “Makeup Artist “by Jafar Najafi and “Broken Bones” by Alireza Memariani

*Martyr Avini Section:

Mohammad Salimi Rad was honored by the Golden trophy of Martyr Avini, diploma of honor, and a cash prize of 300 million rials for directing the “The Soldier Number Zero”.

The Silver trophy of Martyr Avini, diploma of honor, and a cash prize of 250 million rials went to Mahdi Qorbanpour, director of the “Unfinished Day”.

Kamran Jahedi received Bronze trophy of Martyr Avini, diploma of honor, and a cash prize of 200 million rials for directing “My Brother’s Gun”.

The Special Jury Awards went to “That Man” by Mahdi Hojjat Pannah and “RACAL” by Ahmad Ebrahimi.

*International Section

Short Length International Competition Section: Main Award to “A year in Exile” by Malaz Usta from Turkey

Mid Length International Competition Section: Main Award to “One Image, Two Act” by Sanaz Sohrabi from Canada

Special Jury Award: With special mention of “Oh Dear Sara to In flow of words” by Eliane Esther Bots from the Netherlands.