The Report of the Closing Ceremony of 35th International Film Festival for Children and Youth
News October 16, 2023
The closing ceremony of the 35th International Film Festival for Children and Youth in Isfahan started at 19:00 at Kausar Hall of the Army Complex with the enthusiastic presence of children and their families, more than two hundred military, national and provincial...
The closing ceremony of the 35th International Film Festival for Children and Youth in Isfahan started at 19:00 at Kausar Hall of the Army Complex with the enthusiastic presence of children and their families, more than two hundred military, national and provincial officials, owners of works, the press, popular figures of Iranian cinema, foreign guests and directors of cinema were present.
According to P.R of the 35th International Film Festival for Children and Youth, Akbar Abdi, Abolfazl Pourarab, Puran Derakhshande, Manouchehr Valizadeh, Jahanbakhsh Soltani, Bahram Azimi, Alireza Khamse were among the artists present at the closing ceremony. Also, Ali Qasemzadeh, the mayor of Isfahan, Mohammad Khazaei, the head of the cinema organization, Seyyed Mohammad Hashemi, the parliamentary deputy of the minister of culture and Islamic guidance, Hamed Alamati, the managing director of the intellectual development center for children and Youth, Kamal Heydari, the head of the cultural and artistic organization of the municipality of Isfahan, Moghimi, the Governor Deputy of Isfahan, Kolahdozan, Shariati and Salehi, members of Islamic Council of Isfahan, Mojtaba Amini, Director of the Fajr Film Festival, Mohammad Reza Abbasian, Banki, a member of the Islamic Council, Habib Ilbeigi, Mohsen Barmahani, Hashem Mirzakhani, Mohammad Hamidi Moghadam, Asghar Farsi were also present among the guests participating in the festival.
The ceremony started with a clip of children and the city of Isfahan.
Then, a young reciter lit up the hall by reciting verses from the Quran. After that, some young people with the sacred flag of Imam Reza's shrine (PBUH) and a photo of Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani and The martyrs who defended the shrine in Damascus appeared on the stage.
In the next part of the ceremony, the "Kids to the Peak" group, including young boys and girls, sang together the anthem of the 35th Int\`l film festival for children and youth entitled "Kids to the Peak".
Then an interesting clip of two boys and a teenager was played. In this clip, they asked the filmmakers to make happy and energetic films for children and teenagers so that reaching the top would be easier and sweeter.
Then Saeed Sheikhzadeh, the host of the final ceremony of the festival, came on stage and invited Majid Zainul Abdin, the director of the festival, to appear on the stage.
Congratulating and welcoming the participants of the event, Zainul Abdin said in a short speech: I am very happy that the people of Isfahan welcomed us for the 23rd time in this 35th edition.
The director of the festival continued: The children and youth film festival is mixed with the cultural and artistic identity of the people of Isfahan, and on the other hand, the names of artists and filmmakers of Iranian cinema shine on the leaves of this festival, and on the other hand, this festival is a haven for the presence of young artists.
He added: I would like to thank the managers, artists of Isfahan municipality, art managers of Isfahan, and all those who helped to organize this festival with such splendor.
In the end, Majid Zainul Abdin said: I would also like to thank the international guests of this period who found a place in this festival to be ambassadors of culture and art and introduce this festival to the whole world.
Then a clip of films of the international section with the introduction of the judges of the short and animation was shown for the guests.
Then, Anita Rikaki, Hadi Mohammadian, Khetam Seyed Abdul Qadir, Maria Beztkova, and Hekmat Al Bayzan, members of the jury of international short films and animations, appeared on stage to introduce the best ones.
\*\*\* Award for the best international short film
With the announcement of the presenter, the title of the best short film went to the film "Suzi in the Garden" directed by Lucie Songova from the Czech Republic.
\*\*\* Special Jury Prize and Golden butterfly of the international jury went to Mehdi Amini, the director of the movie "Ayar"
After receiving the award, Amini came on stage and said: I dedicate this award to all working children and I hope that they will not forget their childhood amidst the all hardships of their lives. I would like to thank Mr. Nejati, Mr. Montazeri, and the Young Cinema Association.
\*\*\* The Golden Butterfly of the festival for the best short animation "Slipping Away" directed by Gabriel Enolfour, from France
The director of the film "Slipping Away" was not present at the closing ceremony and spoke to the audience through a video call and said: I am Gabriel and thank you to the 35th International Film Festival for giving me this opportunity, this film is of special importance to me. I would have liked to be with you in Isfahan and at this festival, and I am grateful again.
\*\*\* International Feature films
In the continuation, the clip of the introduction of the jury of the international feature films was announced and the judges appeared on the stage.
\*\*\* Honorary diploma award for the best child actor
Aldifi ML Tegara received the award on behalf of Child Actor for his performance in the movie "Tough".
\*\*\* Golden Butterfly for the best screenplay
"Motherland" directed by Park Jae
Park Jae also conveyed his message to the guests of the festival through a video call: I recorded this video for you because I found out about the winner of this award. People should watch this movie and enjoy it. I am very happy to have received this award from the 35th Film Festival.
\*\*\* Golden Butterfly for the best international director
Went To the "Sea Sparkle" directed by Dominique Herker
The director of Sea Sparkle was not present to receive his award and said in a recorded video: I thank the 35th International Film Festival for Children and Youth, this is the first award that I received.
Then Mohammad Khazaei, the head of Cinema Organization, Delivered his speech to the audience about the festival of this period and what has happened through these five days and said: I am happy to be present at the closing ceremony of the 35th International Film Festival and I thank all those involved in the festival. Both in Tehran and in Isfahan all the representatives, the mayor and the governor of Isfahan, and the people of Isfahan gave their best for the reception, Artists who tried to elevate culture and art and artists who kept the candle of children's cinema burning with their presence in this festival.
The head of the cinema organization continued: If we are interested in the future of children and teenagers in this country, we should definitely think about children's and teenagers' cinema from today. This task is not only the responsibility of the Cinema organization; all public and private institutions must do their best so that next year we can see the elevation of culture and the increase in the production of works in this field.
He continued: "Since the day before, when I attended the festival, I saw how much people of Isfahan and the children and teenagers welcomed this festival, and when I saw the works, I came to the conclusion that the youth and especially the children of the city We don't know them, they exhibited their works in this festival and seeing these works is proof of a bright future for cinema and the future generation of directors in the field of children's cinema.
He explained the diverse works produced in this period of the festival: according to the judges and the audience, the works produced in this festival are both content-oriented and can have a good economic cycle for cinema, and this trend will ultimately be a good prospect for it and will bring prosperity for the future of Iranian cinema.
He talked about three important events for children's cinema: I am happy to announce that the National Foundation for Cinema Animation has been approved and its details will be finalized soon, and next year we will see the formation of this foundation to strengthen children's cinema.
He went on to say that the next issue is the cinema bell, which has been re-entered for some time, and the third issue is the National Children's Fund, an intellectual development center that all institutions invested in together. The last issue is supporting the production of works in the cinema hall.
In another part of his speech, he spoke about the oppression of the children of Gaza and stated: Today, the people of Gaza are under complete siege, they do not have water, food, and medicine, and they are under the complete domination of the Zionists. Today, it is the duty of UNICEF to defend these people, and it is the duty of us and the artists to record these events so that they are not distorted over time.
He also said about the next edition of the Children's Film Festival: I hope to see you next year at this festival and I must promise that it is clear from today that the next year's festival will be held in Isfahan.
Regarding the selection of the secretary for the next edition of the Festival, Khazai said: The director of the Festival for Children and Youth is Majid Zainul Abdin, and I hope he can take effective measures in the field of children's cinema.
Then, a clip of Ferdous Kaviani and Atila Pesiani, two departed artists, was played in the commemoration section of the festival, and then a video of Bahram Dehqaniar, the composer of memorable music for children's programs of the 60s and 70s, was shown.
Then, Akbar Abdi, Marzieh Broumand, and Majid Zainul Abdin, the director of the festival, came on stage to hold the memorial service for Bahram Dehqaniar.
Bahram Dehqaniar took the commemoration statue of the festival from the hands of Akbar Abdi and Marzieh Broumand who talked about Dehqaniar for a few minutes. Also, Akbar Abdi said: No child, anywhere in the world, should experience war.
Abdi continued: I have a conversation with those who are interfering in the internal affairs of our country. If you know how, come here and solve the problems yourself, instead of sitting on the other side of the water and commenting.
In the next part of the closing ceremony, the special awards of the national section were awarded as follows:
\* Abu Nasr Farabi Award was presented to the movie "Captain" by Mohammad Hamzaei.
\* The Chastity and Hijab Statue (Goharshad) was awarded to Ali Basiri for the movie "Journey to Darkness".
\* The special statue of the National Headquarters of the Family and Youth of the Population was awarded to Mohammad Hossein Alamdar, the producer of the animated film "Passenger from Ganora".
\* A statue for the culture-based animation
Was presented to the production of Mohammad Hossein Alamdar: "Passenger from Ganora"
\* The special statue of the director was awarded to the animation "Traveler from Ganora".
\* The special Golden Butterfly statue for the children's judges went to the film "Ilya, the Search for a Hero" by Seyed Ali Mousavinejad.
In the section of Iranian feature films, with the presence of judges Rasool Sadr Aamili, Jahanbakhsh Soltani, Puran Derakhshandeh, Hamed Jafari, and Amrullah Ahmadjoo and accompanied by Mohammad Reza Sharifiania and Abolfazl Pourarab, Mohammad Fili, Marzieh Broumand, Akbar Abdi, Behrouz Afkhami, Alireza Khamse and Manouchehr Valizadeh, the Statues were Awarded to the winners.
The best movie
Golden Butterfly for the best film among "Ilya, Searching for a Hero" produced by Seyed Ali Mousavinejad, "Singo" produced by Iraj Mohammadi, "My Hero" produced by Morteza Atashzamzam and Mohsen Atashzamzam, " Alishon Queen " produced by Ibrahim Nooravar Mohammad, "Asteroid" produced by Mehdi Hosseinivand, and it went to Ebrahim Nouravar Mohammad for the movie " Alishon Queen ".
The best direction
Golden Butterfly among "Mortaza Atashzamzam" for directing the movie "My Hero", "Mohammed Hamzaei" for directing the movie "Captain", "Babak Khajepasha" for directing the movie "In the Arms of the Tree", "Ibrahim Noor Avar Mohammad" for directing the movie " Alishon Queen " ", "Mehdi Hosseinivand" to direct the movie "Asteroid" reached Morteza Ataz-Zamzam for the movie "My Hero".
The best screenplay
The Golden Butterfly for the best screenplay; "Syed Ali Mousavinejad" for the screenplay "Ilya, Searching for a Hero", "Lila Nikzad" for the screenplay "Singo", "Morteza Atashzamzam" for the screenplay "My Hero"; went to Morteza Atashzamzam "My Hero"
After receiving his award, Ataz Zamzam came to the podium and said: I am very happy about this award, but I have one more important point, please make the Zayandeh River flow and please remove the polluting industries from Isfahan.
The best child and Youth actor
Golden Butterfly is the best child and adolescent actor among "Amirreza Ismaili" for the movie " Alishon Queen ", "Hadith Abu Salqi" for the movie "Singo", "Amir Hossein Bayat" for the movie "Captain", "Niko Heshmat" for the movie "My Hero", "Ebrahim Zarouzhi" for the movie "Asteroid", "Rayan Lotfi" for the movie "In the embrace of the tree" went to Amirreza Esmaili for Alishon Queen and Hadith Abusalghi for "Singo".
The best technical or artistic distribution
Golden Butterfly, the best technical or artistic distribution to cinema; among "Ali Tasdighi" for the visual effects of the movie "Alpha and the Destroyer Robot", "Ibrahim Nouravar Mohammad" for the visual effects and cinematography of the movie " Alishon Queen ", "Syed Ali Mousavinejad" for the visual effects of the movie " Ilya, the search for a hero" was awarded to " Alishon Queen " by Ibrahim Nouravar Mohammad.
In the next part of the closing ceremony of the 35th International Children and Youth Film Festival, the special prize of the jury of the festival was presented to the movie "Singo".
In the next part of the closing ceremony, the special jury prize of the festival was presented to the movie "Singo".
Also, at the end of the program, the poster of the 7th Iranian Youth Filmmaking Olympiad, which is held under the direction of Vahid Moltaji, was unveiled with a clip.
At the end of the closing ceremony, Melika Zarei, the happy aunt of Iran's children, spoke for a few minutes and at the end took a photo with the judges of children and Youth on the stage.
