Tehran Int'l Short Film Festival approved by Oscars: director

The Director of the 38th Tehran International Short Film Festival (TISFF), Sadegh Mousavi,  said that the event has become the only festival in Iran that has been approved by Oscar.

Speaking in a press conference, Mousavi, said, "I have been in charge of this cinematic event for five years and during these years we have witnessed an improvement in the quality of the festival in all aspects." 

"Of course, we are still far from the ideal point, but for various reasons, this festival can be one of the best and most prestigious short film festivals." 

"We managed to become the only Oscar-qualifying festival in Iran in the fields of the international section."

He added that, among Muslim countries, only Iran, Egypt and Turkey have been approved by the Academy Awards.

"Last year, 4,500 works were registered in the international section, and this year, over 2,000 works were added," said the festival's director.

He added that the festival has considered a grand prize of 5,000 Euros for the top winner of this international cinematic event.

Mousavi noted that thanks to the position of Iran's cinema industry in the region, Tehran International Short Film Festival enjoys very high credibility.

He added, "This year, for the first time, we received emails from foreign filmmakers asking why our film is not at the festival. Mousavi noted that there are 127 Oscar-qualifying festivals worldwide, and 67 of them are held in the US.

"The Director of the 38th Tehran International Short Film Festival (TISFF), Sadegh Mousavi,  said that the event has become the only festival in Iran that has been approved by Oscar"

Mousavi said, "This year, the judges of the festival enjoy a higher level due to the fact that this event has become an Oscar-qualifying festival.

"About 10% of the works in the international section are Iranian.  Most of the films were sent from India, France, Spain, Brazil, Italy, Russia, followed by China, Turkey, etc.," he added.

He said a total of 128 foreign countries have submitted works to the 38th edition of the festival, including; India 621, France 590, Spain 396, USA 339, Italy 294, Brazil 272, Russia 216, Germany 212, Turkey 198, China 197, UK 182, Taiwan 137, Canada 133, Mexico 132, South Korea 116, Poland 109, Argentina 104, Indonesia 102, Egypt 70 and Portugal 62.

Mousavi said, "Due to being Oscar-qualifying festival, we are going to hold an opening ceremony in this edition of the event and there we will unveil the festival teaser and 11 books that we have published so far." 

In this year's festival, we have 20 specialized sessions entitled "Virtual sessions of 20-38 with the presence of 12 international and 8 Iranian lecturers on current topics and debates which have focused on the subject of experimental cinema.

"With the publication of 11 books, our approach is based on fostering knowledge," he added.

Mousavi concluded as saying that thanks to the Iran Mall Cinema Campus open space and the height of its ceilings, the festival will be held at this center like last year, underscoring that Iran Mall is our sponsor and provide us with many of the festival items for free.

Tehran International Short Film Festival is one of the oldest short film festivals not only in Iran but also in the region. The festival has been the host of international well-known festival directors and cineastes from around the world.

Since July 2021, Tehran International Short Film Festival has become a qualified event by OSCAR.

The 38th edition of TISFF will be held between 19-24 October 2021 in Tehran, Iran.

MNA/PR