Announcing Finalists for 16th Annual Short Film Festival – Public Voting Now Open!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, September 9, 2025
Farhang Foundation announces official selections for the 16th annual Farhang Foundation Short Film Festival
Public Voting Now Open for the Inaugural Audience Award
LOS ANGELES, CA — September 9, 2025 — Farhang Foundation is proud to announce the Top Six Official Selections of the 16th Annual Farhang Foundation Short Film Festival, the world’s longest running Iranian short film festival celebrating Iranian culture and heritage through the cinematic arts.
This year’s Official Selection Finalist Films, listed alphabetically, are:
ABRAHAM by Elnaz Ghaderpour and Reza Gamini
ADJUSTMENT by Mehrdad Hasani
FIRES by Mohammad Babakoohi
THE GRANNY & FISHES by Maria Mavati and Ehsan Farokhi Fard
SON by Saman Hosseinpuor
WHERE THE WINDS DIE by Pejman Alipour
All six films are now available to watch online, and for the first time in the festival’s history, the global public is invited to participate by voting for their favorite film. The winning filmmaker will receive the festival’s inaugural Audience Award and a cash prize of $3,000. Voting is now open at FarhangFilmFest.org and will remain live until September 24, 2025.
AWARDS CEREMONY
This year's winners will be announced at the official Awards Ceremony on Saturday, September 27, 2025, where all six finalist films will be screened at the prestigious Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills.
The evening will be hosted by comedian Melissa Shoshahi and will feature a lineup of distinguished guest presenters, including:
Lily Amir-Arjomand
Jury member for the 4th year in a row and founding Director of Iran’s Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults (Kanoon)
Shohreh Aghdashloo
Academy Award–nominated and Emmy Winning actress
Sara Seyed
Acclaimed actress, writer and producer
Shirin Sohani & Hossein Molayemi
Academy Award–winning filmmakers
Following the ceremony, guests are invited to a celebratory afterparty in honor of the filmmakers, featuring music by KCRW’s Nassir Nassirzadeh and curated Iranian culinary delights by Maison de la Fork. Tickets for the ceremony and afterparty may be secured by visiting Farhang.org.
“As Jury Chair, it is always an honor to witness the remarkable talent of filmmakers from across the globe. The six finalists represent an extraordinary range of artistry and vision, and narrowing down the selections is never an easy task. I am confident that these films not only celebrate the richness of Iranian culture but also speak to universal themes that resonate with audiences everywhere,” said Mark Amin, Vice Chairman of Farhang Foundation and Jury Chair of the Festival.
“The Farhang Foundation Short Film Festival continues to be a global platform for creativity, innovation, and cultural storytelling. Each year we are inspired by the bold voices and unique perspectives of the filmmakers who share their art with us, and this 16th edition is no exception. We are especially proud to present our largest cash prizes yet for the top three winners, while also inviting audiences worldwide to join us for the first time in selecting the inaugural Audience Choice Award, further expanding the conversation between filmmakers and the community,” said Alireza Ardekani, CEO of Farhang Foundation.
PRIZES
This year for the very first time in the festival's 16 year history, the top cash prizes have been increased to:
1st Prize: $15,000
2nd Prize: $10,000
3rd Prize: $5,000
Plus the newly established Audience Choice Award: $3,000
TOP SIX OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
ABRAHAM
Directed by Elnaz Ghaderpour and Reza Gamini
In a quiet rural town, a teenage girl calls the local policeman, claiming her father has killed her brother in a cave. Shocked by the accusation, the officer investigates and discovers a burned body, a wig, and a pair of earrings. Seeking answers, he visits the grieving mother and learns the victim often wore women’s clothes and jewelry she had gifted. As the investigation deepens, unsettling truths surface, revealing a hidden world behind the family’s carefully guarded façade.
ADJUSTMENT
Directed by Mehrdad Hasani
At just nine years old, an effeminate boy is shamed and cast aside by his own family and peers. Isolated and ridiculed, he wrestles with his identity until, with unshakable resolve, he embraces who he truly is. After enduring countless humiliations and painful trials, he makes a daring choice: dressed in girl’s clothes, he steps into the classroom before his astonished classmates—defiant, vulnerable, and unafraid, forcing his village to confront the truth they tried to silence.
FIRES
Directed by Mohammad Babakoohi
Fires is a hand-painted, frame-by-frame animated film that follows a stray dog fighting to survive in a drought-ravaged landscape. Drawing inspiration from the themes of Sadegh Hedayat, the story becomes a powerful metaphor for the struggles of Iran’s stray dogs during the 2020 water crisis and a period of social unrest. Through vivid, atmospheric imagery, the film captures resilience and despair, reflecting a society confronting both environmental collapse and the deeper fractures within its collective spirit.
THE GRANNY & FISHES
Directed by Maria Mavati and Ehsan Farokhi Fard
The Hamoon lagoon has dried up, its waters blocked, leaving millions of fish rotting on the cracked earth and birds fallen from the sky. Three hundred villages have been abandoned, swallowed by relentless dust storms. Yet in one village, a solitary grandmother refuses to leave. For years she has lived alone, bound to the desolation around her. Each day, she walks to the barren lagoon, gathering the lifeless fish—a haunting ritual of survival, memory, and unyielding attachment to her land.
SON
Directed by Saman Hosseinpuor
In a remote mountain village of Iranian Kurdistan, an aging mother waits in solitude for her son’s return from military service. Days turn into months with no word, and her quiet hope slowly gives way to fear. Determined, she sets out to uncover the truth, but what she finds is a secret that shatters her world. Confronted with revelations about her son’s identity, she faces an agonizing dilemma—whether to cling to tradition or embrace the painful reality of who he is.
WHERE THE WINDS DIE
Directed by Pejman Alipour
Sardasht, a Kurdish city in western Iran, became the first urban population in the world targeted by chemical weapons when mustard gas bombs struck at 4:15 p.m. on Sunday, June 28, 1987. This film revisits the city before and after the bombing, capturing the devastation and its enduring scars. At its heart lies a tender romance, unfolding against the backdrop of war’s brutality. Through love, loss, and survival, the story explores the human cost of conflict and the haunting legacy of chemical warfare.
This year’s finalists were selected by an esteemed jury of industry leaders and visionaries:
Lily Amir-Arjomand – Cultural Pioneer
Arameh Etemadi – Film Critic and Journalist
Paul Malcolm – Sr. Programmer, UCLA Film & Television Archive
Yasna Mirtahmasb – Actor & Filmmaker (Roxana)
Maryam Moghadam – Actress & Filmmaker (My Favourite Cake)
Farhang Foundation extends its deepest gratitude to the 2025 jury for their dedication in recognizing and celebrating the voices of emerging Iranian filmmakers around the world.
ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
Founded in 2009, the Farhang Foundation Short Film Festival is the only festival in the world dedicated to showcasing films that capture the beauty, complexity, and diversity of Iranian culture. To date the festival has awarded over $300,000 in cash prizes to winning filmmakers from around the world. The festival continues to provide an international platform for both established and emerging filmmakers to share their stories with global audiences.
For more information about the festival, to watch the top six finalist films, and to cast your vote for the Audience Award, please visit FarhangFilmFest.org.
For tickets and more information on the September 27 Awards Ceremony and After Party at THE WALLIS in Beverly Hills please visit Farhang.org
About Farhang Foundation
Farhang Foundation is a member supported nonpolitical, nonreligious, and not-for-profit organization dedicated to celebrating and promoting the richness of Iranian art and culture for the betterment of society as a whole. With a singular mission at its core, the Foundation strives to preserve, nurture, and share the diverse heritage of Iran with the global community. Through steadfast commitment, the Foundation supports a wide array of academic, artistic, and cultural programs and initiatives, fostering collaborative partnerships with esteemed universities, renowned museums, and the vibrant world of performing arts. These partnerships enable the Foundation to cultivate a deeper understanding and appreciation of the multifaceted aspects of Iranian culture and promote cross-cultural dialogue.
Media Contact:
Tannaz Guivi
Phone: 310-666-1546
Email: press@farhang.org
