Curtains fall on 37th Fajr Film Festival, winners announced

The 37th edition of the prestigious Fajr Film Festival (FFF) came to an end on Monday at Tehran’s Milad Tower by awarding the bests of Iran’s film industry in the past year. The program was hosted by Mohammadreza Shahidifard. According to Ebrahim Daroughezadeh, the director of this edition of the Fajr Film Festival, 22 Iranian films and three domestically-made 3D computer-animated movies contested to win the Crystal Simorgh (Iranian mythical flying creature) in this competition.

Daroughezadeh said that 37th Fajr festival was the most welcomed event of the year in terms of the number of audiences, special screening timeslots and number of halls showing the film.

The jury composed of filmmakers Mohammad-ali Bashe Ahangar, Mohammad Bozorgnia, Pooran Derakhshandeh and Mohammad Ehsani.

Cinematographer Mahmud Kalari, film critic Mehrzad Danesh and actress Rima Raminfar are the other members of the jury.

Entering the night with 13 nominations ‘Night of the Full Moon’ took home seven awards, including best makeup, best director.

The feature film ‘Night of the Full Moon’ directed by Narges Abyar and produced by Mohammad-hossein Qassemi won this year’s top prize, the Golden Simorgh for best film.

Negah-e No (New Vision) section awarded ‘Pedovore’ by Mohammad Kart with best short. This is while best documentary award was given to ‘Baharestan, House of People’ by Babak Behdad.

Best film award in this section was given to ‘Buffoon’ by Homayoun Ghanizadeh. But the director rejected the award and in a message read by an Afghan individual hoped to be a better director for Iran.

The program paid special honor to the 23 people on which the film with the same name was built by Mehdi Jafari.

Iran’s veteran actress, who played in more than 130 films, Gohar Kheirandish, actors Habib Ahmadzadeh, Manouchehr Shahsavari and Iran’s Culture Minister Abbas Salehi went on the stage to offer a symbolic Simorgh to all the 23 people on stage.

The film won national award best film which was received by Mojtaba Faravarde and Mehdi Jafari.

Javad Matoori was awarded with best visual effects prize for ‘Buffoon’. Mohsen Kheir-abadi, Reza Misaqi and Shahab Najafi for ‘Takhti, the World Champion’, Hadi Eslami and Amir Saharkhiz for ‘23 People’, Javad Matoori for ‘The Warden’ and Sina Qavidel for ‘Midday Adventures: Trace of Blood’.

Iman Karamian for ‘Midday Adventures: Trace of Blood’ won the best special effect award and beat out other nominees.

The nominees were Mohsen Roozbehani for ‘23 People’, Iman Karamian for ‘The Ninth Symphony’, Arash Aqabeik for ‘Night of the Full Moon’, Arsha Aqdasi for ‘Oath’ and Iman Karamian for ‘Midday Adventures: Trace of Blood’.

The best makeup award was presented to Iman Omidvari for the film ‘Night of the Full Moon’.

Costume designer Meshkin Mehregan picked up his best costume design from 5 nominations for ‘The Ninth Symphony.

Keyvan Moqaddam received the best stage design award for the film ‘Takhti, the World Champion’.

Best sound recording and best sound mixing awards went to Iraj Shahzadi for ‘6.5 per Meter’ and Mehrshad Malakooti for ‘Midday Adventures: Trace of Blood’, respectively.

Best music award went to Amin Honarmand for ‘Qasr-e Shirin’.

Bahram Dehqani won the best editing award for ‘6.5 per Meter’ but the film’s producer Sadataian received the award on behalf of the winner.

Among the six nominees, Hamid Khozooei for ‘Takhti, the World Champion’ managed to win the best cinematography award.

Fereshteh Sadr-orafaei won best supporting actress for ‘Night of the Full Moon’ beating out Zohreh Abbasi, Zhila Shahi, Niusha Alipour and Pantea Panahiha who were also nominated.

Veteran actor Ali Nassirian, 84, won the best supporting actor award for ‘Buffoon’.

Best animation award went to ‘The Last Fiction’ by Ashkan Rahgozar.

‘Buffoon’ By Homayoun Ghanizadeh received the best film in Art & Experience Cinema section.

The award for best actress and best actor in a leading role went to Elnaz Shakerdoust for ‘Night of the Full Moon’ and Houtan Shakiba for ‘Night of the Full Moon’.

Mohsen Qaraei and Mohammad Davoudi for ‘Qasr-e Shirin’ picked up the best film script award.

Filmmaker Narges Abyar received the award for best director for the film ‘Night of the Full Moon’.

Audience award best film went to the film ‘6.5 Per Meter’ by Saeed Roustaei.

The national section of the Fajr festival, which brings together motion picture industry professionals from across the country, is held in January and February during the celebrations to mark the anniversary of Iran’s Islamic Revolution.

The 37th edition took place in Tehran and several other Iranian cities from January 30 to February 11.

In the international section, annually held in April, hundreds of filmmakers from around the world apply to take part in the major contest.