Linz filmfest's award goes to Iranian ‘Animal’

The 2018 edition of the Linz International Short Film Festival in Austria has presented the best cinematography award to Ali Abpak for 'Animal' from Iran.

The 15-minute film by Bahram and Bahman Ark is about a man who wants to pass the border unlawfully; so he hunts a ram and decides to escape disguised as the animal.

The film won the second prize in the Cinéfondation category at the 70th Cannes Film Festival, the best short film award at the 21st Avanca Film Festival in Portugal, best fiction prize at the Globe Silent Filmfest in the US, and best short film award at the 2018 MOOOV Filmfest in Belgium.

‘Animal’ was picked as the best film at the 34th Tehran International Short Film Festival, best short at the 19th Iran Cinema Celebration, best short film at the 18th Izmir Short film festival in Turkey, and best short film at the New Talent section of the 31st International Festival of Audio Visual programs in France.

The short film has so far gone on screen at a number of international film events, including the 37th Cambridge Film Festival in the UK, the 18th San Diego Asian Film Festival in the US, the 40th Poitiers Film Festival in France, the 46th du nouveau cinéma Film Festival in Canada, the 40th Denver Film Festival in the US, the 6th Cinemas d’Iran in France, the Palm Springs International Festival in the US, the 11th International Documentary & Short Film Festival of Kerala in India, the 59th Brno 16 international short film festival in the Czech Republic, the REGARD-Saguenay International Short Film Festival in Canada, and the Athens International Film and Video Festival in the US.

The 32nd Valencia International Film Festival in Spain, the 13th Fantastic Film Festival in the US, the 18th Calgary International Film Festival in Canada, and the 23rd Sarajevo Film Festival in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the 23rd MedFilm Festival in Italy are among the other international experiences of ‘Animal’.

The Linz event is the first international short film festival in Linz, Austria, which is a unique film event for short filmmakers and film lovers to network and discover future short film trends on a worldwide level.

The event was established for showcasing and celebrating the best independent short films from already established filmmakers as well as great work from new upcoming talents and artists from all around the world and for assisting in building a shared artistic experience.

The 2018 edition of the Linz was held on October 11-14.

MG/FM