Over 3,400 entries submitted to Resistance filmfest

The Resistance Int'l Film Festival (RIFF) has received over 3,400 submissions, including 2,400 domestic entries and 1,000 international works in various formats, according to Deputy Secretary Mohammad-Ali Shojaeefard.

During a press conference held by the festival’s international committee in the Iranian city of Qom on December 31, Shojaeefard outlined the scope of the 18th edition of the festival.

This year’s event will feature eight categories, including competitions for domestic and international films, a special "World Without Israel" section focusing on Palestinian struggles, documentaries, artificial intelligence in cinema, sacred defense, and critical and humanities research.

The festival will accept submissions in diverse formats such as feature films, animations, short fiction films, animated shorts, documentaries (both short and feature-length), and TV series. Additionally, the "Storytelling through the Pen" category is exclusively for script writers.

Submissions opened in mid-November, and the festival’s website facilitated registrations for interested participants.

The screenings are scheduled for March in Tehran, across three cinemas, showing films, documentaries, and animations.

Furthermore, public screenings will take place nationwide, with 50 screenings planned in collaboration with film distribution institutions. A mobile cinema-equipped truck will ensure screenings in remote areas during January and February.

The festival's opening ceremony is planned for March in Tehran’s Sacred Defense Town, while the closing ceremony will occur over two days in southern Iran, near the Persian Gulf. The exact location for the closing event has yet to be finalized.

Shojaeefard emphasized that the festival’s international committee is working independently to achieve its objectives and aims to establish permanent connections globally. The festival aspires to become a hub for artists focusing on resistance and revolution.

He noted that the Resistance International Film Festival, launched in 1983, is the only festival globally dedicated to raising the banner of monotheism and supporting the resistance front.

Eighteen countries are actively involved in this year’s festival, with 22 Iranian provinces also contributing to the event’s organization.

Esrafil Kaliji, head of the international committee, highlighted the festival’s primary focus on Palestine, saying, “Our priority is the Palestinian people, who embody the spirit of resistance and represent the triumph of justice over oppression.”

Kaliji added that the festival aims to promote "intelligent resistance" as a lifestyle to counter injustice and strive for lasting peace. The event has sought collaboration with around 30 countries, setting up 18 national desks to ensure international representation.

Kaliji underlined that these country-specific desks are designed to continue working beyond the festival, encouraging each to produce at least one project for future editions.

He concluded, “Cinema and art can transform the narrative of resistance from war to peace. The festival stands as a platform for advocates of resistance worldwide, envisioning a future free of oppressive Zionist influence.”