2025 Fajr fest reveals competition line-up

The director of the 43rd Fajr International Film Festival has announced the line-up for the Iranian Cinema Competition section of the most significant cinematic event in Iran.  

In a ceremony held on Thursday, Manouchehr Shahsavari named the 33 Iranian films curated for this section and thanked the selection committee for reviewing 92 submissions before making this selection.

 A total of thirteen films are directorial debuts, and a separate section was created for Iranian animated films due to their quantity and quality.

Below is the list of the 33 selected films and their directors, as well as the four animated films chosen for a special category in this section.

‘1968’ directed by Amirmehdi Pourvaziri

‘Pregnant’ directed by Mostafa Tanabandeh and Mohammad Tanabandeh.

‘Antique’ directed by Hadi Naeiji

‘March’ directed by Danesh Eqbashavi

‘Tears of the Lagoon’ directed by Mehdi Jafari

‘Bloody Game’ directed by Hossein Mirzamohammadi

'End the Game' directed by Mohammad Ebrahim Azizi

'The People's Child' directed by Mahmoud Karimi

'Peshmerga' directed by Ali Ghaffari

'Taxidermy' directed by Mohammad Paydar

'Deep Crack' directed by Arman Zarrinkoub

'Almond Eyes' directed by Ebrahim Amini

‘Khati’ directed by Fereydoun Najafi

'God of War' directed by Hossein Darabi

‘Justice’ directed by Abolfazl Jalili

‘All Alone’ directed by Amir Hossein Saqafi

'Free' directed by Hesam Farahmand

'A Time in Eternity' directed by Mehdi Norouzian

‘Call Me Ziba’ directed by Rasoul Sadr-Ameli

‘Endless’ directed by Reza Jamali

‘King of Roles (Supporting Cast)’ directed by Shahed Ahmadloo

'North by Southwest' directed by Hamid Zargarnejad

'Setareh’s Husband' directed by Ebrahim Irajzad

'Hundred Traps' directed by Pedram Pouramiri

'The Hunter' directed by Javad Afshar

'The Cry' directed by Mohammad Reza Ardalan

‘Closure’ directed by Soheil Movaffagh

'Highway Deer' directed by Abolfazl Saffari

'Louli' directed by Reza Farahmand

'Maria' directed by Mehdi Asghari Azghadi

'The Calm Man' directed by Behnoush Sadeghi

'Prophet Moses' directed by Ebrahim Hatamikia

‘The Catcher in the Rye’ directed by Seyed Mohammad Reza Kheradmandan

And the four animated films selected for a special competition category:

'Legend of Sepehr' directed by Emad Rahmani and Mehrdad Mehrabi

'Dolphin Boy 2' directed by Mohammad Kheirandish

'Zal and Roudabeh' directed by Mohammad Ali Sajjadi

'Juliet and the King' directed by Ashkan Rahgozar 

Held in the Iranian capital city of Tehran and some other Iranian provinces, Fajr International Film Festival pays tribute to quality national and international films.

It is an event that celebrates cultural exchange, displays the creative achievements of highly acclaimed cineastes and newcomers, and showcases films promoting artistic contribution to the medium.

Moreover, the festival also pays special attention to films that seek justice and highlight humane and moral values.

Founded in 1982, Fajr International Film Festival (FIFF) is Iran’s largest annual film festival held in Tehran.

Since its establishment, the event has played a vital role in the development of Iranian Cinema.

Every year, veteran directors and new filmmakers devotedly present their works in the festival.

Over the years, Fajr has been honored by numerous significant film figures who have also worked closely with the festival as respectable jury members.

The latest edition of the fest is held in February 2025.