2025 Fajr fest reveals competition lineup

The director of the 43rd Fajr International Film Festival (FIFF) has announced the lineup 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 Naeeji

‘March’ directed by Danesh Eqbashavi

‘Tears of the Lagoon’ directed by Mehdi Jafari

‘Bloody Game’ directed by Hossein Mirza-Mohammadi

'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 Fereidoun Najafi

'God of War' directed by Hossein Darabi

‘Justice’ directed by Abolfazl Jalili

‘All Alone’ directed by Amir-Hossein Saqafi

'Free' directed by Hessam 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 Ahmadlou

'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 Movaffaq

'Highway Deer' directed by Abolfazl Saffari

'Louli' directed by Reza Farahmand

'Maria' directed by Mehdi Asghari-Azghadi

'The Calm Man' directed by Behnoush Sadeqi

'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, the 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, the 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, the 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 will be held in February 2025.