Iran debut director nominees announced for film critics and writers

Debut director nominees have been announced for the 15th Grand Celebration of Iranian Cinema Critics and Writers.

The event announced its nominees for Best First‑Time Director section, spotlighting exceptional creativity and emerging talent in Iranian cinema.

According to the event’s public relations office, the contenders are as follows:

• 'The Projectionist' by Qorbanali Taherfar
• 'Without Her' by Arian Vazir-Daftari
• 'Imagine' by Ali Behrad
• 'Bloody Crocodile' by Javad Ezzati
• 'Orange Forest' by Arman Khansarian
• 'Golden Night' by Yousef Hatamikia
• 'Cause of Death: Unknown' by Ali Zarnegar
• 'The Meadow' by Kazem Daneshi
• 'Conjugal Visit' by Omid Shams
• 'The Situation of Mehdi' by Hadi Hejazifar

This year’s celebration evaluated 207 Iranian films released in the past three years, with more than 100 members of Iran's Critics and Writers Society judging across 13 categories.

Nominees for Best Sound Engineering, Best Technical Achievement, Best Music, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Screenplay, and Best Directing have already been announced.

The 15th grand celebration, led by Jafar Goudarzi, is set for August 30 at the Qalam Hall of National Library and Archives of Iran.