Children theater festival announces winners

The 30th edition of the International Theater Festival for Children and Youth has held a grand closing ceremony in the Iranian city of Hamedan.

The prestigious event in the world of children’s theater came to end on Thursday, marking the conclusion of a week-long celebration of art, culture, and entertainment for children and youth.

The closing ceremony, attended by a large number of theater enthusiasts, artists, and officials, introduced the winners in different sections of the festival.

‘Devil’s Trap’ directed by Mohammad Jahanpa from Mashhad, ‘Triangle’ by Qeis Yassaqi from Tehran, ‘The Mice Meeting’ by Sona Martirosyan from Armenia and ‘The Stubborn Adventurer’ by Fábio Superbi from Brazil were honored in the international section.

In the Young Children category of the national section, ‘From Seed to Bread’ by Hamed Torabi from Hamedan won Best Play award and an honorable mention went to ‘Cute Faces’ by Hadis Saberi from Qom.

In the Children section, ‘Pinocchio’ by Davoud Zare won the awards for Best Play and Best Director, while in the Young Adults section, ‘Enemy of God’ by Emadeddin Rajablou and Majid Araqi won the Best Play award.

The 30th edition of Iran’s International Theater Festival for Children and Youth was organized by the Dramatic Arts Center of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, supported by Hamedan Municipality and in partnership with the Hamedan province's Cultural and Islamic Guidance Office, as well as the Iranian Dramatic Arts Association.

The event aimed at enhancing unity and companionship, growth, awareness, and the confidence of Iranian children through the medium of theater as well as achieving social participation of children and adolescents, promoting public culture, strengthening the foundations of family and intergenerational communication, and educating citizens and increasing responsibility through the active participation of Iranian children and adolescents in the production of theatrical works.

With the motto “Today’s Child, New Narratives, Tomorrow’s Stage”, the 2025 edition of the event was held on December 5-11.