Short-form stories, young filmmakers and 170 competing works in Tehran

The 15th 100-Second International Film Festival came to close in Tehran after four days of screenings, competition and educational programs, bringing together Iranian and international filmmakers around a distinctive cinematic challenge: telling a story, conveying an idea or creating an impact in no more than 100 seconds.

The 15th 100-Second International Film Festival came to close in Tehran after four days of screenings, competition and educational programs, bringing together Iranian and international filmmakers around a distinctive cinematic challenge: telling a story, conveying an idea or creating an impact in no more than 100 seconds.

What is the 100-Second Film Festival?
The 100-Second Film Festival is a specialized Iranian short-film event built around one central idea: telling a story, conveying a concept or presenting a cinematic idea in the shortest possible time. Under the festival’s main format, films must not exceed 100 seconds.

The festival was launched in 2003, at a time when ultra-short filmmaking was far less common than it is today. Its central idea has been to use the short-film format to communicate concepts quickly and creatively, discover emerging talent and create a pathway for young filmmakers into professional cinema.

“Brevity” and “creativity” are among the defining characteristics of the format. The films are intended to be independent cinematic works, rather than advertising teasers, music videos or excerpts from feature films.

The 15th edition: Four days in Tehran
The 15th edition, directed by Mohaddeseh Pirhadi, was held from September 15 to 18, 2026, at the Art Bureau of the Islamic Ideology Dissemination Organization, known in Iran as Hozeh Honari. The festival was organized around three themes: “Battle for the Future,” “Battle for the Children of the World” and “Battle for the Homeland.”

A total of 170 works were selected for the main competition: 36 in the national section, 29 in the international section and 105 in the special “Battle for the Homeland” section.

The national section focused on themes including the national economy, history and national identity, and the Persian language. The international section, titled “Battle for the Children of the World,” focused on children affected by war, while the special “Battle for the Homeland” section was created in response to the year’s wartime and social circumstances.

Unlike the festival’s standard format, the special section allowed filmmakers to submit works longer than 100 seconds, with a maximum running time of 300 seconds.

From screenings to filmmaking workshops
The festival extended beyond screenings and competition, with a series of educational programs and workshops designed to pass the experience of established filmmakers on to a younger generation.

The “Sadra” workshop series was organized with this aim, featuring figures from Iranian cinema including directors Alireza Davoodnejad and Siroos Moqaddam.

Hojjat al-Islam Mohammad Ghomi, head of Iran’s Islamic Ideology Dissemination Organization, also attended the festival on its opening day, visiting Hozeh Honari and viewing the screenings.

National winners: From AI to fiction
In the national section, Mohammadreza Dehghan’s Red Line, was named Best Film in the AI category.

No Best Film award was given in the documentary category, while Ebrahim Moradi’s The Hole, received an Honorary Diploma. In animation, the jury did not select a Best Film, but commended Hosni Ajami’s Homeland.

In the fiction category, Ahmad Heydarian’s Hello to the Queen, won Best Film, while Seyed Alireza Zarei’s Burglar Alarm, received an Honorary Diploma.

“Battle for the Children of the World”: War through filmmakers’ eyes
In the international section, titled “Battle for the Children of the World,” Amirhossein Malekzadeh’s Dad’s Promise, won Best Film in the AI category, while Seyed Mohsen Mohajeri’s Wound, received an Honorary Diploma.

In animation, Fahimeh Ghaedi’s Blue Trace, was named Best Film, while Reza Hamidi-Motlagh’s Invisible, received an Honorary Diploma.

No Best Film award was given in the documentary category. In fiction, Hamid Ghaemi-Mehr’s Witness, was named Best Film; Mohammad Salehi’s Bitoora received the Best Director award; and Batool Joni’s Ma Lam Yohadeth received an Honorary Diploma.

“Battle for the Homeland”: A defining feature of the 15th edition
The special “Battle for the Homeland” section was one of the distinctive features of this year’s festival. Created in response to the year’s wartime and social circumstances, it also allowed filmmakers to submit works of up to three minutes.

In animation, Zeinab Zamanian’s Da, won Best Film.

In documentary, Masoud Dehnavi’s The One with the Tattoo, won Best Film, while Hamid Zare Yazdi’s The Pots, received an Honorary Diploma.

In fiction, Jalal Mohabi’s Daddy’s Darling, and Amir Mazlomi’s Extra Shift, both received the Best Film award. Bahman Rezaei’s Papa Bandari (Papa from Bandar) received the Jury Special Award.

No Best Film award was given in the AI category of this section.

Production Support: Awards for projects yet to be made
Another new feature of the 15th edition was the “Production Support” section. Unlike the main competition, this section was not intended for completed films; instead, it supported scripts and projects still in development.

The winning projects were Two Women, written by Ali Malekshahi; Call My Bell, written by Maziar Tehrani; and Two Zero Ninety-Eight, written by Mahdieh Jafari.

An Honorary Diploma was also awarded to The Hero, written by Mohammadreza Eteghadi.

The “Kite” Award for children’s cinema
Alongside the main sections, the festival also presented the special “Kite” Award, dedicated to the field of children’s cinema. This year, the award went to Ali Salehi’s The Bitten Seal.

The 15th edition: Continuing a 23-year journey
The closing ceremony of the 15th 100-Second International Film Festival was held at Andisheh Hall of Hozeh Honari in Tehran, attended by Hojjat al-Islam Mohammad Ghomi, head of the Islamic Ideology Dissemination Organization, members of the jury and a number of cultural and cinematic figures. The winners in the festival’s various sections were announced during the ceremony.

More than two decades after its launch, the 100-Second Film Festival remains centered on the idea that has defined it from the beginning: telling a story, conveying an idea or creating a cinematic experience in the shortest possible form.

At the same time, the 15th edition showed that the festival has expanded beyond its original 100-second format. Its international competition, focus on children affected by war, special “Battle for the Homeland” section, educational workshops, production-support program and attention to children’s cinema have broadened the scope of the event.

From its first edition in 2003 to its 15th edition in 2026, the festival continues to revolve around a simple question: Is 100 seconds enough to tell an entire world?