Burning Plain leads winners at 19th International Resistance Film Festival

‘Burning Plain’ leads winners at 19th International Resistance Film Festival

TEHRAN- The Iranian feature film “Burning Plain” was the biggest winner at the 19th International Resistance Film Festival, securing six awards, including Best Film and Best Director, at the closing ceremony held at the Milad Tower Convention Center in Tehran on Thursday.

Directed by Majid Esmaeili, the film also received awards for Best Cinematography, Best Makeup, and Best Screenplay, the latter shared with "The Gambler". Masoud Sakhavatdust was recognized for his musical compositions for both “Burning Plain” and “Kooch”.

Esmaeili received the Best Director award, while the film's producer, Kamran Majidi, accepted the festival's top prize for Best Feature Film in the national competition.

In the national feature film competition, Sara Hatami won Best Actress for her performance in “The Bridge”, while Arman Darvish received Best Actor for his role in “The Successor”.

Kourosh Tahami was named Best Supporting Actor for The Gambler", and Zahra Moradi won Best Supporting Actress for her performance in “Kooch”. Mohsen Bahari received the Best First-Time Director award for “The Gambler”.

Other awards in the national feature film section went to Mohammad Baradaran for the visual effects of “The Successor”, Reza Torkaman for the film's special effects, and Esmaeil Alizadeh for editing “Land of Angels”. The Best Costume Design award also went to “Land of Angels”.

The jury's special award was presented to producer Manouchehr Mohammadi for “Land of Angels”, while Mehdi Motahhar received the Martyr Soleimani Special Award for “Kooch”. The festival secretary's special award went to Rouhollah Sohrabi for “The Successor”.

In the documentary section, Mostafa Mousavitabar's “Standing Beside the Thames”, produced by Zohreh Najafzadeh, won Best Feature-Length Documentary. Morteza Payesh-shenas received Best Documentary Director for “A Small Waterway of Happiness”, while Masoud Zareian won Best Short Documentary Director for “Among the Fig Trees”.

The Best Short Documentary award went to Motahareh Edalatkhah for “A 25-Year Wait”. Ali Akbari was recognized for his research on “I Am Jalal Al-e Ahmad”, and Seyyed Hassan Seyyedi Parishan and Vahid Kazemi won the technical achievement award for cinematography on “The Golden Corridor”.

In the short film section, “Bitura”, produced by Mehdi Abazari, received Best Film. Ehsan Abednia won Best Director for “The Messenger”, while Hossein Jamshidi received Best Screenplay for “Captain Torres”. Seyyed Mohammadreza Sajjadian was honored for cinematography on “Salamoon”. The jury also presented a special award to “Under God's Eyes”, directed by Abolfazl Saei.

In animation, “Safineh-ye Nejat” (The Rescue Ship), produced by Mohammad Amin Hamdani, won Best Feature-Length Animation, with Hadi Mohammadian receiving the Best Director award for the film. Rasoul Azargoun won Best Short Animation Director for “Rocket City”. A special award went to “The Battle of Kites”, produced by Elham Ebrahimi, while Mahva Animation Studio and Mehdi Jafari Jozani were recognized for their contribution to resistance-themed animation.

The international competition also honored filmmakers from several countries. Russian director Andrei Simonov's “Baby Boy” won Best Feature Film, while Jordanian filmmaker Naji Salameh received Best Short Fiction Film for “Hind Under Siege”.

The Best Feature-Length Documentary award went to “A State of Passion”, directed by Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi, while “Vibrations from Gaza”, directed by Rehab Nazzal, received the Best Short Documentary award.

Photo: Majid Esmaeili, director of “Burning Plain”, holds his Best Director award at the closing ceremony of the 19th International Resistance Film Festival in Tehran on November 5, 2026.

SAB/

source: tehrantimes.com