FULL PROGRAM AND TICKETS AVAILABLE AT WWW.PERSIANFILMFESTIVAL.COM
The Persian Film Festival Australia 2025 returns this April and May to offer a unique cinematic experience that brings together the best of Persian cinema from the past year, presenting stories that transcend borders and connect people across the globe.
Now in its 11th edition, the festival continues to be a key platform for Persian filmmakers to share their narratives and express their creativity, engaging Australian audiences wit the richness and diversity of Persian-speaking cultures.
Running from 24 April to 11 May, the festival will travel across Sydney, Melbourne, and Armidale, with each city offering a showcase of feature, short, and documentary films.
The 2025 edition promises to feature fearless filmmakers who defy the odds to bring their daring stories to the screen, offering audiences a raw glimpse into the boldest, most groundbreaking works.
This year’s program kicks off with a stellar opening night featuring In the Shadow of Cypress, an Oscar-winning animated short by Shirin Sohani and Hossein Molayemi and, Tatami, a compelling drama directed by Zar Amir Ebrahimi and Guy Nattiv. These films perfectly represent the festival’s ethos, presenting powerful and bold narratives that signify freedom of expression and the shared universal human experiences. Tatami, with its gripping portrayal of a judo athlete caught between national loyalties and personal integrity, and In the Shadow of Cypress, with its deep exploration of trauma and healing, set the tone for the exciting and thought-provoking program ahead.
With the support of Screen NSW and in partnership with Palace Cinemas, the Persian Film Festival Australia 2025 is set to present a lineup that offers something for everyone.
Why You Should Attend This Year’s Edition of the Festival?
What sets this year’s festival apart is its bold selection of films. These are works created by filmmakers who have defied personal and professional peril to share stories that challenge the status quo, offering Australian audiences an exclusive opportunity to experience cinema that pushes past the boundaries of censorship.
This is a testament to the power of cinema as a vehicle for freedom of expression, highlighting the importance of artistic platforms that allow for open dialogue and exchange.
Amin Palangi, the festival director, emphasises the enduring power of Persian cinema: “Persian cinema is a dynamic, powerful force that transcends boundaries. This characteristic has not emerged only recently; it has been evident in the contemporary wave of Persian cinema over the past 50 years.”
He adds, “In this year’s program, we are thrilled to bring together a range of filmmakers whose work pushes the envelope of storytelling. We’re excited to bring these stories to Australian audiences and continue our mission of bridging cultures through cinema.”
The festival program also includes panel discussions, Q&A’s with filmmakers and will conclude with Closing Nights and Awards Ceremony in Sydney and Melbourne. The evening will feature the presentation of the Golden Gazelle Awards, recognizing excellence in feature and short films.
Tickets for the Persian Film Festival Australia 2025 are on sale now. For more information and the full program of events, go to www.persianfilmfestival.com
Festival Highlights – Daring Films from Iran and Beyond
Feature Films:
● Endless Borders (by Abas Amini)
This gripping film follows refugees navigating a perilous border in search of freedom. Their harrowing journey explores the price of survival and the sacrifices made in the pursuit of a better life, where hope and fear collide in the vast, unforgiving landscape.
○ 2023 Winner – Big Screen Award – International Film Festival Rotterdam
○ 2023 Winner – Best Film – International Film Festival of India
○ 2023 Winner – Best Feature Film – Tirana International Film Festival, AL
● The Witness (by Nader Saeivar)
After seeing his husband, a government official commit murder, retired dance instructor Tarlan faces a choice: stay quiet under political pressure or risk everything to expose the truth. Written by Jafar Panahi and Nader Saeivar, The Witness is a taut political thriller, It examines the cost of integrity in a society that manipulates reality and punishes dissent.
○ 2024 Winner – Audience Award – Venice Film Festival
○ 2025 Winner – Best Film – Vesoul Asian Film Festival
● Terrestrial Verses (by Alireza Khatami & Ali Asghari)
With sharp satire, Terrestrial Verses critiques the absurdities of life under a repressive regime in Iran. A series of interconnected vignettes, it exposes the contradictions of everyday existence with dark humour and biting commentary.
○ 2024 Winner – Grand Prix – Luxembourg City Film Festival
○ 2023 Winner – Best Film – CineFest Miskolc International Film Festival
○ 2024 Winner – Best Film and Audience Award – Philosophical Film Award
○ 2023 Nominee – Best Film (Audience award) – Zurich Film Festival
● Cause of Death Unknown (by Ali Zarnegar)
A van with seven passengers crosses the Lut Desert when an unexpected event forces them to make a difficult decision. With no help available, they uncover a startling discovery that deepens their crisis. The film delves into the moral dilemmas of exposing injustice in an oppressive environment.
○ 2024 Winner – Best Film – Torino Underground Cinefest
○ 2023 Winner – Best Cinematographer – Shanghai International Film Festival
○ 2024 Winner – Best Feature Film – Iranian Film Festival Zurich
● Roxana (by Parviz Shahbazi)
A listless young man splits his time between caring for his mom (barely), hanging out at the local underground pool hall and spending his best friend’s money. A chance encounter with Roxana after her car is broken into focuses his attention and soon he’s centered his life around helping her recover a stolen camera she needs for her wedding photography business. Helping her solve her problems, however, only deepens his own. Writer-director Parviz Shahbazi builds an arresting take on the experience of young Iranians struggling to find their way and start their lives in a world where one misstep can have the direst of consequences.
○ 2023 Winner – Best Male Actor – Tokyo International Film Festival
○ 2023 Nominee – Best Feature Film – Tokyo International Film Festival
● Tatami (by Guy Nattiv & Zar Amir Ebrahimi)
Tatami is a gripping sports drama that follows Iranian female judoka Leila as she competes at the World Judo Championships, determined to bring home Iran’s first gold medal. But as the competition intensifies, Leila is forced to confront an impossible moral dilemma—whether to forfeit a match against an Israeli opponent to avoid political backlash from her home country. This tense film explores themes of integrity, loyalty, and sacrifice, set against the backdrop of the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict, showcasing the
personal decisions shaped by global political tensions. A unique collaboration between Iranian and Israeli filmmakers, Tatami reflects how sport, identity, and politics collide in the most unexpected ways.
○ 2023 Winner – Brian Award – Venice Film Festival
○ 2024 Winner – Fritz Gerlich Prize – Munich Film Festival
○ 2023 Winner – Best Actress Award – Tokyo International Film Festival
○ 2023 Winner – Special Jury Prize – Tokyo International Film Festival
○ 2023 Winner – Tokyo Grand Prix – Tokyo International Film Festival
● Googoosh, Made of Fire (by Niloufar Taghizadeh)
This documentary chronicles the extraordinary life of Googoosh, Iran’s pop legend, whose career was derailed by the revolution. The film offers an intimate look at her resilience, artistry, and the intersection of music and politics.
○ 2025 Nominee – Best Documentary – Miami Film Festival
● My Favourite Cake (by Maryam Moghadam & Behtash Sanaeeha)
In My Favourite Cake, seventy-year-old Mahin, having lived in solitude, decides to revive her long-neglected love life. A chance encounter sparks an unforgettable evening, awakening emotions she thought were long gone. As she navigates her desires amidst societal expectations, the film explores themes of love, identity, and the courage to embrace fulfillment later in life, proving that it’s never too late to seek connection and joy.
○ 2024 Winner – Prize of the Ecumenical Jury – Berlin International Film Festival
○ 2024 Winner – FIPRESCI Prize – Berlin International Film Festival
○ 2024 Nominee – Best Film – Berlin International Film Festival
○ 2024 Winner – Best Feature Film – Calgary International Film Festival
● The Great Yawn of History (by Aliyar Raasti)
Beitollah dreams of gold coins in a cave. Seeking a non-religious assistant, he recruits Shoja via fake bills. They search caves across Iran unsuccessfully. An innkeeper suspects their quest and secretly follows on his motorcycle.
○ 2024 Winner – Special Jury Award – Berlin International Film Festival
○ 2024 Nominee – GWFF Best First Feature – Berlin International Film Festival
○ 2024 Nominee – Encounters Award – Berlin International Film Festival
○ 2024 Winner – Best Fiction Film – Euganea Film Festival
○ 2024 Winner – Best Film/ Special Jury Award – Iranian Film Festival Zurich
Short Films:
● In the Shadow of Cypress (by Hossein Molayemi & Shirin Sohani)
This Oscar-winning animated short explores the emotional aftermath of war, as a father and daughter find solace in the presence of a beached whale. A powerful meditation on healing, told through breathtaking animation.
○ 2025 Winner – Best Animated Short Film – Academy Awards, USA
○ 2024 Winner – Best Short Animation – Tribeca Film Festival
○ 2024 Winner – Best Animation – Miami International Short Film Festival
○ 2024 Winner – Best Animation (International) – Tehran International Short Film Festival
○ 2024 Winner – Best Animation (National) – Tehran International Short Film Festival
● Empty Your Pockets (by Tara Aghdashloo)
An airport customs officer deals with various passengers while trying to secure his job, navigating a totalitarian system. A deeply emotional short about a person at a crossroads, Empty Your Pockets explores loss, self-discovery, and the quiet resilience needed to embrace a new chapter in life.
○ 2024 Winner – Outstanding Short Actor – Toronto ReelWorld Film Festival
● Alone Together (by Omid Mirzaei)
Alone Together is about a 10 years old boy traveling with bus and in the middle of road Police find something illegal under his clothes
● Bonus (by Reza Nejati)
Bonus follows a principled math teacher who faces a moral dilemma when a student, Ali, receives a failing grade. Unable to compromise his integrity, the teacher risks his job by staging a situation to show Ali his commitment to fairness. Torn between paying a
ransom to resolve the issue or finding another way to prove his stance, the teacher must choose between personal sacrifice and professional ethics.
● Brother’s Horn (by Majid Asadi)
The older brother is versatile and the owner of a small workshop of ceramic dishes. The authority of the little brother is completely with him. Every morning at 9 o’clock in an innovative game, whoever breaks the most dishes during yesterday’s work will get the first slap. In an unwritten rule, the little brother has always lost this game. Today, he rebels against this rule and can finally turn the game in his favor.
● Hunchback (by Tahmineh Bahram)
Firoozeh, a 20-year-old woman living in poverty, considers selling her eggs at a fertility clinic on the advice of her friend Shahla. Shahla arranges a meeting with Minoo Teymoori, a woman seeking a donor who resembles her. However, Firoozeh is burdened by a secret she shares with Shahla, and during the meeting, Teymoori’s probing questions push Firoozeh to confront her past and the weight of her decision.
○ 2024 Winner – Outstanding Short Actor – Iranian Short Film Association (ISFA)
● My Father (by Pegah Ahangarani)
A tender reflection on the father-daughter relationship, the director examines her father Jamshid’s life as a revolutionary filmmaker and activist in Iran, highlighting his experiences during the Iranian revolution and the Iran-Iraq war, and the impact of his friend Davood’s execution. ○ 2023 Winner – Short Documentary – International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam
○ 2023 Nominee – Best Short Film – Dokufest Documentary and Short Film Festival
○ 2023 Nominee – Short Dox Award – Dokufest Documentary and Short Film Festival
● Skin of Water (by Somayeh)
The film reveals Amir’s turbulent journey through grief, guilt, and obsession, as he confronts his role alongside that of a mesmerising butterfly, unravelling how both contributed to the tragic death of his son, Ehsan.
About Persian Film Festival Australia: The Persian Film Festival Australia (PFFA) is an annual competitive film festival dedicated to showcasing works by Iranian and Persian-speaking filmmakers from around the world. The festival typically takes place over ten days between April and May, presenting a curated selection of feature films, documentaries, and short films. Several awards are presented, including the Golden Gazelle Award for Best Feature Film, Best Documentary, and Best Short Film.
