Kiarostami Short Film Festival Throughout his illustrious life, Kiarostami challenged conventional cinematic norms, reshuffled narrative boundaries, and paved the way for a new generation of filmmakers who prioritize creativity. The Abbas Kiarostami International Short Film Festival provides a platform for the continuation of his legacy by introducing emerging talents in filmmaking from around the world. One of our festival's core values is the promotion of low-budget filmmaking. We understand the challenges faced by independent filmmakers and aim to create a comprehensive and accessible environment for showcasing their works.

Hamed Soleimanzadeh is a film critic, film philosopher, filmmaker, and lecturer at the University of Göttingen in Germany. He holds a Ph.D. in Art Research with a focus on Film Studies from the Nazar Research Center in Tehran and a postdoc in Film and Philosophy from the Berlin University of the Arts (UdK Berlin). He has served as a jury member for over thirty prestigious international film festivals and events, including the Golden Globe Awards, Cannes Film Festival, Berlinale, Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Warsaw International Film Festival, Oberhausen International Short Film Festival, Gothenburg Film Festival, Istanbul International Film Festival, ZagrebDox International Film Festival and more. Additionally, he is the founder and director of the Abbas Kiarostami International Short Film Festival and programmer of the Cinehill Motovun Film Festival in Croatia. Soleimanzadeh has directed seven short films and has published hundreds of articles and several books on cinema, theater, philosophy, and culture. He is a member of the renowned International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI).