TEHRAN – The 42nd Tehran International Short Film Festival (TISFF) has announced the jury for the International Competition and AI categories.
According to the festival’s website, the jury includes prominent national and international figures in the field of short films.
The jury for the 42nd TISFF International Competition will be Iranian director Saeed Ebrahimifal, Dutch director Tom Palmen, Romanian director Milona Radu, Polish director Damian Kocur, and Chinese animation director Joe Zhang.
Prominent international luminaries will judge selected works in the fiction, animation, documentary and experimental categories.
Saeed Ebrahimifal is a film director and screenwriter. In addition to directing and writing, Ebrahimifar has established his style in Iranian cinema through his poetic and experimental approach to both narrative and visuals. His first feature film, Nar-O-Ney, is considered one of the outstanding and enduring works of Iranian cinema.
His other notable films include “The Eid of Those Years,” “The Confrontation,” “Lonesome Trees,” and “Maybe It Wasn’t Love.” His works have participated in numerous national and international festivals and have played an important role in introducing thought-based Iranian cinema.
Tom Palmen is a Dutch curator, producer and artistic director with over 30 years of experience in international film and arts festivals.
He was co-founder and artistic director of the Umeå International Film Festival (1986-2007), establishing the festival as a leading platform for independent films. He has also served as a jury member at a number of prestigious film festivals, including Berlinale, Sofia, Tampere, FESPACO, IndieLisboa, Puchon, as well as a mentor at the Visegrad Animation Forum, Tampere Bootcamp and Minimaren Film Expo.
Palmen is also the developer of Russia’s Film7Days project and a member of the European Film Academy.
Milona Radu is a Romanian filmmaker, researcher and cultural manager with nearly 20 years of experience in the film industry. Radu is the founder and festival director of the Film O’Clock International Festival.
She also runs the mentorship program “Her Story, Her Future” supporting women in the film industry, in addition to serving as artistic director for “Pilgrims in the Land of Romania”, ABIFF – Animation Bucharest International Film Festival, Palestine Film Festival in Romania, and CineEuroConnect.
Radu also serves on the jury of prestigious international film festivals such as Venice and Sarajevo.
Damien Kocur is a Polish director, screenwriter, and producer. His debut feature Bread and Salt had its world premiere in the Orizzonti section of the 2022 Venice Film Festival, where it won the Special Jury Prize.
His latest short film “As It Was” was nominated for the Palme d’Or at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. His second feature, Under the Volcano, premiered at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival and won Discovery of the Year at the Polish Film Awards.
Joe Zhang is a Chinese animation director and professor. He immigrated to Canada in 1990 and worked as an animation director for the National Film Board of Canada, producing the short animated film “The Chinese Violin.”
In 2002, Zhang went to Hangzhou, China, where he founded the animation program at the China Academy of Arts and served as vice president, professor, and doctoral supervisor at the Media Animation School.
His films have been selected for over 200 international film festivals, including Cannes Film Festival, Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Ottawa International Animation Film Festival, and Zagreb International Animation Film Festival.
The esteemed jury for the 42nd TISFF International AI Competition consists of Iranian filmmakers Theyyam Yabandeh and Amir Saharhiz, and Tunisian animation director Neda Dagdougou.
They will evaluate the films selected in the AI category of this year’s festival’s international competition.
Tiyam Yabandeh is an Iranian filmmaker, curator, and researcher in experimental film and new media, XR, and AI. He is also a member of the Iranian Youth Film Association Educational Council as ISFA representative.
He has served as a selection committee member and jury member at Tehran International Short Film Festival, ISFA Awards, Nahar International Film Festival, Sayeh Film Festival, Silent Film Festival, etc.
In 2015, he received a scholarship from the Lee Strasberg Theater and Film Institute as a Palm Springs International Film Festival honoree. His films have been screened at prestigious film festivals such as Palm Springs, CameraImage, Leeds, Ojai, and Philip K. Dick Film Festivals.
Amir Saharkhiz is an Iranian writer, director, and producer. He served three terms as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Animation Guild and was a member of the jury and selection committee of the Tehran International Short Film Festival.
He created the animations “Enigma,” “Iranian Chat,” “À La Mode,” and “Breaking News,” in addition to visual effects design for the television series “Mokhtarnameh,” “The Delight of the Flight,” the films “About Elly,” “Blood Game,” “A Cube of Sugar,” “The Song of Sparrows,” and the Academy Award-winning film “A Seperation.”
Saharkhiz won the Best Visual Effects Award at the Fajr Film Festival, the Best Artistic Achievement Award at the International Children’s Film Festival, the Best Visual Effects and Animation Award at the Iranian Cinema Celebration, the Special Jury Award at the Tehran Animation Festival, and the Best Animated Short Award at the Tehran Short Film Festival.
Nada Dagdougou is a Tunisian caricaturist, humorist, illustrator, educator, and animation filmmaker. Since 2019, he has been using his talents as an illustrator, educator, and animation filmmaker to host and teach the children’s workshop “Glyph Graph.”
Her filmography and publications include “Tfaïl/2005” published in 2016; The satirical animation capsule “Gleg/2013” and “Lovely Rabbits/2023” produced in response to the massacre in Gaza. In 2025, she published the first part of the educational documentary series “Yeza”.
Tehran International Short Film Festival is one of Asia’s most prestigious and widely recognized short film platforms, recognized for its commitment to exceptional creativity, innovation, and promoting diverse voices in film.
Organized by the Iranian Youth Film Society (IYCS), a leading short film production and education organization, TISFF is an OSCARS®-accredited festival known for celebrating film tradition while embracing innovation.
The 42nd Tehran International Short Film Festival will be held until October 24th.
SS/SAB