Tehran-Iranian film director Mehshad Kalkani won the award at the Xposure International Film Awards held at the 9th International Photography Festival, held from February 20-26 in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
Karkhani won the cinema arts category with the film “Bruise-Lips Tulip,” which has been attracting attention for its artistic depth and engaging visuals, Honaronline reported.
In the 90-minute film, Yaguma and his friends, who were protesting the workers, are exposed by criminals, a gangster with authority in the area. Yaghma’s friend is executed and Yaghma has to tell his friend’s sister Parva the news. She works at a cafe in Matab, a mysterious and lonely woman who has a cafe in a faraway part of the city. Yaghma is seeking revenge, and Parva is accompanied by him along the way.
The cast include Mosen Gafari, Matab Navidi, Shakira Samavati, Sogol Haregi, Hossein Zeinalli, Sabah Fadai, Hamid Rahimi, Amir Edrisi, Loya Mohammadi and Mehdi Bigadelia.
The Xposure International Film Awards 2025 saw a significant increase in participation as 834 submissions from filmmakers around the world surpassed the previous year’s entries.
Organized by the Sharjah Government Media Bureau, the ceremony honored the winners in four categories: short films, animation, cinema arts and documentary features. The event highlighted the festival’s commitment to celebrating diverse and innovative storytelling in the visual arts.
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