Iran’s Tehran-two Short Films won five awards at the 2025 Winter Edition of the Kraken International Film Festival (KIFF) held in Milan, Italy last week.
Iranian winners included “In An An An tosse” directed by Navid Ghiasi and “The Stake” by Kiarash Dadgar, reported Honaronline.
This season of Kiff focused on a film that explored women’s rights and exposed the fierce waters of poverty, human trafficking and equal opportunity.
The festival was a voyage to unknown territory in the siren waters that women’s stories demand hearing.
“In An Impasse” won four awards at the event, including Best First Filmmaker, Best Produced Screenplay, Best Women’s Film and the Diversity Spotlight Excellence Award. Additionally, “The Steak” won the Best Director of Short Film Award.
In the film, Sarah finds herself in a desperate situation. Her mother is hospitalized and requires emergency surgery to survive.
With Sarah invisible, Sarah faces a major challenge and in some way she has to raise the money she needs. Amid this deadlock, she decides to steal from a gorgeous jewelry store.
The cast includes Azita Karimi, Mohammad Hosseinia, Bahar Farrokhi, Sahar Kimiaei, Khadijeh Amini and Elaheh Sarouei.
The drama “The Steak” is an eight-minute flick made in 2023. It depicts a mother preparing cakes and food for her daughter’s birthday on a normal day. Suddenly, the enemy army launches a surprise attack, and in order to protect her daughter, she hides the girl in her closet.
The soldiers attack the house and kill their mother. A medical soldier discovers the girl and tries to bring joy by celebrating her birthday. However, the birthday will be changed to a funeral.
Faranak Kamis, Amin Simiar and Panisa Peivahat will perform in the film.
The Kraken International Film Festival is an international seasonal and annual competition for its annual live screening in the heart of Milan, one of the world’s most attractive cities.
The festival’s purpose not only rewards filmmakers’ works with certifications created by industry experts, but also offers money awards, a feature that is not common to all festivals. The prize money is sweet icing on the cake, providing the opportunity to earn money for hard work or perhaps set up funding for your next project.
The annual event will be held in early February 2026. Winners for all seasons will be automatically selected for the annual competition where the final recipient will win a Money Award. Only a selection of award-winning films will be screened. This will be announced a month before the event.
Kiff is more than just an event. It is a celebration of those who have not been discovered, a journey into the depths of storytelling, and it challenges the audience to reality. Festival organizers believe in elevating the film’s treasures from the Abyss, and welcome all genres that spark audiences on a profound level.
SS/SAB