Tanzanite awards Iranian animation ‘The Legend of Sepehr’
Iran’s feature-length animated film ‘The Legend of Sepehr’ took the main award at the fourth Tanzanite International Animation Festival in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, after a week of screenings and competition.
The film, directed by Emad Mehrabi and Mehrdad Mehrabi and produced by Mehdi Jafari Jozani, beat entries from China, the United States, Russia, France and Germany to claim the top prize in the feature-length category, IRNA reported.
Festival director Emilien Hirwa described Tanzanite as “a launching pad” for animators worldwide, offering a platform to exchange ideas and build cross-border networks. This year, the organizers received hundreds of submissions from more than 60 countries. The UK, Italy and Iran contributed the largest number of entries selected for the competition.
The award trophy for ‘The Legend of Sepehr’ was handed to Iran’s cultural attaché in Tanzania on behalf of the creators.
He praised the filmmakers’ achievement and noted it as a testament to Iran’s recent progress in animation, which has gained recognition across multiple international festivals.
Following the ceremony, an English-subtitled screening of ‘The Legend of Sepehr’ was presented as a special feature for Tanzanian audiences, reinforcing cultural exchange between the two countries.
The organizers expressed hope that collaboration between Iranian and Tanzanian animators could yield further creative projects and strengthen ties within the global animation community.