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Transnational short ‘Rekindle’ wins Audacity Award at France’s Tous Courts
A co-production of Iran, the Netherlands and Russia, ‘Rekindle’ (Didar), directed by Ata Mojabi, won the Audacity Award at the 43rd Tous Courts International Short Film Festival in Aix-en-Provence, France, the Iranian Students’ Film Society said.
Tous Courts, backed by the French National Centre of Cinema and the Moving Image, has long positioned itself as a bellwether for experimentation rather than box-office heft, IRNA reported.
Screened in competition in the affluent Provençal city, ‘Rekindle’ drew jury praise for its “audacity” in storytelling and a pursuit of “pure catharsis”, according to the festival’s statement.
The film operates in a neo-noir register, favoring compressed tension and pared-back dialogue over exposition, a stylistic wager that paid off with the jury’s top distinction for boldness.
Founded in 1982, Tous Courts has built its reputation by platforming shorts that push cinematic language, often serving as a launchpad for directors who later scale up to features. The festival’s CNC support lends institutional heft, while its programming ethos prizes risk-taking, a mix that continues to attract global submissions.
‘Rekindle’ is produced by Mehdi Radinkhah, Tom Palmen and Mojabi. Shot entirely in the Russian city of Kazan and performed in Russian, the film brings together artists from Iran, Russia and the United States, reflecting a transnational production model that spreads cost and creative input across borders.
The project was developed during the FILM7DAYS international filmmaking camp in Kazan, where it previously secured the event’s top prize, building early momentum on the festival circuit. Since then, it has screened at Grenzland in Germany, Portobello in Britain and the ISFA Academy celebration, tightening its distribution funnel ahead of wider festival rollout.
Now completed and ready for sales, ‘Rekindle’ is being handled internationally by Eastwood, as its producers seek to convert critical recognition into sustained festival bookings.