‘Alone Together’ brings home Batumi’s top int’l short film prize
Iranian short film ‘Alone Together’ by writer-director Omid Mirzaei won the Best Short Film award in the international section at the 19th Batumi International Art-House Film Festival (BIAFF) in Batumi, Georgia.
The festival ran from December 13 to 17, and screened 15 feature films and 25 shorts from more than 20 countries. Founded in 2006, BIAFF is organized by the Batumi Art House Organization and is positioned as a regional hub for art-house cinema along the Black Sea corridor, IRNA reported.
‘Alone Together,’ produced by Saeid Khani and the Rafsanjan branch of the Iranian Youth Cinema Society, has built strong international momentum over the past year, picking up awards across Europe, North America, Africa and the Middle East.
Its Batumi win adds to a slate that includes an honorary prize at Germany’s 47th LUCAS International Festival for Young Film Lovers, the special jury award at Poland’s 28th Zoom Festival, Best International Film at the 15th Anthem Festival in the United States, and Best Screenplay and Best Film at Italy’s Movie Valley Festival. The film has also secured acting, directing and editing awards at festivals in Algeria, Tunisia and Iran, alongside multiple nominations at major domestic events, including the 43rd Fajr Film Festival.
Set over a single winter night, the film unfolds at a roadside police checkpoint where officers grow suspicious of passengers on a bus. Tension escalates when attention centers on a young boy traveling alone, drawing scrutiny from police, the driver and fellow travelers, and exposing fault lines of fear, authority and moral responsibility.
The cast includes Alireza Sanifar, Parham Gholamloo, Sadegh Borghei, Mohammad Movahednia, Saba Amiri and Mohammad Rashidi. International sales and festival distribution are handled by Solmaz Etemad.