Following a successful short film festival last June, the Persia Educational Foundation and Film Buzz Festival have joined forces with The Courtauld Institute of Art in London, The Bridge and Tunnel, as well as The New School’s New University in Exile Consortium in NYC, and Diaspora Arts Connection in San Francisco to offer an international short film festival focussed on the Woman, Life, Freedom movement in Iran.
“We Are One #iran” Short Film Festival is a tri-city tribute during the 16 Days of Activism to Iran’s struggle for women’s rights.
The central theme, “Woman, Life, Freedom,” underscores the protests against Iran’s compulsory hijab laws and other laws that impede women’s freedom and rights. Motivated by the poignant death of thousands of innocent Iranians seeking freedom and equal rights for women and men of all backgrounds, the festival seeks to intensify the call for rights during the 16 Days of Activism designed to raise awareness on violence against women on a global scale. The 16 Days span across the international days marking Elimination of Violence Against Women and Human Rights Day. Through the lens of films created by or about Iranian women, the festival offers a stage for their stories of resilience, challenge, and optimism.
The festival will commence with a launch hosted in London on 29 November, followed by online viewing of a selection of 100 short films out of more than 1100 submissions between 29 November and 10 December. Selections are based on 10 different categories:
- Best film
2. Best Actress
3. Best director
4. Best Screenplay
5. Best Original Music
6. Best Cinematography
7. Best Animation
8. Best Design
9. Best Editing
10. Most Popular Short Film
Selections in each category are judged by an independent panel. On Wednesday, 24 January 2024, the International Day of Education, festival organisers’ will announce the results of the winner in each category.
About the Festival: A symbol of hope and unity, the festival emphasises the quest for gender equality in Iran and throughout the globe. Honouring Jina Mahsa Amini and countless other brave Iranians who have lost their lives since September 2022, it endeavours to remember their sacrifices and drive transformative change.
The London Launch event on Wednesday 29 November is organised by Persia Educational Foundation in collaboration with Professor Sussan Babaie (The Courtauld) and The Courtauld Research Forum.
Panellists
Jananne Al-Ani is a London-based Iraqi-born artist working with photography, film and video. A graduate of the Byam Shaw School of Art and the Royal College of Art, she is currently Reader Photography and Moving Image, London College of Communication, University of the Arts, London. Exhibiting widely both nationally and internationally, she has had solo exhibitions at the Hayward Gallery Project Space, London; Beirut Art Center, Beirut; Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Washington DC; Imperial War Museum, London; Darat al Funun, Amman; and Art Now: Tate Britain, London. She has participated in the 9th Asia Pacific Triennial; 11th Sharjah Biennial; 13th Istanbul Biennial; 18th Biennale of Sydney; and the 54th Venice Biennale. Recipient of the Abraaj Capital Art Prize; the East International Award; and the John Kobal Photographic Portrait Award, her work can be found in collections including the Imperial War Museum, London, V&A, London; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Centre Pompidou, Paris; Mori Art Museum, Tokyo; and Darat al Funun, Amman.
Jesse Cooper, BFA, MA Jesse grew up in Victoria, Canada, and holds a BFA in Theatre Directing from the University of Victoria. He came to London in 2012 to study at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, on the MA in Music Theatre. Before returning to Central, Jesse was a visiting lecturer at Brunel University, teaching Acting Essential Skills, Introductory and Advanced Musical Theatre, and Ensemble Production.
Jesse has directed theatre productions at Upstairs at the Gatehouse, The London Improv Theatre, The Bread and Roses, and Pentameters, as well as studio productions at Brunel including Spring Awakening, Farfetched Fables, and The Wasteland. Jesse played the lead role in 2020’s television special Rogue, on Yanga! TV (Sky 186), and appeared weekly on BT Sport Premier League Football in Gumtree’s sponsored ident Foreign Signing. In 2021 Jesse produced and directed the television special Hotshots, and the short films Revenge of the Swordfish, and Brenda’s Damn Good Day. Jesse has been curating the Film Buzz and other festivals since Oct. 2022.
Pooneh Ghoddoosi is an experienced media professional working in editorial commissioning, business development, media partnerships, and international media strategy. With many years of experience in broadcast journalism, presenting, making documentaries, and editing, Pooneh now oversees Global Partnerships between the BBC World Service and external funders such as philanthropic, commercial, and academic organisations. She manages a portfolio of nearly 5 million USD of funding secured to design and deliver educational content. Pooneh is well-known internationally as one of the BBC’s select group of multilingual presenters. She is also an experienced senior media trainer, who has designed and delivered training for journalists in editorial and legal guidelines, social media and UGC content verification, presentation, production, storytelling, and editorial leadership. She is a news and current affairs influencer with over 200,000 followers, and frequently speaks at international conferences and university events.
Sussan Babaie is Professor of Iranian and Islamic Arts at The Courtauld Institute of Art.
