Iranian Contemporary Short Films Talk with Dr. Hamed Soleimanzadeh
Iranian cinema has long been celebrated for its poetic language, attention to everyday life, and ability to find profound meaning in seemingly ordinary moments. In this special programme, Dr. Hamed Soleimanzadeh reflects on the lasting influence of Abbas Kiarostami on contemporary Iranian short filmmaking and explores how a new generation of filmmakers is engaging with, transforming, and sometimes challenging his cinematic legacy. The talk will focus on key elements associated with Kiarostami’s cinematic approach, including everyday realism, ambiguity, off-screen space, minimalism, and the shifting boundaries between fiction and reality. It will also consider how younger Iranian filmmakers reinterpret these aesthetic strategies in response to contemporary social and political conditions. The programme will further explore the short film as a space for artistic resistance, experimentation, and new forms of cinematic expression, bringing together five contemporary Iranian short films that demonstrate the diversity and vitality of Iranian filmmaking today.
Dr. Hamed Soleimanzadeh is an Iranian film critic, film philosopher, filmmaker, and lecturer at the University of Göttingen in Germany and the DAM Academy in Rome, Italy. He holds a Ph.D. in Art Research with a focus on Film Studies and a postdoctoral qualification in Film and Philosophy from the University of the Arts in Berlin (UdK). His career includes serving as a jury member at more than forty prestigious film festivals and events worldwide, such as the Golden Globes Award, Cannes, Berlinale, Karlovy Vary, Warsaw, Istanbul, ZagrebDox, Oberhausen, and Gothenburg. He is also the founder and director of the Koker International Short Film Festival and a programmer for the Cinehill (Motovun) Film Festival in Croatia. Soleimanzadeh has directed over seven short films and authored several books and hundreds of articles on cinema, theater, philosophy, culture, media, and more. He is a permanent member of the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI).
Programme:
Talk and short film screenings followed by Q&A
Short films: The Form (Melika Pazouki) - Alfalfa Extract (Mahyar Ghezelsuflo) – Recurrence (Ali Alizadeh) - Forced Symphony (Parisa Tavassoli) – Son (Saman Hosseinpour)
The screening will be followed by a 30-minute Q&A, offering an opportunity to discuss the films, contemporary Iranian cinema, Kiarostami’s legacy, and the possibilities of short filmmaking today.
Participation is free, but places are limited so please register in time by following this link!