Why it matters:
Fajr is not merely a festival; it is the mirror Tehran holds up to itself. As the country’s most authoritative cinematic event, it performs a dual choreography: honoring artistry while signaling official taste. In a nation where film and politics are interwoven threads, every prize becomes a permission slip—or a quiet endorsement. Those celebrated here often determine which stories will be deemed tellable in the year to come.
The big picture:
To watch Fajr’s closing night is to read a room that never speaks directly. The ceremony’s architecture remains unchanged—the same hall, the same Simorghs, the same solemn procession of jurors. Yet beneath the ritual lies a terrain of nuance. This year, Iranian cinema continues to test its boundaries: here, a film about veiled longing; there, a portrait of sanctioned grief. The winners selected are not merely artists; they are emissaries of what the festival is willing to frame as virtue.
Details:
The Crystal Simorgh and Honorary Diploma for Best Actress went to Azita Hajian for Cafe Sultan.
Farjad and Haghighatdoost emerged as the night’s most luminous recipients. The jury, seated in near-monastic stillness throughout the ceremony, delivered its verdicts across the competitive sections. No single film swept the awards; instead, recognition was dispersed like light through stained glass—fragmented, deliberate, and telling.
The bottom line:
The 44th Fajr Film Festival is drawing to a close, with moments of recognition granted to both established auteurs and emerging voices.
This is a developing story; the full list of winners is pending...
Hossein Amiri - Mahboubeh Habibi
