TEHRAN – A total of 19 films from Iran are present in the 20th Within the Family International Festival of Family and Children's Films, which is underway in Moscow, Russia.

The Iranian participants include one feature film and 18 short films. “In the Arms of Tree” written and directed by Babak Khajehpasha is the only feature film from Iran selected for the main program of the festival, ILNA reported.

“In the Arms of Tree” tells the story of Kimia and Farid, a couple married for 12 years, whose life crisis shatters their children’s world, children who know nothing but simplicity and kindness in life.

The film explores themes of familial relationships and emotional reconnections between parents and children. At the heart of the story is Kimia, a northern mother grappling with the trauma of past abuse and a debilitating fear of distance. Her husband, Farid, an Azeri father with a passion for travel and medicinal plants, adds to the tension as the couple prepares for a separation exercise.

The film captures the impact of marital discord on children, illustrating how their lives can be disturbed by their parents' struggles. Ultimately, it underscores the importance of love, connection, and the delicate balance needed to preserve a family in crisis.

Maral Baniadam, Javad Ghamati, Rouhollah Zamani, Ahoura Lotfi, and Rayan Lotfi are in the cast, among others.

A production of 2023, the film won two Crystal Simorgh awards for Best First Film and Best Screenplay upon its premiere at the 41st Fajr Film Festival. Moreover, it was named the best film in the international section of the first edition of Iran’s Havva International Film Festival in 2023.

It also received the Special Jury Prize at the 10th Asian World Film Festival in California, the U.S., in November 2024, and won the Best World Cinema Feature Film Award at the 22nd Chennai International Film Festival in Chennai, India, in December 2024.

The movie has been screened in several international festivals in countries such as China, Switzerland, and the UAE. It also opened the Kazan International Film Festival Altyn Minbar in Russia last September.

The Iranian short films selected for the Russian festival include the fantasy animation “Irreplaceable” directed by Abdullah Alimorad, the drama “The Last Look” by Omid Esmaili, the fiction “Alfan Extract” by Mahyar Gezel-Soflu, the drama “Silence Left Behind” by Nazir Mirzaei, the narrative fantasy drama “Nietzschean End” by Payam Kordestani, the drama “Tears of Rain” by Esmail Abbasi, the social documentary “Mozafar” by Amirali Mirderikvand, the social drama “TV” by Mostafa Tashakori, the drama “Boycott” by Amin Rafi, the social drama “Scene” bY Ramina Rezaei, the animated movie “Bat Daddy” by Mustafa Ghorbanbar, the fiction “Baby” by Mahsa Shakeri, the sci-fi drama “Stratosphere” by Mahmoud Pouyandeh, the children’s movie “The Debt” by Sarah Mullan, the sci-fi thriller “Liberation” by Amen Sahrai, the social drama “Vera” by Amir Malamiri, the narrative “Everything Is Wrong” by Nima Tabandeh, and the social drama “Bordeaux” by Aseman Tousi.

Within the Family International Festival of Family and Children’s Films presents the best movies from around the world – more than 20 participating countries annually - for family audiences. 

The main goal is the popularization of films, which talk about love and faithfulness, and keep the rebirth of family values as their general idea. The program of the festival includes three competitions – features (main), features and animation (for children), and shorts, as well as business and social events. This is the largest family film festival in Russia.

Throughout the years, the festival has been a friendly meeting point for film industry professionals from all over the world, who come to watch, evaluate, and present their films.

Having started on July 5, the 20th edition of the Within the Family International Festival of Family and Children’s Films will conclude on July 9.

Photo: A scene from “In the Arms of Tree”

SS/SAB