TEHRAN – The 16th Ammar Popular Film Festival concluded on the evening of Thursday, January 29, in Tehran.

The closing ceremony was held at Bahman Cinema with the announcement of winners in various categories and a tribute to the filmmaker Behrouz Afkhami, Mehr reported.

During the program, Hossein Shahrabi Farahani, a space scientist and the project manager of the national Omid satellite, who was the subject of the documentary “Hope in Space”, said: “We became aware of the space renaissance, and our intention was to start a real knowledge-based project. I preferred to start the work with young people”. 

Referring to the sanctions imposed by the U.S. against Iran, he said: “We wanted to work internationally and believed that even under sanctions, it was possible to sign international contracts. We managed to sign our first contract with Russia, a country that had previously sent a large constellation into space. Even if we had no sanctions, I would have followed the same path I have pursued so far, and sanctions did not stop us”.

“Our contract with the government was the riskiest in the history of Iranian space programs, and we committed to doing all satellite work ourselves. We must pave the way for those who want to work, and this is the key to our economy. In everything that happened to us, there was one keyword: God guided us and brought us to our destination. Whoever trusts in God reaches where they are meant to. Tonight, we will also send a message from the Ammar Popular Film Festival, which is that the U.S. can do nothing,” he added.

Following this, the People’s Independence Award was presented to him by the family of martyr Fereydoun Abbasi.

Fereydoun Abbasi, a nuclear scientist and former nuclear chief of Iran, along with another prominent nuclear scientist named Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, a theoretical physicist who was also the president of the Islamic Azad University of Iran, were targeted in separate attacks on their residences in Tehran during Israel’s attacks on Iran last June.

In the next part of the ceremony, a tribute was paid to the Iranian movie director and screenwriter Behrouz Afkhami.

“Today’s youth have shaped the Ammar Popular Film Festival, and I advise them to pay attention to documentary and docudrama cinema,” Afkhami said.

Addressing the young filmmakers, he added: “The future of cinema, with the expansion of artificial intelligence, will become increasingly artificial. Apart from fantasy cinema, one must think about documentary and the always-successful docudrama for lasting cinema, and focus on low-budget cinema, which allows for more productions. Learn the craft within filmmaking itself and work as much as you can”.

Behrouz Afkhami, 69, is known for a style that utilizes point-of-view camera techniques to portray stories of human drama. He was also a member of the Iranian Parliament from 2000 to 2004.

Born in Tehran, he is a graduate of the School of Cinema and Television. He made a few documentaries for television before collaborating with Seifollah Daad in 1986 as a cinematographer in “Under the Rain”.

He made his directorial debut in television with “Jungle Commander” in 1987. He directed the movie “The Bride” in 1990, which became a blockbuster hit.

In “The River’s End,” Afkhami has experienced a new kind of filmmaking and an iconoclastic kind of approach.

Moreover, he has made many successful movies, including “Day of the Angel” (1993), “Day of the Devil” (1994), “Takhti, the World Champion” (1997), “Hemlock” (1998), “Morning’s Child” (2008), “St. Petersburg” (2009), and “Azar, Shahdokht, Parviz, and Others” (2013). He has also made two seasons of the series “Operation 125” (2009 and 2012).

Afkhami has been teaching script writing, directing, and editing both privately and in universities since 1989.

During the ceremony, winners in various categories received their awards from the jury of the respective sections.

Ammar Popular Film Festival was established in 2010 by a number of Iranian revolutionary figures to honor film and art products promoting topics such as resistance and revolution. It was named after Ammar Yasir, a close companion of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

Since its inception, the Ammar Popular Film Festival has championed the defense of exalted Islamic values and the support of popular and revolutionary artists. The 16th edition, under the motto “The Civilizational Battle of Islamic Iran Against the Barbaric West,” aimed to globally expose further dimensions of any malicious aggression by the despicable Zionist regime during the 12-Day War. 

The 16th edition convened as the vile Zionist regime conducted terrorist operations inside the country, insulting mosques and the sanctities of devout Iranians.

Photo: Space scientist Hossein Shahrabi Farahani (R) receives the People’s Independence Award from the family of martyr Fereydoun Abbasi at the closing ceremony of the 16th Ammar Popular Film Festival in Tehran on January 29, 2026.

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