TEHRAN – A new Iranian short film has been selected for the Classics section of the 79th Cannes Film Festival.

This year’s Classics section's exclusive program for special screening of three recent short films will be presented in the presence of the directors, actors, and producers.

“Playground” written and directed by Amirhossein Shojaei and produced by renowned filmmaker Saeed Roustaee is one of the three films in the section, ISNA reported.

The 15-minute drama is a joint production of Iran and France, made in 2026. The cast includes Javad Ghamati and Hana Dejagah. It will be screened in the presence of director Amirhossein Shojaei and producer Saeed Roustaee.

The story takes place in a playground where a father abandons his daughter and walks away. He heads to the bus terminal to leave the city, but just before boarding, he changes his mind and rushes back to the playground to find her. When he arrives, she’s no longer there. He searches the entire park until he finally spots a girl standing at the top of a slide. She looks exactly like his daughter—but something is different. She doesn’t recognize him. It’s as if she is no longer the same child he left behind.

Amirhossein Shojaei is a photographer and filmmaker based in Tehran, Iran. For over 17 years, he has worked as a still photographer in Iranian professional cinema, collaborating with renowned directors such as Asghar Farhadi, Saeed Roustaee, Vahid Jalilvand, Hamid Nematollah, and Hooman Seyedi. The films he has been involved in have been screened at major international film festivals, including the Cannes Film Festival, Venice International Film Festival, Berlinale, and others.

His experience behind the scenes—observing rehearsals, directing processes, and film editing—shaped his cinematic understanding and inspired him to pursue directing.

In 2023, his directorial debut “The Guard” was selected for the Official Competition at the 76th Locarno Film Festival and received the Median Patent Verwaltung Award. “Playground” is his second short film.

Shojaei’s works explore the intersection of truth, image, and everyday life, often reflecting on social realities through subtle and intimate visual storytelling.

Saeed Roustaee, 36, is an award-winning Iranian director and screenwriter known for his powerful and realistic stories about society and family struggles. He made a major impact with his debut feature, “Life and a Day” (2016), which won nine awards at the Fajr Film Festival. His next film, “Just 6.5,” also known as “Law of Tehran” (2019), became one of Iran’s biggest box-office hits and earned a César Award nomination in France.

Roustaee’s international success continued with “Leila’s Brothers” (2022), which competed in the Main Competition at the Cannes Film Festival and won the FIPRESCI Prize. Most recently, he returned to the Cannes Main Competition with his new film, “Woman and Child” (2025).

In June 2025, Roustayi was invited to join the Directors Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

The 79th edition of the Cannes Film Festival will take place from May 12 to 23 in Cannes, France.

SS/SAB