TEHRAN- Amir Naderi’s 4K-restored classic “The Runner” will be screened at the 2026 Kaohsiung Film Festival in Taiwan, while the Iranian filmmaker will serve as chair of the jury for the festival’s International Short Film Competition.

The 26th edition of the Kaohsiung Film Festival will be held from October 9 to 26 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, according to the festival’s official website. 

Naderi, a key figure of Iran’s New Wave cinema, will chair the five-member final-stage jury of the International Short Film Competition. The competition features short films from around the world, with works selected across various forms and genres. 

Alongside his jury duties, Naderi will return to the festival with “The Runner,” his acclaimed 1984 film produced by the Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults (IIDCYA). The digitally restored 4K version has been selected for the festival’s Special Screenings section and will have its Taiwan premiere. 

“The Runner” is scheduled to be screened at the Kaohsiung Film Archive on October 15 and 20. The first screening will be attended by Naderi and Majid Niroumand, who played the lead role of Amiro, and will be followed by a discussion with the filmmakers. 

Set in the southern Iranian port city of Abadan, the film follows Amiro, an orphaned boy who lives alone and struggles to make a living by shining shoes, selling water, and collecting empty bottles. His dreams of escaping poverty and building a better future drive the story.

Drawing heavily on Naderi’s own childhood experiences, “The Runner” portrays the boy’s determination to overcome difficult circumstances through education, perseverance, and his desire to discover a wider world. The recurring image of running becomes a central metaphor for survival, freedom, and refusing to surrender to hardship. 

The film was selected for the 1985 Venice Film Festival and won the Golden Montgolfiere at the Festival of the Three Continents in Nantes. It has since become one of the internationally recognized works of Iranian cinema and an important example of the country’s New Wave filmmaking. 

Naderi, who was born in Abadan in 1946, is regarded as a key figure of the Iranian New Wave. His early films frequently focused on street children, youth and marginalized figures, using spare narratives and a distinctive visual language to explore survival and youthful aspirations.  Naderi's films often explored the struggles of working-class people, as seen in his debut film "Goodbye Friend" (1971).

After the Iranian revolution, Naderi continued to make films, including the critically acclaimed "The Runner" and “Harmonica”, which gained international recognition and critical acclaim. 

The 2026 Kaohsiung Film Festival has selected 40 international and 20 Taiwanese short films for its Short Film Competition from 2,715 submissions received from 97 countries. 

SAB/