TEHRAN – Three Iranian films have been submitted to the secretariat of the first Open Eurasian Film Award “Diamond Butterfly,” slated to be held on November 27, in Moscow, Russia, the cultural attaché of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Russia said.

“According to the announcement by Iran’s Cinema Organization and the decision of the National Selection Committee, the films “Whisper My Name” directed by Rasoul Sadrameli, “In the Arms of the Tree” by Babak Khajepasha, and “My Daughter’s Hair” by Hesam Farahmand have been officially submitted by Iran to the award’s secretariat,” IRNA quoted Masoud Ahmadvand as saying.

“Whisper My Name” was the winner of the Crystal Simorgh award for Best Film at the 43rd Fajr Film Festival in February.

It is about Ziba, a teenage student working girl. Living in a dormitory, with no bonds to her parents, it is a dream to move to a room of her own. She’s struggling to find a path to be independent, but everything becomes even more complicated when her dad, Khosro, shows up. He has escaped from a psychiatric hospital to celebrate his daughter’s birthday with her.

“In the Arms of the Tree” is Iran’s official submission for the Best International Feature Film category at the Oscars 2026. 

It won two Crystal Simorgh awards for Best First Film and Best Screenplay upon its premiere at the 41st Fajr Film Festival. Moreover, it has received the Special Jury Prize at the 10th Asian World Film Festival in California and the best World Cinema Feature Film Award at the 22nd Chennai International Film Festival in India.

The film depicts Kimia, a young woman who is about to get a divorce from Farid. Their two sons, unaware of their parents’ decision, live their normal lives and spend their days with great interest in each other. Now the father wants to take one of the sons, and the mother wants to take the other one. They have to prepare the children for this separation and start to teach them to be away from each other. The children’s perspective on the story of separation creates a new course in the life of the couple.

Last month, “My Daughter’s Hair,” also known as “Raha,” won the Best Film award of the 23rd Alice nella Città film festival in Italy.

The drama follows a struggling family in an unstable economy. Tohid and his wife and children have an average life. Tohid buys a second-hand laptop with money earned from selling his daughter’s hair, bringing temporary joy. However, a conflict soon emerges with a wealthy family over the laptop’s true ownership. As tensions rise, Tohid confronts harsh realities that reshape his life and his family’s future.

The principal purpose of the Open Eurasian Film Award “Diamond Butterfly” is to remind the world of the true mission of cinema: to address values, culture, and universal essences, leaving commercial success in the background. The Open Eurasian Film Award is intended for all countries that strive to protect traditional values and respect their national culture.

The Film Award is already being compared to the Oscars in scale and significance, and has also been called one of the most anticipated initiatives in the global cinema industry. This is the first and key event of the Eurasian Academy of Cinematographic Arts, uniting representatives of the film industry from all over the world and opening a new space for creativity, cultural dialogue, and support for national film initiatives.

At the moment, more than 20 countries have already applied to participate in the Academy. A total of 30 films have been submitted to date.

The winner in the nomination “Best Picture” will receive a reward equivalent to $1 million, other 11 winners will be awarded a prize of $250,000. In addition, all winners will be awarded the symbol of the Award — the Diamond Butterfly. Each statuette is encrusted with almost 5,000 diamonds and designed by the famous artist Yuri Kuper, who has exhibited his works all over the world more than 50 times.

The launch of the Diamond Butterfly Film Awards comes amid a period of rapidly shifting global cultural dynamics, where nations are increasingly using art and cinema to foster cross-border understanding and counteract geopolitical divisions.

SS/