Iran (IMNA) - Isfahan is preparing to host the 38th International Film Festival for Children and Young Adults from October 3 to 8, bringing one of Iran’s longest-running cultural events back to a city where the festival has become closely associated with childhood memories, family life and the cultural identity of several generations.
The festival began in 1982 as a section of Iran’s Fajr Film Festival before gradually developing an independent identity. In 1990, it moved to Isfahan, establishing a long-term relationship between the event and the historic central Iranian city. Since then, numerous editions of the festival have been held in Isfahan, making it an important part of the city's contemporary cultural calendar.
The 38th edition is being organized with the participation of the Farabi Cinema Foundation and Isfahan Municipality and has attracted around 700 submitted works, according to the Isfahan mayor. The scale of participation highlights the continuing importance of children's and young adults' cinema as a platform for cultural exchange and creative engagement.
Children themselves also have an active role in the event. Around 1,200 children and teenagers registered to participate as young jurors during the opening days of registration, giving younger residents an opportunity to experience the festival not only as an audience but also as participants in the evaluation and discussion of films.
For Isfahan, the festival represents a cultural capacity that goes beyond cinema halls. Major cultural events can bring together different parts of urban life, from families and children to cultural institutions, public spaces, transportation networks, hospitality services and local businesses. In this sense, a recurring international festival can become part of the wider urban experience and contribute to the vitality of the city during the event.
The relationship between Isfahan and the children's film festival has also given the city a distinctive cultural association. While Isfahan is internationally recognized for its historical architecture, Persian gardens, bridges, mosques, squares and artistic heritage, events such as the children's film festival add a contemporary dimension to its identity. They allow the city to present itself not only as a destination for heritage tourism but also as a place for cultural production, creative activity and international exchange.
This distinction is particularly important for cities seeking to strengthen their position as cultural destinations. A successful festival city requires more than suitable venues. It needs public spaces capable of accommodating large numbers of visitors, accessible urban infrastructure, cultural institutions, hospitality facilities and an environment in which residents can participate in events as part of everyday urban life.
Isfahan's long association with the festival provides an example of how cultural programming can become embedded in a city's identity over time. Instead of being a temporary event that appears on the urban calendar and disappears after several days, the festival has accumulated memories and associations among generations of residents who have encountered children's cinema in the city.
The event also provides an opportunity to connect cultural activities with younger citizens. Children's participation as young jurors, alongside family attendance and public programming, can strengthen the relationship between cultural institutions and the younger generation while creating opportunities for social interaction outside conventional educational environments.
This year's festival is being held under the slogan “Children’s Dreams on the Screen of Naqsh-e Jahan,” linking the imagination of children with one of Isfahan's most recognizable urban and cultural symbols. The choice of the slogan also reflects the distinctive potential of Isfahan to combine contemporary cultural events with its historic urban landscape.
The festival comes as Isfahan continues to develop its position as a city with cultural, tourism and urban capacities extending beyond its architectural heritage. The city's historic center, public spaces, museums, cultural venues and established tourism infrastructure provide a setting in which major cultural events can become connected to the broader experience of visitors and residents.
For international visitors, such events can also offer a different image of Isfahan. Rather than presenting the city solely through its historic monuments, a contemporary cultural festival introduces its families, children, creative communities and public life. This can contribute to a more dynamic understanding of the city as a living cultural environment rather than simply a heritage destination.
The 38th International Film Festival for Children and Young Adults therefore represents more than the return of a long-running cinema event. Its continued presence in Isfahan demonstrates how cultural festivals can become part of a city's collective memory while creating new opportunities for participation, tourism, cultural exchange and urban vitality.
With the festival once again bringing children, families, filmmakers and cultural institutions together in Isfahan, the city is preparing to demonstrate how its historic identity can coexist with contemporary cultural life — turning its reputation as a historic city into a broader role as a destination for international cultural events.
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