Iran (IMNA) — The 38th edition of the festival, running from October 2 to 7, is being held under markedly different social circumstances from previous editions. Organizers say the event is intended not only to provide children and teenagers with opportunities for entertainment and cultural participation, but also to preserve hope and resilience among a generation affected by recent traumatic events.
According to Amirhossein Sotoudehfar, executive director of the festival, this year’s edition is the first international event to be held in Isfahan following the war. While the festival has maintained its focus on children’s creativity and imagination, organizers have also sought to acknowledge children and teenagers who lost their lives during the conflict.
A special section titled “Minab, the Heart of Iran” has therefore been included in this year’s program in memory of 168 students who died at Shajareh Teybeh School in Minab. Dedicated films will be screened as part of the section, while a separate award will also be presented under the same title.
At the same time, organizers say the festival should not allow grief to overshadow children’s future.
“We have to think about the future of children,” Sotoudehfar said, emphasizing the importance of creating cultural and joyful opportunities that can help children recover from difficult experiences and strengthen their resilience.
The festival has attracted strong participation despite concerns that current circumstances could reduce public interest. Its competition lineup includes 15 feature films, alongside short films, documentaries and an international section featuring productions aimed at children and teenagers.
A festival spread across the city
One of the defining features of this year’s festival is an effort to make it a citywide experience rather than an event concentrated in central Isfahan.
Five locations have been designated for school screenings: Chaharbagh Cinema in the city center, Bahman Khorasgan Cinema in the east, Mahtab Rahan Cinema in the west, Fadak Mall Cinema in the north and City Center Cinema in the south.
For the first time, the festival has expanded to Bahman Khorasgan Cinema, giving children and teenagers in eastern parts of the city easier access to screenings.
Students are being transported from schools to participating cinemas, while public screenings for families and residents are being held at City Center and Chaharbagh cinemas.
The organizers have also planned mobile cinema screenings for schools that cannot easily take students to cinemas. Films will additionally be shown at cultural centers, while programs will be held in parks and other public spaces.
The aim, Sotoudehfar said, is to ensure that the festival can be experienced across Isfahan rather than being confined to cinema halls.
This approach is particularly significant for a city that has positioned itself as a child-friendly city. By distributing screenings and side programs across different districts, the festival is being used as an opportunity to broaden access to cultural services and bring children from less-served areas into the center of the event.
The festival will also enter public spaces through programs at major city gatherings and public venues, with popular figures for children and teenagers scheduled to appear during the event.
A new home for the festival
Another major change this year is the establishment of a dedicated Festival House at the Isfahan International Conference Center.
The new venue is intended to provide a central hub for the festival’s major activities. Three cinema halls have been prepared there, while screenings, discussions, reviews, judging sessions and other programs are being brought together under one roof.
Organizers say the move addresses a longstanding challenge in previous editions, when different components of the festival were dispersed among several cinemas, making it difficult to create a visible central hub for the event.
Around 1,700 children and teenagers serving as young jurors and reporters are expected to attend the Festival House each day. They will watch films, participate in judging and report on the festival.
Evenings at the venue will feature a program titled “Children’s Dream,” designed as a lively environment for young audiences and featuring popular presenters, characters and figures familiar to children and teenagers.
From an annual event to a year-round process
Perhaps the most ambitious proposal associated with this year’s festival is the creation of a permanent secretariat through cooperation between Isfahan Municipality and the Farabi Cinema Foundation.
Sotoudehfar described the initiative as one of the festival’s longstanding challenges and potentially a turning point for its future.
The proposed model seeks to redefine the festival from a short annual event into a continuous cultural process. Under the plan, activities would begin immediately after each festival and continue throughout the year, rather than restarting shortly before the next edition.
A permanent secretariat could oversee talent discovery, educational workshops and training programs in filmmaking, screenwriting, cinematography and photography, while also supporting emerging young talents.
The underlying idea is that the annual festival should become the outcome of activities conducted throughout the year rather than the entirety of the festival’s cultural mission.
Sotoudehfar said organizers are now seeking to move the proposal beyond the stage of an idea and establish an operational and legal framework for it. If the necessary arrangements are completed, the permanent secretariat could begin work immediately after this year’s closing ceremony.
Such a structure, organizers argue, could gradually transform the festival into a driving force for children’s and young adults’ cinema, contributing to increased production and helping develop a new generation of filmmakers.
Children as participants, not just audiences
Children and teenagers are also taking on more active roles in this year’s festival.
Around 1,700 young people are participating as jurors and reporters, with educational programs prepared for both groups.
Young reporters were introduced to the mechanics of covering a film festival through a simulation event held before the festival began. They were trained in interviewing, asking questions and reporting on filmmakers and festival activities.
Workshops have also been planned around filmmaking and other creative fields, reflecting the organizers’ view that young people should not remain merely consumers of cultural products.
The broader program includes activities in the city’s 15 municipal districts, cultural centers, parks and public spaces. One program, “Sound, Camera, Action,” in Chaharbagh introduces teenagers to filmmaking through games, practical exercises and creative activities.
Bringing audiences back to children’s cinema
The festival is also seeking to strengthen its appeal through the participation of familiar figures and productions.
Among the featured works are films involving popular children’s entertainment figures, including the return of the Fitileha group to the festival after several years and a film featuring Amo Pourang.
Organizers hope that the combination of new productions, recognizable figures and expanded citywide programming will encourage families and young audiences to return to cinemas and make the festival a more visible part of everyday life in Isfahan.
For organizers, however, the longer-term objective extends beyond audience numbers.
The central ambition is to establish the festival as a permanent cultural mechanism connecting children, the city and cinema throughout the year — while using Isfahan itself as an active part of the festival experience.
In that vision, the festival is no longer simply a temporary gathering of films and audiences. It becomes a citywide platform for participation, education, talent development and cultural life, with the annual event serving as the visible culmination of a process that continues throughout the year.
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