The Tehran International Short Film Festival (TISFF) stands as one of Asia's most prestigious and widely recognized platforms for short films, celebrated for its dedication to creative excellence, innovation, and the promotion of diverse voices in cinema. Over the course of its illustrious history, TISFF has evolved into a vibrant hub for global storytelling, attracting thousands of submissions from filmmakers worldwide—a reflection of its unparalleled reputation as a cornerstone for emerging talent and visionary cinematic voices.
Organized by the Iranian Youth Cinema Society (IYCS), a leading organization in short film production and education, TISFF benefits from an extensive infrastructure comprising 58 branches across Iran and a thriving network of filmmakers and alumni. The IYCS supports the production of countless short films annually and trains aspiring filmmakers each year. Many of its graduates have risen to prominence as some of the most celebrated filmmakers in international cinema, reinforcing its profound influence on the global filmmaking stage.
An OSCARS®-qualifying festival, TISFF is renowned for embracing innovation while celebrating cinematic tradition. For its 43rd edition, TISFF proudly showcases its established categories of fiction, documentary, animation, and experimental films—genres that have long been at the heart of its commitment to cinematic excellence, with the Grand Prize winner becoming eligible for Academy Awards® consideration. In addition, the festival continues its AI Competition Program, highlighting the transformative role of Artificial Intelligence in redefining storytelling and artistic expression, reflecting TISFF's vision for the future of filmmaking.
Following its successful introduction last year, the Emerging Horizons Award will continue as part of TISFF’s policy to spotlight emerging talent. Each year, this category will be dedicated to debut short fiction and documentary films from a selected geographical region, providing a platform for fresh and visionary voices. For this edition, the Emerging Horizons Award will focus on filmmakers from the Silk Road countries, celebrating creativity and innovation from this historic cultural crossroads.
As ever, TISFF remains a global platform for filmmakers to present their work, fostering the evolution of short film as a compelling artistic and cultural medium. We warmly invite you to join us in vibrant and culturally rich Tehran this autumn for the 43rd edition of TISFF.

Awards & Prizes

The Tehran International Short Film Festival (TISFF) is a festival approved by the Academy Awards®, and the winner of the Grand Prize becomes eligible for the OSCARS®.
Grand Prize: Trophy + Diploma + $3000
Best Fiction: Trophy + Diploma + $1000
Best Documentary: Trophy + Diploma + $1000
Best Animation: Trophy + Diploma + $1000
Best Experimental: Trophy + Diploma + $1000
Emerging Horizons Award (SILK ROAD Countries): Trophy + Diploma + $500
Best AI (Artificial Intelligence): Trophy + Diploma + $500

Rules & Terms

• Films must be completed after January 1, 2025, to qualify for competition. Films completed before this date will be disqualified.
• Films must not exceed 40 minutes in length.
• Films previously submitted to TISFF are not eligible.
• Selection committees for each category will review all submissions and make the final selection.
• If selected, the original video (without subtitles) must be submitted along with subtitles and transcripts in both the original language and English.
• Once selected, films cannot be withdrawn from the festival program.
• Films that have previously been screened, broadcast, or presented at any festival or public event within Iran are ineligible.
• Films that have been publicly released or made available online through platforms such as Vimeo, YouTube, or other similar digital platforms are ineligible.
• Iranian short films must be submitted to the national section via: https://festival.iycs.ir/fa/
• Iranian short films for the international section will be selected through collaboration between the National and International Selection teams.
• NOTE: By "Iranian entries," we mean films with a main producer who is an Iranian citizen or permanent resident. For clarification, contact: tehranfilmfest@gmail.com
• For AI Competition Program - Films are eligible to submit if they use AI to generate their visuals. The festival reserves the right to request proof of AI tools used in the creation of submitted works.
• Selected participants will be announced by September 25 and notified via email.
• Submission to TISFF implies acceptance of all the above rules and regulations.

15 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • John Kalning

    Very big and well organized festival. happy to be a part of the future of film

    October 2025
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  • Kevin Lucero Less

    Amazing, fantastic, superlative, benevolent. Thank you so very much Tehran International Short Film Festival for selecting my film "But It Did Happen" - in competition for the Experimental Cinema category. It was a true honour to be involved in your top-tier festival. Everything was exceptional. Cheers!

    October 2025
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  • Mariusz Borzyszkowski

    It was absolutely fantastic for my work to be part of this festival. The opportunity to share stories and messages through this universal language of moving images with an audience from a country different from my own is invaluable, and I am deeply grateful for this chance. My heartfelt thanks go to the organizers and everyone involved for their efforts in making this event possible. Javid, Danial you are the best! Thank you so much!

    November 2024
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  • Ananthakrishnan PILLAI

    They are very well known festival, they selected our small film, i am glad they selected our film.

    November 2024
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  • Gary Yong

    I did not accept the festival's invitation to attend in person, since there are high travel advisories against non-essential travel to Tehran at what is a rapidly escalating conflict centred around Iran's participatory role in the tension in the region. Therefore I can only comment on the presence the festival extended via its crucial communications at this time with the outside world. As an international filmmaker who is pleased to be included in the program particularly because my film contains scenes painting a picture of future peace in the region, I can nonetheless observe that the festival was unresponsive to any email communication other than the initial notice of selection, and when they published the program. While the gesture of international representation within their programming is great to see, unless one speaks Farsi, it is impossible for a foreign delegate from afar to feel included in their events, the impact their film had in connecting with an Iranian audience, and to actually feel any shared presence with the festival whatsoever. Their social media updates were exclusively in Farsi, and they did not respond to an inquiry about whether there would be any live streamed events. While we may easily shrug this off as par the norm for what understandably must be a busy time for the festival team, again, deprived of any attempt at meaningful communication with the outside world, as a programmed filmmaker I felt alienated from the screening of my film, other than throwing on a symbolic laurel on my film thumbnail. I don't need to say more about how this is not helpful to the state of international harmony, at a time in our world when we should be striving for cross-linguistic, cross cultural, cross-regional harmony, and infact prioritize that above provincialism of any kind. I believe this is the responsibility and duty of care that the arts, and especially filmmaking, has at this dire time in unifying our planet, and without exception, the ethical role of any international film festival.

    November 2024
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