Festivals are the lifeblood of the international film community. Without them many people wouldn't get to see the films of other nations, and a lot of films wouldn't get any kind of distribution at all. What's more, while festivals can certainly celebrate films purely as entertainment value, many tend to focus on movies that display definitive artistic merit, and in so doing manage to keep the creative aspect of the art form alive in the face of sometimes overwhelming commercialism that affects some portions of the industry.

Also, the plethora of festivals that have cropped up over the years have given some license to focus on certain types of film or genre, such as shorts, documentaries, animation, specific themes, etc.

There are more than 2000 festivals, some with awards, some without, around the world. Some would be considered A-level festivals and some B-level, but they are all a part of the international film community.

Venice is the oldest major film festival, founded in 1932 by, of all people, Benito Mussolini. The mother of all film festivals, Venice is also the most artistically inclined.

Cannes, probably the best-known festival in the world, was founded in 1939, but was swiftly interrupted by the war, eventually to be reestablished in 1946. It remains to this day the most prestigious of festivals, showcasing around 600 films in various sections each year, with roughly 4000 film professionals and journalists in attendance.

Berlin is one of the other most important festivals in the world, and Toronto stands as the most important film festival in North America. In recent decades festivals such as Robert Redford's Sundance Festival in Colorado brought much needed attention to the American Independent Film movement.

IFVC has been privileged enough to have its films featured in over 100 festivals worldwide.

- 15th Annual Celebration of Iranian Cinema, UCLA Film Festival & TV,   Los Angeles, 2005
- Berlin Asia-Pacific Film Festival, Germany, 2004
- MESA (Midle East Studies Association of North America), 2004
- ISIS (The International Society for Iranian Studies), 2004

- 15th Annual Celebration of Iranian Cinema, UCLA Film Festival & TV,   Los Angeles, 2005
- 7th Int’l Meeting of Cinema & History Film Festival, Istanbul, Turkey,   2004
- 10th Med Film Festival, Italy, 2004
- 33rd Semana International de Cine Naval Cartagena, Spain, 2004

  

Press conference at Barcelona2004

  

Receiving the Special Jury Prize at Clermont-Ferrand Festival,1999.

* Winner of Special Jury Prize & the Mention du Jury Jeunes - Clermont- Ferrand Film Festival, France, 1999

* Winner of Horizon Award - Aspen Shortsfest, USA, 1999

* Winner of Grand Prize - St. Petersburg Film Festival, Russia, 1999

* Winner of Grand Prize & the RTP Onda Curta - Vila do Conde Film Festival, Portugal, 1999

* Winner of Special Plaque - Montecatini Film Festival, Italy, 1999

- Cinema du Reel, France
- Tampere International Film Festival, Finland
- Munich Documentary Film Festival, Germany
- Seattle International Film Festival, USA
- Museum of Modern Art, New York, USA
- Short Film Festival of Drama, Greece
- Huntington International Film Festival, USA
- Festival of Festivals, Denmark
- Pusan International Film Festival, South Korea

* Winner of Special Jury Prize - Cinematexas International Short Film Festival, USA

- dokumentART, Germany
- FrankfurterFilmschau International Short Documentary, Germany

* Winner of Grand Prize - Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, USA

* Winner of Grand Prize - Corto Imola Festival, Italy

* Winner of Grand Prize & the Best Documentary Prize - Siena Festival del Cortometraggio, Siena, Italy

- Leipzig International Film Festival, Germany
- Regensburg Short Film Week, Germany
- Cinema Mediterranean Montpellier, France
- Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, USA
- Pacific Film Archive, Berkeley, USA

* Winner of Best Documentary Award - Flickerfest 2000, Sydney, Australia, 2000

- Fajr Film Festival, Iran, 2000
- UCLA Film & Television Archive, USA
- Rose Art Museum, Boston, USA
- International Festival of Short Film and Documentary of Bilbao
- International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam
- Webster University Film Series, St. Louis, USA

also see:

Life In Fog

   
- MESA (Midle East Studies Association of North America), 1999
- CIRA (Center for Iranian Research and Analysis), 2000
- ISIS (The International Society for Iranian Studies), 2000
- Iranian Diaspora Film Festival, 2002
- Arab/Iranian Film Festival, 2002
- Czek Republic, 2003

also see:

Ahmad Shamlou; Master Poet Of Liberty
Chronology Of Ahmad Shamlou's Life And Work
Ahmad Shamlou The Poet (A Short Biography)
The Making of Ahmad Shamlou (in Persian, pdf, 550 kb)

- Nomadisme Rituels Musique Festival, Paris, France, 2004
- 3rd annual Tiburon International Film Festival, USA, 2004
- 44th Festival dei Popoli, Florence, Italy, 2003
- First Iranian.com Film Festival, Berkely, USA, 2003
- Arab/Iranian Film Festival, 2001
- CIRA (Center for Iranian Research and Analysis), 2001
- MESA (Midle East Studies Association of North America), 2001
- ISIS (The International Society for Iranian Studies), 2002

also see:

Ta'zieh; Another Narration
Ta'zieh (A Short Synopsis)
Parviz Jahed's Bio / Filmography

  
Press conference at Cairo


- Cairo International Film Festival, 2000
- New Delhi, 2000
- Karalla Film Festival, 2000
- New York Independent Film Festival, 2000

also see:

Surviving Paradise

  
Press conference at Locarno 1996

- Berlin, 1997
- Locarno, Competition, 1996
- Toronto, 1996
- Kiev, 1996
- Montreal, 1996
- Cairo, 1996
- India, 1996
- Thessaloniki, 1996
+ more

also see:

Seven Servants
Seven Servants Director's Statement
Stern On Seven Servants

also see:

Manhattan By Numbers
Amir Naderi's Filmography
Amir Naderi: Images Bitter And Sweet
Naderi On Naderi
Manhattan By Numbers: True Grit And An Orwellian Spirit

  
Bahman Maghsoudlou and Ghasem Ebrahimian at press confrence in Cannes

- Cannes, 1988

also see:

The Suitors

- Leipzig, 1996
- Czeck Republic, 2003

also see:

Ardeshir Mohasses & His Caricatures
Ardeshir Mohasses' Accolades
Ardeshir Mohasses' Biography
Ardeshir Mohasses' Caricatures
Stanley Mason, Graphis, On Ardeshir Mohasses