TEHRAN -- Iranian filmmaker Majid Majidi’s latest feature, Midday Meal, has been selected for the Competition section of the 31st Busan International Film Festival, where it will compete alongside new films from across Asia.
The film, which was shot entirely in Chabahar in southeastern Iran, marks Majidi’s return to the international festival circuit with a new feature following a career that includes Children of Heaven, The Color of Paradise, Baran and Muhammad: The Messenger of God.
Midday Meal is one of 14 titles selected for this year’s Busan Competition, the festival’s principal section for contemporary Asian cinema. The lineup includes films from South Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan, Iran, Uzbekistan and Indonesia. Twelve of the 14 Competition titles are world premieres, according to the festival.
The Competition offers awards including the Busan Award for best film, as well as prizes recognizing directing and other artistic achievements. This year’s winner of the Busan Award will also qualify for submission to the Academy Awards in the international feature category, adding further significance to the section.
The 31st Busan International Film Festival will run from October 6 to 15 in Busan, with screenings at the Busan Cinema Center and other venues across the city. The festival’s 2026 edition features 315 films in total, including
246 official selections from 59 countries.
Alongside Competition, the festival program includes Gala Presentation, Icons, Vision, A Window on Asian Cinema, Korean Cinema Today, World Cinema, Flash Forward, Wide Angle, Open Cinema, Midnight Passion and On Screen. Wide Angle focuses on short films and documentaries, while Flash Forward showcases work by emerging non-Asian filmmakers.
The festival will also host the 21st Asian Contents & Film Market from October 10 to 13, bringing together filmmakers, producers, distributors and other industry professionals.
Three Iranian Films Selected for Ahmedabad
Three productions from Iran’s Documentary, Experimental and Animation Center have also been selected for the competition program of the 17th Ahmedabad International Film Festival in India.
The documentary films Sergeant Saqi, directed by Milad Muhammadi, and The Blue Suitcase, directed by Abdol Sattar Kakaei, will compete in the festival’s Best Documentary category. Ali Masoumi’s short animation Bug has been selected for the Best Animation competition.
The Ahmedabad festival is scheduled to take place from September 30 to October 3 in Ahmedabad, a city recognized as India’s first UNESCO World Heritage City. The 2026 edition is built around the theme “Honoring Heritage, Empowering Future,” with a focus on emerging filmmakers, new cinematic technologies, digital storytelling and socially engaged cinema.
The three Iranian films were submitted by the international department of Iran’s Documentary, Experimental and Animation Center.
Savior Ship Sets Iranian Animation Box-Office Record
Meanwhile, Iranian animated feature Savior Ship has opened strongly at the domestic box office, drawing 40,000 viewers and generating 5 billion tomans in its first five days, according to the film’s publicity team.
Directed by Hadi Muhammadian and produced by Muhammad-Amin Hamadani for Sky Frame Studio, the animated adventure began its nationwide theatrical run on August 26 through Bahman Sabz Distribution. The film’s first teaser was released as its opening run gained momentum.
Savior Ship follows Darya, a girl on a distant planet who is waiting for a legendary hero to save her people from tadpoles. At the same time, Hani, a boy determined to become a hero, accidentally arrives on the planet while drifting through space instead of the astronaut monkey he was supposed to accompany.
Saeed Sheikhzadeh serves as dubbing director, with Sahar Sahamian, Ebrahim Shafiei, Zahra Salimi, Shayan Shambayati, Maryam Radpour, Arsalan Jolaei, Nima Nekouei, Saeed Sheikhzadeh and Mina Ghiyaspour among the voice cast.
The film was produced at Sky Frame Studio, which has previously worked with Muhammadian and Hamadani on Iranian animated features including Dolphin Boy.