MOSCOW – Iranian filmmaker Alireza Motamedi has won the Best Screenplay award at the Second Diamond Butterfly Open Eurasian Film Awards for his film The Daughter of the Lady Fairy, delivering an emotional message of solidarity and resilience among the Iranian people during the awards ceremony.
Speaking after receiving the award, Motamedi addressed filmmakers and representatives of the cinema industry from across Eurasia and other countries, saying he wanted to share a message with the people of Iran, who have endured particularly difficult times over the past two years.
“I am proud to be one of the Iranian people, standing together with one another and alongside our country through the most difficult circumstances,” he said.
The award was presented by Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of RT and the Rossiya Segodnya media group.
The closing ceremony of the second edition of the international film awards was held on Thursday evening in Moscow, attended by Iran’s ambassador and cultural counsellor to Russia.
Iranian cinema was represented by two films in the competition: The Daughter of the Lady Fairy, directed by Motamedi, and Midday Meal, directed by Majid Majidi.
Meanwhile, Keyvan Moghadam, the production designer of The Daughter of the Lady Fairy, was also named among the three finalists in the production design category.
Motamedi said his award-winning film tells the story of a middle-aged son caring for his mother, who is in a coma, while holding on to the hope that she will one day regain consciousness.
He added that the filmmakers were planning to release the film in the coming months, around the Iranian New Year (Nowruz), expressing hope that it would enjoy a successful theatrical run and attract audiences.
Iranian Ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali also spoke to reporters at the ceremony, describing the Diamond Butterfly Awards as an important international film event.
He said that many international film festivals have traditionally been organized by Western countries and that there are still attempts to select films on political grounds.
However, Jalali said the Diamond Butterfly Awards, now being held for the second consecutive year, does not follow a political approach.
Given the participation of countries from Eurasia and other regions, he described the event as a gathering of independent nations and countries of the Global South.
Jalali also expressed his satisfaction with the achievements of Iranian cinema at the event, noting that Iranian filmmakers have made a strong impression both this year and in the previous edition.
The awards ceremony opened with a video message from Russian President Vladimir Putin.
A total of 41 films from 19 countries competed in the second edition of the awards, with winners announced in 12 categories.
The Best Film award, valued at U.S.$1 million, went to August, directed by Nikita Vysotsky and Ilya Lebedev.
At the inaugural edition of the awards last year, renowned Iranian filmmaker Majid Majidi received the Special Award for his outstanding contribution to world cinema.