NEWS, Short Films Section, Women,s voices

Forough Azizi wins Best Short at Imagineindia 2026

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Born: July 18, 1985 – Qaemshahr, Iran

Fatemeh (Forough) Azizi is an Iranian filmmaker and film editor based in Tehran. She holds a Master’s degree in Women’s Studies and has an academic background in social research, which has informed her approach to filmmaking and her interest in exploring social realities through personal and human stories. She is a member of the Iranian Short Film Association (ISFA).

Azizi works primarily in fiction and documentary filmmaking, as well as film editing. Her cinematic interests center on human relationships, social experiences, and questions of gender and identity. Her background in Women’s Studies has contributed to a perspective that pays particular attention to the representation of women and to the ways in which social structures shape individual lives.

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NEWS, Women,s voices

The great Do Thi Hai Yen gets second Best Actress award

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Do Thi Hai Yen (born 1 October 1982) is a Vietnamese actress. She rose to international fame for her role in Academy Award-nominated film The Quiet American (2002) by Phillip Noyce, which made her the first Asian actress to be nominated for a Satellite Award. For her breakthrough performance in the drama film Story of Pao (2005), Hai Yen won Best Actress awards at the 4th Vietnam Cinema Association’s Golden Kite Awards and 15th Vietnam Film Festival. She gained further acclaim for her performances in Adrift (2009), The Floating Lives (2010) and Big Father, Small Father and Other Stories (2015).

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NEWS, Women,s voices

Cui Zhongyu wins Best Actress at Imagineindia 2026

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Cui Zhongyu is a rising young actress currently pursuing her undergraduate studies in Broadcasting & Hosting at the Communication University of China, one of the country’s most prestigious media institutions. Though still in her early academic years, she has already demonstrated a rare natural talent and emotional depth on screen.

Her film debut came with the independent realistic feature The Last Summer, directed by Shi Renfei. In the film, she plays a complex adolescent character navigating the fragile border between innocence and loss. Despite having no prior professional acting training, Zhongyu immersed herself in the role with remarkable dedication. She spent weeks observing real-life peers in similar environments, keeping a daily character journal, and working closely with the director to build her performance from the inside out.

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Documentary Section

I was in Las Vegas 2 (Javier Castro) Spain

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I was in Las Vegas 2
Javier Castro
Spain. 2025. 155 min

Music
Village

I Was in Las Vegas 2 is a documentary that reconstructs the incredible story of a legendary nightclub located in a small town in Burgos where legendary bands such as The Ramones or Motörhead came to play. Through real testimonies, emotional memories and a great sense of humor, the film celebrates the passion, music and entrepreneurial spirit that made Las Vegas 2 a unique cultural phenomenon in Spain. A nostalgic, unexpected and vibrant journey to the heart of the emptied Spain… where the impossible happened.

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Documentary Section

Varanasi, the Elegance of Chaos (Alfonso Domingo) Spain

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Varanasi, the Elegance of Chaos
Alfonso Domingo
Spain. 2025. 51 min

Varanasi
Journey

One must visit Varanasi at least once in a lifetime. It is a city that leaves no one indifferent—a symbol and microcosm of India, a land of wonder. We explore the banks of the Ganges and witness the rites of life and death in this sacred city: the cremation grounds, the Nagas (naked ascetics smeared with the ashes of the dead), the snake charmers, and the pilgrims flocking to Shivaratri, the festival of Shiva. In Varanasi, even the chaos fits right in.

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Documentary Section

The Eyes of Ghana (Ben Proudfoot) USA

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The Eyes of Ghana
Ben Proudfoot
USA. 2025. 90 min

Ghana
Chris Hesse

THE EYES OF GHANA is a stunning feature documentary following 93-year-old documentarian Chris Hesse—personal cinematographer to forgotten African icon Kwame Nkrumah—as he races against blindness and time to rescue and repatriate a secret trove of over 1,000 films that captured the birth of African independence in the fifties and sixties. Yet unseen by the public, these films may not only rewrite Ghanaian and African history—but world history itself.

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Documentary Section, Women,s voices

The Art of Adventure (Alison Reid) Canada

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The Art of Adventure
Alison Reid
Canada. 2026. 86 min

Africa
Adventure

In 1957, renowned wildlife artist Robert Bateman and spirited biologist Bristol Foster set out on a global expedition in a rugged Land Rover they call “The Grizzly Torque”. Starting in the UK, their travels take them to the far corners of the earth. From the lush rainforests of the Congo to the vibrant landscapes of India, Bob paints the wonders they encounter, while Bristol films on his 16mm Bolex camera. Fifty-seven years later, the abandoned Grizzly Torque is rediscovered. As its hidden history emerges and a new owner restores it to its former glory, the tale of their environmental activism through art and science unfolds.

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- Official Section -, Life

White Snow (Praveen Morchhale) India

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White Snow
Praveen Morchhale
India. 2025. 81 min

Freedom
Religion

A young filmmaker, Amir’s film is banned from screening in the very remote mountain region on a complaint of the religious head of the town, after the film’s first screening in a community hall of the town. Amir’s only fault is that he has shown in the film the post-partum blood after a child’s birth. He is later arrested and put in custody on the pretext of the absurd reason of trying to create social unrest, though the real reason was very different. Seeing no hope, his mother Fatima risks her life and leaves home with a small TV and DVD player keeping them on a Yak (mountain animal) to show the film to people in remote villages to fulfil Amir’s dream. During her arduous journey, she meets many people who try to help her, but their own limitations do not permit them to screen her films. Resilient Fatima keeps traveling and quietly observes people’s kindness and social and economic conditions. Gradually the tiring journey, hopeless situations, and unsuccessful efforts break her mentally and physically and bring her close to madness. A surprise heart-breaking incident makes her a free soul in the end.

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- Official Section -

The Temperature of the Universe (Viktor Sharimov) Russia

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The Temperature of the Universe
Viktor Sharimov
Russia. 2025. 93 min

Family

Set in a remote picturesque Astronomy village, where scientists investigate the cosmos undisturbed by the hustle and bustle of the city, the story navigates the characters through a breakup to an unlikely romance. The film is a story of separation and reunion that unfolds in a remote astronomers’ village in the Caucasus (filmed in Nizhny Arkhyz, home to real-world observatories). The isolated, quiet setting allows the characters to reflect on life without the noise of the city, exploring themes on the boundary between science, human relationships, and the vastness of the cosmos.

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Short Films Section

Ambivalence (Maan Chandravanshi) India

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Ambivalence
Maan Chandravanshi
India. 2025. 29 min

Family

Yugal, a quiet and emotionally closed man, returns to his childhood home after nearly twenty years. The empty house brings back memories of his father, his stepmother, and a childhood shaped by silence and emotional distance. Through his cousin Pankaj, Yugal slowly uncovers hidden truths about his family and why he was sent away. In the present, Yugal begins repairing his father’s old tractor, believing the act will help him rebuild his own life. He becomes drawn to his neighbors—a widow named Dipti and her young son, Pintu. Dipti’s strict love reminds Yugal of his stepmother, blurring the line between past and present. As feelings grow, Yugal realizes he is standing in the same emotional position his father once faced, with one chance to choose differently.

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