Persian Film Festival Australia

05/05/2026

Director of Persian Film Festival, Dr Amin Palangi, received the Excellence Award in the Cinema Category at Persian Award Night 2026, in recognition of outstanding contribution to Film Directing and the Cinematic Arts, and for over a decade of dedicated efforts in organising the Persian Film Festival in Australia.

In his speech, Palangi said:
“My work has always been based on listening to stories that are less seen and less heard.�Through my films and the festival, I have tried to create a space for these voices to be expressed without fear or censorship. Today, many Iranians risk their lives to be heard, and in such times storytelling is not just art; it is an act of resistance.”



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23/04/2026

We are delighted to present an encore session for the winners of the Golden Gazelle Awards this year (Feature and Short film) due to popular demand.

MORTICIAN directed by Abdolreza Kahani (Best Feature)
ITALIANO directed by Mehdi Davachi (Best Short)

As the winners of the Golden Gazelle Awards at 12th PFFA, MORTICIAN and ITALIANO will be back on the screen and await another sold out session from the Sydney cinephiles.

🗓️ Saturday 2 May 2026, 4:00pm
📍 Palace Cinemas Moore Park (Sydney)
🎟️ persianfilmfestival.com – Link in bio

22/04/2026

Outhouse Theatre Co presents English by Sanaz Toossi, a Pulitzer Prize-winning play set in an English-language classroom in Iran. 

English follows four adult students preparing for the TOEFL exam. Warm, funny, and deeply moving, the play explores language, identity, and what can be gained — or lost — when we speak in a language that is not our own.

This production features extraordinary Iranian artists and celebrates a story rooted in Iranian experience
You are warmly invited to join us.

📍 Seymour Centre, Chippendale
📅 9 April – 2 May
🎟 Book: www.seymourcentre.com/event/english/

22/04/2026

Hamed Sadeghi, a collaborator of our Festival on different occasions and specifically this year (find his music on our main 12th edition trailer) will launch his new album CONVERGENCE at Seymour Centre on 1st of May.

In one seamless 60-minute act, Sadeghi leads audiences through a world of contrasts from delicate exchanges with a string trio and the purity of classical opera joined by Persian Poetry, to the intoxicating depths of Persian classical music.

You will hear poems by classical and contemporary Persian poets such as Rumi and Ahmad Shamloo, performed by Aida Manouchehr Pour.

Performed by Hamed Sadeghi (tar, composition), Aida Manouchehrpour (soprano), James Tarbotton (violin), Phoebe (viola), Freya Schack-Arnott (cello) and Sohrab Kolahdooz (percussion).

Get your tickets here: https://www.seymourcentre.com/event/convergence/

21/04/2026

We are proud to share that this has been one of the festival’s most successful editions yet. And that success belongs to all of you, our audience.

The conversation we’ve begun this week must not end. Because as long as Iranian voices are constrained, we will keep making space to hear them.

Thank you for your curiosity, your unwavering love for cinema, and your stance for freedom.

20/04/2026

18/04/2026

We’re proud to share an exciting new 3-year partnership with UNSW as our Educational Partner - a meaningful step forward for our community and the stories we share.

Here’s a message from Claire Annesley, UNSW Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Design & Architecture, on our new partnership with the Persian Film Festival:

“This month, our faculty — UNSW Arts, Design & Architecture (ADA) — joined with the Persian Film Festival in a three-year partnership. It’s a partnership that we’re immensely proud of, not only because of the festival’s outstanding reputation, but because it reflects our deep belief in the role of creative storytelling to foster diversity, inclusion, and meaningful cultural exchange.
 
At ADA, we see storytelling as a powerful force for connection and change. Stories allow us to step into perspectives beyond our own, to challenge assumptions, and to build empathy. Partnering with the Persian Film Festival gives us a valuable opportunity to create space for dialogue, reflection, and shared understanding across cultures. And at this time in the world, that sense of shared understanding feels more important than ever. “

We look forward to what we’ll build together over the next three years - creating space for new voices, deeper conversations, and stories that connect us across cultures.

17/04/2026

12th Edition Opening Night 🎞️

The 12th edition of the Persian Film Festival opened last night with the presentation of the Golden Gazelle Awards, marking the beginning of this year’s program.

We were honoured to hear from Professor Claire Annesley, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture at UNSW, who welcomed audiences and spoke to the vital role of the arts in fostering dialogue, understanding and cultural exchange.

Our Festival Jury - Kriv Stenders, Amanda Brown, Erik Thomson, Brietta Hague, and Yasmin Kassim - announced the winners of the 12th edition programme.

Dr Amin Palangi, Festival Directo, also reflected on the moment:

“It has been a difficult time. Iranian people have been struggling with forces beyond their control under a regime that does not uphold their basic human rights and end life, imprisons, and silences without hesitation. As a member of the diaspora, one might feel pain, anger, anxiety, despair. But we have decided to replace these feelings with hope and refuse to capitulate.

This festival has always been independent, and always will be - in its aims, its programming, and its approach to showcasing Iranian culture and filmmakers. This is a culture of resilience as much as it is a culture of poetry, felt in every frame and every movement. As long as filmmakers continue to take risks and make these films with courage, the festival will remain their platform.”

– Amin Palangi, Festival Director

The festival continues through to Sunday, 19 April, with a powerful line-up of films still to discover.

🗓️ 16-19 April 2026
📍 Palace Cinemas Moore Park (Sydney)
🎟️ persianfilmfestival.com - Link in Bio