The program opens with the US premiere of Oktay Baraheni’s THE OLD BACHELOR, which won awards at the Rotterdam and London film festivals. Other new films include the world premiere of Hamid Nematollah’s THE KILLER AND THE SAVAGE, a thriller banned for more than five years; the New York premieres of MY FAVORITE CAKE, which debuted in competition at the Berlinale, and JUNKS & DOLLS; and IN THE ARMS OF THE TREE and UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE, Iran and Canada’s official submissions for the Academy Awards. A new sidebar, Hidden Gems from Iran, shines a spotlight on underrated recent Iranian films.

This year’s edition also offers a special focus on the work of acclaimed actress Fatemeh Motamed-Aria, who will attend the festival to present screenings of  five of her films, including new restorations of her collaborations with filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf, ONCE UPON A TIME, CINEMA (1992) and THE ACTOR (1993), along with AVALANCHE (2015), THE BLUE VEILED (2019), and ONCE UPON A TIME, ABADAN (2021), screening in its US premiere.

“Despite a decrease in film production over the past two years, and changes in Iran’s cultural and political environment, the program for our 2025 edition is as strong as ever,” notes festival director and programmer Armin Miladi. “We’re excited to introduce New York audiences to great new work from both established and emerging filmmakers, and to help them rediscover important, underseen films from the past three decades.”

Jury of 3rd Iranian Film Festival New York

We are thrilled to present our fabulous jury ensemble of irffny2025 to you:

Films in the Competition section of the festival include: