Iran’s “Needle” wins first prize at Cannes’ Cinefondation

TEHRAN,May 26(MNA) -- “Needle” by Iranian director Anahita Qazvinizadeh has won the first prize at Cannes’ Cinefondation. Qazvinizadeh, a student at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, won €15,000. As the first prize winner, she will have the opportunity to present her feature debut at the festival, organizers announced on Friday. The short film “Needle” is about a girl who goes to have her ears pierced, provoking a quarrel between her parents that overwhelms the situation. New Zealand-born screenwriter and producer Jane Campion presided over the jury of Cinefondation this year. Second prize was awarded to “Waiting for the Thaw”, directed by Sarah Hirtt, a student at Insas in Belgium. Tudor Cristian Jurgiu’s “In the Fishbowl” from Romania’s UNATC and Matus Vizar’s “Pandas” from the Czech Republic’s FAMU shared third prize. Each year the Cinéfondation selects fifteen to twenty shorts and medium-length films presented by film schools from all over the world. This year it selected 18 student films chosen from nearly 1500 entries coming from 277 film schools. The 66th Cannes Film Festival, which opened May 15, will come to an end today.