With the opening of submissions for this year’s Cinehill Shorts, we are proud to present our new Short Film Selector, Hamed Soleimanzadeh.
He is a film critic, film philosopher, filmmaker, and lecturer at the University of Göttingen in Germany. He holds a Ph.D. in Art Research with a focus on Film Studies from the Nazar Research Center in Tehran and a postdoc in Film and Philosophy from the Berlin University of the Arts (UdK Berlin).
Before joining our team as the Short Film Programmer, he visited our festival as a Short Jury Member and a mentor at the Cinehill Campus, where he shared his vision with an international group of young filmmakers. His new role at Cinehill began at the start of this year.
“As the programmer for the short film section at Cinehill, I curate a dynamic selection of independent films that amplify unheard voices and showcase talented filmmakers from around the world, with a special focus on Eastern Europe. My mission is to highlight bold, thought-provoking works that celebrate cultural diversity and offer new perspectives on social and environmental issues. By fostering creativity and meaningful dialogue through direct filmmaker-audience interaction, the festival champions the transformative power of storytelling while promoting innovation and sustainability,” said Hamed Soleimanzadeh.
In his remarkable career, he has served as a jury member for over thirty prestigious international film festivals and events, including the Golden Globe Awards, Cannes Film Festival, Berlinale, Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Warsaw International Film Festival, Oberhausen International Short Film Festival, Gothenburg Film Festival, Istanbul International Film Festival, ZagrebDox International Film Festival, and more. Additionally, he is the founder and director of the Abbas Kiarostami International Short Film Festival.
Soleimanzadeh has directed seven short films and has published hundreds of articles and several books on cinema, theater, philosophy, and culture. He is a member of the renowned International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI).
Cinehill Shorts is a competition of short films from around the world, which can be submitted through our FilmFreeway platform. Best film of the Cinehill Shorts programme wins The Propeller of Cinehill for Best Short Film as well as the €1000 award.
In order to promote regional films, the Festival is waiving fees for films from Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Slovenia, Albania and Montenegro. For regional waiver fee code please contact office@motovunfilmfestival.com.
