The “Insight” Award Goes to a Film from the Independent Short Film Support Base

Among the five films selected from the Independent Short Film Support Base for the fourth edition of the UK International Insight Film Festival, the short film “Empty Hands, Full Heart”, directed by Babak Nabizadeh, succeeded in receiving an award from this festival.
At this festival, which was organized with the aim of encouraging filmmakers to make films about loyalty and faith, the short film “Empty Hands, Full Heart” by Babak Nabizadeh won the Mustafa Akkad Award of the festival.
The fourth edition of the International Insight Film Festival was held from March 15 to 17 in Manchester, England.
In the statement of the festival’s jury regarding this award, it was stated: “The fourth Insight Festival, in the ‘Radical Middle Way’ category, is honored to present the ‘Mustafa Akkad’ Award — named after the visionary Syrian filmmaker — to the film ‘Empty Hands, Full Heart’ from Iran, for a work that has best explored and examined the contemporary and modern experience of faith in the lives of people around the world and their interactions with one another in relation to spirituality and identity. This distinctive film is also thought-provoking and controversial in its own time.”
Members of the festival’s jury included Gary Kurtz, the Hollywood film producer of *Star Wars*; Peter Malone, one of the prominent critics; and David Wise, the science fiction writer.
Nabizadeh said: “This film is very dear to me because it was made under extremely difficult circumstances, and receiving the Mustafa Akkad Award — which now resembles a kind of ideological symbol — creates even more serious conditions, and naturally, it makes me happy. However, my greater happiness is for the whole story of short films, because perhaps such events can help organize better conditions for making short films by friends and colleagues whom I know possess great talent and knowledge, but unfortunately have limited access to the available resources.”
“Unlike a feature film, the process of presenting and distributing a short film only begins after it has been produced, and if a filmmaker does not have a suitable platform to showcase their work, they move toward frustration and isolation. While thanking all the team members and colleagues who sincerely helped me in making this film, I would especially like to express my gratitude to the Independent Short Film Support Base, which has been established in Iran for several years under the management of Mr. Mehdi Yarmohammadi, and in my opinion, is currently a safe and reliable shelter for short filmmakers.”
“Empty Hands, Full Heart” was produced in HD format, with a running time of 14 minutes, in the Chaf area of Langarud city. Some of the film’s crew members include: Aref Namvar (cinematographer), Seyed Hamed Hosseini (editor), Mehran Pourmandan (composer), Hossein Salehi (assistant director), Behzad Beyg Mohammadi (production manager), and the actors: Mohammad Rasoul Razaghi, Afsaneh Pourgholi, Mehran Mozafari, and Mehrshad Esfandiari. All of them are actors from Gilan Province.