The Iranian film 'Poultry Farm,' written and directed by Mohammad Reza Ardalan, won the award for Best Directing in the 'Other Narratives' section at the 14th Asian Film Festival in Barcelona. The festival took place in Barcelona, Spain, from October 22 to November 1.
The jury awarded the film for its ability to create an atmosphere of tension and maintain suspense until the end. According to IRNA, the jury noted that the film particularly stands out for the evolution of the young protagonist and how the director uses the farm's isolation and the relationships between characters to demonstrate the consequences of war, the vulnerability of refugees and undocumented people, as well as exploitation, discrimination, and abuse of power.
This 97-minute film, which is a 2026 production, tells the story of Havar—a homeless, undocumented Kurdish youth. He illegally crosses the border between Iraq and Iran in search of work. He eventually finds a job on a remote poultry farm on the outskirts of Tehran. When the only worker he befriended disappears without a trace, Havar begins an investigation that leads him into a world marked by fear, violence, and exploitation.
Combining elements of a mystical thriller and a social drama, 'Poultry Farm' uses the isolated and oppressive setting to depict the fragility of invisible migrants and the cruelty of power structures. The film is described as tense and humanitarian, where horror lies in the brutality of the real world.
Mohammad Reza Ardalan is a Kurdish-Iranian filmmaker and screenwriter. He studied cinema and screenwriting at the University of Arts of Tehran and Soor University, and also worked as a director's assistant on several short films. Among his directorial works is the short film 'Quarantine' (2020), which won the Best Directing award at the International Film Festival in Kobani.
The Asian Film Festival in Barcelona is organized by Casa Asia. In line with its goal of promoting contemporary Asian cinema, the festival presents over one hundred films reflecting the latest independent, experimental, and auteur works from across the continent.
At this stage, the festival has paid special attention to developing film industries in countries such as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Mongolia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Cambodia. Furthermore, industries with long histories were represented at the festival, including Iran, India, South Korea, China, Japan, and the Philippines. The program also included films from Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam, as well as works from Australia and New Zealand.
