The Festival History

The International Roshd Film Festival, known as the "Festival of Educational Films," began its journey in the year 1342. This festival marked the first international film festival in Iran initiated by officials from the Audio-Visual Department of the Ministry of Education, who aimed to facilitate the exchange of educational visual events on a global scale. From the inception of the Festival of Educational Films, the primary goal has always been to collect and present the latest educational productions and find new ways for nurturing and educating the children and youth of the homeland. While the content and themes of the films showcased at each edition varied according to the decision of festival organizers, a statistical look reveals that the majority of topics revolved around "educational, scientific, and developmental" subjects.

During the 8th edition (1350), the name of the festival was changed to the "International Festival of Educational Films." And in the 20th edition (1369), the organizers decided, unanimously, to add "Roshd(growth)" to the previous name, and the festival was renamed to its current title, "The International Roshd Film Festival of Scientific, Educational, and Developmental Films."

In the early years, films presented at the festival were all in their original languages, and in cases where the film's content attracted the audience's attention, a summary in Persian was translated and provided for viewers.

Starting from the 10th edition (1352), in collaboration with the Minister of Education at the time, dubbing selected films with educational and scientific messages began, and thereafter, festival films were made available to viewers in dubbed form.

Naturally, in the early days of the festival, 16mm and 35mm films were accepted and screened. However, with the introduction of video into the world of visual media production and, in parallel with the emergence of the latest technological advances, necessary changes were made to the methods and procedures of screening films. Since the 3rd edition after the victory of the Islamic Revolution (1366), the festival has accepted video works. Each year, in tune with the latest technological developments, required changes are implemented in the structure and operation of the festival.

The International Roshd Film Festival has, throughout its course, adhered to the motto "Knowledge in the Mirror of image(Visual Reflection of Knowledge on Screen)" to achieve educational justice. In the 23rd edition, the Parents and Educators Association joined the event, initiating the "First Family Film Festival" simultaneously with the 23rd International Roshd Film Festival.

The International Festival of Educational and Developmental Action Films has been held from the thirty-third to the thirty-fifth editions in the cities of Kerman, Yazd, and Khorasan Razavi, respectively. In the thirty-third edition, the works of "Student Filmmakers" were also featured in the competition section. Additionally, in the thirty-sixth edition, the works of "Teacher Filmmakers" were accepted and judged in the Roshd International Film Festival.

In the 40th edition, with the approval of the Fundamental Transformation Document and the establishment of the 6-3-3 education system, films related to educational developments and the concerns of families in child upbringing became more prominent.

The active participation of cinema professionals in organizing and holding the International Festival across all provinces of the country is one of the key characteristics of the 4th decade of the festival.

The trend of interaction and collaboration with governmental and non-governmental organizations and institutions to promote the exchange of knowledge for the production of educational and scientific content was maintained throughout the 50th edition, and productive exchanges took place at more suitable levels.