Iranian Film Poultry Farm Wins Best Director
The Iranian drama earned the directing prize at the 14th Asian Film Festival Barcelona in Spain.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Foreign
Mohammad Reza Ardalan's Iranian film "Poultry Farm" won Best Director at the 14th Asian Film Festival Barcelona, held in Barcelona, Spain, from October 22 to November 1. The award was presented in the festival's Other Narratives section.
Why it matters
The prize recognizes a film from Iran at a festival that presents more than one hundred titles, giving the work an international platform. The jury cited the film's ability to build tension and sustain suspense until the end.
The film runs 97 minutes and was produced in 2026, and the festival it won at presents more than one hundred films across its program. No box office, viewership, or distribution figures were reported.
The players
Mohammad Reza Ardalan
Ardalan wrote and directed "Poultry Farm," the Iranian film that won Best Director at the 14th Asian Film Festival Barcelona.
Asian Film Festival Barcelona
The Asian Film Festival Barcelona is an annual festival in Barcelona, Spain, organized by Casa Asia, that showcases Asian cinema.
The details
"Poultry Farm" follows Hawar, a homeless, undocumented Kurdish boy who crosses the Iraq-Iran border illegally to find work and ends up at a remote poultry farm on the outskirts of Tehran. After the only worker he befriends disappears, Hawar begins an investigation.
Timeline
Film festival ran October 22 to November 1, 2026, in Barcelona, Spain.
The film was produced in 2026.
Market Landscape
The Asian Film Festival Barcelona, organized by Casa Asia, has run as a showcase for Asian cinema across its 14 editions. The Best Director award for an Iranian film adds a Middle Eastern voice to a program otherwise focused on the wider Asian film landscape.
The stub does not confirm any release platform, theatrical date, or ticket information for "Poultry Farm" beyond its festival award. Readers interested in seeing the film should watch for announcements from the festival or the film's distributors.
The takeaway
Awards at international festivals can be a first step toward wider distribution for films made outside major studio systems. Readers who follow the festival circuit can track such titles as they become available.
Further reading
For more on films made outside the United States, see Foreign.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Tehran Times.
