Parallax Wins Spirit of Fire Grand Prize and Golden Taiga Honors

Shahram Ebrahimi’s Iranian feature Parallax claimed the top prize at the International First Film Festival Spirit of Fire, a triumph noted by media reports at the time. The festival’s most prestigious honor, the Golden Taiga, was handed to Ebrahimi by the head of the jury, veteran director Pavel Lungin, who praised the work for its bold storytelling and its capacity to spark conversation about cinema from the heart of a young national industry. During the ceremony, Ebrahimi asked for a moment of quiet remembrance in memory of Sergei Solovyov, the festival’s founding figure, whose early efforts helped shape the event into a platform for emerging voices. Ebrahimi expressed that Solovyov’s devotion to independent film represented a rare, essential commitment in the current global landscape, and he conveyed gratitude for the opportunity to participate in a festival that champions ambitious, father-to-son cultural conversations in cinema.