The 15th International 100-Second Film Festival successfully conducted workshops across three countries—Pakistan, Indian-administered Kashmir, and Iran—coordinated by ABNA correspondent Zainab Askari, drawing hundreds of media professionals and filmmakers. The Qom workshop alone brought together over 35 participants from more than seven countries for intensive training in scriptwriting, documentary production, and AI filmmaking, as part of the festival’s pre-event program leading up to the August 26 submission deadline. This year’s international section carries the theme “Children affected by war around the world,” with a special category for Minab school children offering a 3000 Euro prize.
Ahlul Bayt (AS) International News Agency – ABNA: The 15th International 100-Second Film Festival, chaired by Mohadessa PoorHadi, marks its 15th year with the unique challenge of crafting narratives within a 100-second runtime.
As part of its pre-event activities, the festival’s international section secretariat reached out to Zainab Askari, an ABNA correspondent and media professional, to coordinate workshops leveraging her extensive experience in international outreach.
Askari previously worked with the 18th International Resistance Film Festival, where she engaged with numerous international participants and served as a jury member for the literary section. Her proven track record led the 100-Second Film Festival to approach her for this year’s international workshops.
She successfully organized workshops across three countries: Pakistan, Indian-administered Kashmir, and Qom (Iran).
In Qom, the workshop brought together more than 35 media professionals and filmmakers from countries including Azerbaijan, Turkey, India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Tajikistan, and several other nations.
The intensive one-day session, held from 10 AM to 5 PM, focused on three key areas: scriptwriting and ideation, documentary production, and AI filmmaking.
The workshop was led by three industry experts: Mr. Sajad Soleimani Nejad for ideation and scriptwriting, Mr. Mohsen Sabiri for documentary filmmaking, and Mr. Syed Hasnain Naqavi for AI filmmaking. The session was held in collaboration with Ahlul Bayt (AS) International News Agency.
Beyond Qom, the festival’s international workshops also saw great success in Indian Administrated Kashmir and Pakistan under Zainab Askari’s coordination. In Kashmir, she collaborated with young filmmaker Mir Afnaan, who had previously conducted the region’s first film workshop.
Afnaan successfully led a workshop there, bringing together Bollywood industry experts with years of experience, including Kapil Matoo,Javaid Khan, Arif Basheer, Mehreen Iqbal, and Mir Moomin, alongside Mir Afnaan himself, who delivered some 700 presentation slides in a single day. To accommodate more experts, the workshop was extended to an additional day, during which Zainab Askari joinedence
In Pakistan, Askari reached out to Syed Faheem Haider, a filmmaker and CEO of Islamabad Films, known for his film Shared Sky and a winner at the 18th International Resistance Film Festival. He conducted a successful workshop in Pakistan, bringing together industry experts including Syed Shoiab Naqvi, a director and producer responsible for nearly 60 percent of Pakistani serials, and Imran Karim Khattak, creative head of Redon Films, along with other industry professionals.
The workshops across all three countries proved to be a resounding success, and films are now eagerly awaited before the August 26 deadline. The challenge is not only to tell a story within 100 seconds but also to recognize how these media professionals, through their dedication and effort, managed to execute such successful workshops in a short span of time.
