Helsinki .. The fourth session of the Scandinavian Film Festival

The fourth edition of the Scandinavian International Film Festival (SCIFF) kicked off Friday night in Helsinki, Finland, with prizes awarded to the winners, most of whom attended the opening ceremony from around the world.

The number of films submitted to the official competition exceeded 450, of which 60 were selected for the screening. The course focused on films dealing with environmental issues and climate change around the world.

Lithuanian director Algimantas Poipa's feature film "The Other Face of Silence" was awarded, while the Russian short film "Styopa" was awarded to Russian director Vetlana Solnechnaya.

Dr. Karim Abedian Bani Said speaks after receiving the award

The best short documentary was "Guinea Gold", directed by Adrian Perez and Marion Bernier from Switzerland. The best animation was "Dirty House" by English director Jonathan Hagson.

One of the most notable works is the best short film on the environment titled Home, won by Greenland director Enoch Jorgensen, while the best feature film on the environment went to Chilean director Raymondo Gomez entitled "Let's make so that the garden becomes a garden again ".

She won the best actress award for her role in the movie "Lily" in partnership with Hungarian actress Agi Yokai, for the film "Shepherd", which also won the best screenplay.

The award for Best Actor was won by Lithuanian actor Josas Podretis for the film "The Other Face of Silence" by Lithuanian director Algimantas Poipa.

The prize for best experimental film "medium rare" was awarded to American director Luca Syossi, while he received the award for best director for the film "Lily", Anton Cheskov and Elia Cheskov.

At the opening ceremony, human rights activist Dr. Karim Abedian Bani Said, of Washington, was honored for his decades of advocacy for minority rights in Iran, issues related to refugees and support for freedom and democracy.

The Scandinavian International Film Festival is an opportunity for emerging and independent filmmakers who wish to express their excellence through camera lenses and the latest innovative concepts in the art.

It should be noted that this session was dedicated to the memory of the late Syrian director Omar Amerlai, famous for his important documentaries opposing the dictatorship in Syria and defending the problems of the Arab citizen.