Busan Jury Unanimously Backs Majidi; 'The Midday Meal' Heads to the Oscars

Majid Majidi's 'The Midday Meal' has been praised by the jury of the Busan International Film Festival for its humane outlook and simple cinematic expression.

According to Ambassador Arjan's report, quoted by Yonhap, the movie "Ghazai Nimroz" directed by Majid Majidi received the award for the best film of Busan Festival 2026.

Majidi presented his award to the martyrs of Minab school.

The winners of the Busan Festival were announced on Thursday in South Korea, and Majid Majidi won the best film award with "Ghazai Nimroz".

Zhang Yimou, the head of the jury, announced that Majidi's film was chosen unanimously and that this work is close to his idea of an ideal film.

In their official statement, the judges praised the simplicity of the cinematic expression and Majidi's humane look at the lives of people in difficult situations. They said that the twists and turns of the characters gave the story the power of a classic tragedy and made its impact last.

The film is about a teacher who finds his school on the verge of closing after the death of the student's meal sponsor. He engages in fuel smuggling to meet his expenses; A decision that ties his personal life and his responsibility towards children together. "Ghazai Nimroz" had its first world premiere at this festival.

When Majidi received the award, he presented it to the people of Iran and wished for a world without war.

After receiving the award in memory of the children of Minab, he said: On the first day of the attack, 168 innocent children were dismembered, so that the bodies of some of these children were never found. They targeted houses, universities, and residential areas, and we lost 4,000 to 5,000 people.

He noted: What do you think is the crime of our people? They just want to be independent. We will stand until the end. I hope this world will witness a day when there will never be war and everyone will live together in peace and friendship.

He also mentioned his late mother; A mother who passed away a few months before the start of filming, and according to this director, her love and prayers were the support of making the movie.

The award for the best film consists of 50 million won or 37 thousand dollars, which is divided equally between the director and the producer. This success, based on the new regulations of the Academy, also provides the possibility of offering "lunch" to compete in the international feature film category of the Oscar; An independent way of introducing films by national committees.

In the short film category, Iranian cinema also received an award: "Fatima" directed by Soroush Shapouri won the "Sonjeh" Asian short film award at the "Vision" awards ceremony on October 14.

In other awards, Taiwan's Lee Yunchan won best director for "Ordinariness," and the Special Jury Prize went to Eddie Kahyuno's "Ibuko." Acting awards were also given to Zhu Shun for "The First Taste of Loneliness" and Kashun Himeno for "Satoko Always".

This period of the festival was held from October 6 to 15, and 13 films competed in its main competition section.

Congratulatory message from the head of the cinema organization

In this regard, Raed Faridzadeh, the head of the Cinema Organization, published a congratulatory message.

The shining of Iran's name in prestigious world events has always been a source of pride and hope for this country. The news of receiving the "Best Film" award at the Busan Festival for the movie "Ghazai Nimroz" sweetened the palate of the great family of Iranian cinema.

Majid Majidi is a name associated with authenticity, decency and poetry in world cinema. His cinema is the cinema of a painful but hopeful human being; A movie that does not need to make noise or borrow from foreign and repetitive patterns to win the hearts of audiences across borders. His voice is the voice of pride and honor of a nation that has not blushed against oppression and discrimination and has always been a guardian of human dignity. Majidi has always translated "pure human nature", "love" and "spirituality hidden and embedded in the heart of everyday life" into a universal language, relying on the cultural richness of this border. The success of "Ghazai Nimroz" is the continuation of the same noble and compositional view that knows well the global standards of the form, but its roots are deeply rooted in the soil of our Iranian and Islamic culture.

This valuable award is a reminder of the clear truth that authentic Iranian cinema is still the most powerful and honest ambassador of this land to cross borders, neutralize distorted images and talk to the world.

I congratulate Mr. Majid Majidi, the creative director and author of our country, the hard-working and talented crew of the movie "Ghazai Nimroz" and all the honorable people of Iranian cinema. I hope that the light of Iran's national cinema in the world arena will always remain bright and bright.

Greetings from the CEO of Farabi Foundation

Also, in the congratulatory message of Hamed Jafari, CEO of Farabi Cinema Foundation, it is stated to Majid Majidi:

"Respected professor, Mr. Majid Majidi

The news of the success of the film "Ghazai Nimroz" and receiving the best film award from Busan International Film Festival once again brought your name and Iranian cinema with a valuable honor.

Winning this award becomes more valuable when it is accompanied by the memory of the martyred children of Minab by Your Excellency and the cry of oppression of the nation's suffering people and speaking of the resistance of the Iranian people in this international forum and among the world's leading cinematographers.

In all these years, your cinema has connected with audiences from different cultures and lands by telling stories from people's lives and dealing with deep human concerns. Works that have crossed the boundaries of geography without distancing themselves from their Iranian roots and are among the lasting works of world cinema.

I sincerely congratulate your Excellency and all your colleagues in the movie "Ghazai Nimroz" for this valuable success and I hope that the prayers of martyr Minab will guide you in raising the name of dear Iran in the world arena.