INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
TEHRAN- The 26th International Storytelling Festival has dedicated a special award to works with sacrifice and resistance themes, the
to works with resistance themes and in support of Gazan and Lebanese children, Alieh Qavami, the secretary of the festival, said during a
press conference in Tehran on Tuesday."This year's festival features international participants, a significant boost compared to previous
years," Qavami stated.Over 34,000 submissions have been received this year, a substantial increase from previous years, with 25
The main theme for this year's festival focuses on supporting children in Gaza and Lebanon, along with a special section dedicated to
sacrifice and resistance, she mentioned.The city of Yazd, which has established itself as a successful venue for the festival, will once
again serve as the host of the event, and its reputation as a global hub for storytelling is being solidified by the upcoming festival, the
from four storytelling categories to 13, emphasizing the importance of making the event more accessible and inclusive for the
Aref, the secretary of the international section, highlighted the universal nature of storytelling, mentioning that the international
category was added to the festival in late autumn.Notable submissions for the festival, totaling 70 works from 25 countries, have been
narrowed down to 50 selected entries following a thorough judging and evaluation process
This year's lineup will feature 15 talented storytellers from Italy, Lebanon, Tanzania, Syria, Thailand, India, Niger, Congo, Japan, and
Brazil, set to take the stage.In a highlight of this edition, renowned storyteller Sara Kassir from Lebanon will engage in both workshops
Alamati, director of the Iran's Institute for Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults (IIDCYA), emphasized the importance of
storytelling as a potent tool for organizing knowledge and information, underscoring its unique ability to engage and convey complex ideas
that this year marks a quarter-century of the storytelling festival, and over the years the event has expanded its outreach beyond children
and teenagers to include grandparents, thereby enriching the storytelling narrative."We consider it our duty to utilize storytelling as an
We believe that it should be incorporated into educational packages, and even specific curriculum topics can be connected with
mentioned the inclusion of traditional, classic, modern, and innovative storytelling, as well as podcasts, minimalistic storytelling,
90-second tales, and additional categories such as poetic, environmental, religious, scientific, and heroic stories.He added that this year
saw 34,000 submitted stories, with 600 selected for the national section, ultimately narrowing down to 98 stories that reached the final
evaluation stage.Continuing, he noted that this festival is one of the oldest of its kind, with significant storytelling events around the
He expressed the hope that the media will support better awareness surrounding this event.The 26th edition of International Storytelling
