Since one of the main missions of ISFA has always been the discovery and encouragement of creative and visionary filmmakers, the ISFA board of directors decided to continue awarding the ISFA medallion to short filmmakers, but the high production costs and the need for harmony and consistency among all ISFA designs (the logo and other awards) called for a redesign of the medallion. To that end, the board of directors appointed Mostafa Aleahmad to the task to both use inter-union talent and lower the cost in fields members are proficient at. The ISFA medallion was redesigned and made in October 2019, and the first one was awarded to the jury’s pick at the 36th Tehran International Short Film Festival.

Mostafa Aleahmad explains the idea and process of the redesign:” …It’s as if every single frame of a film is a path of ebbs and flows that encompasses a riddle.

The process of making a film is like a labyrinth where finding the entrance and exit are difficult. This path has a starting point for entering that leads to an end, a path whose secrets must be discovered to be able to navigate its twists and turns, and finally, exit it. A mysterious maze that isn’t unlike the rough road of arts and filmmaking. This road is like a path yet untaken, and each moment we’re facing new revelations and resolutions for that riddle