TEHRAN- Iranian short film “Pasta Alfredo,” written and directed by Leila Noee, has been selected to compete at the 31st edition of the Zaragoza Film Festival (FCZ) in Spain.
Produced by Seyyed Roham Rasouli, the film will screen at the international event, which is scheduled to take place in Zaragoza from November 19 to 28.
A 2025 production, the nine-minute drama shows Niloufar, a 14-year-old girl from a middle-class urban family in Iran, who is recovering from a serious illness—one that no longer confines her, yet has led her to withdraw from the outside world by choice.
Within a household marked by emotional distance—a restless mother, an irritable father—she longs to rekindle warmth and connection. On a quiet afternoon, she prepares a symbolic birthday party for her cat and cooks pasta, small gestures of care in a space that has forgotten tenderness. But as her gestures fade into silence, loneliness draws her deeper into the dark.
The cast includes Mohanna Seyyedi, Saeed Nejati, Sima Khanvakili, Barbod Farshidzadeh, and Mohammadreza Aryansadr.
Leila Noee is a filmmaker from Mashhad with a Master’s degree in Media Management and a background in cultural journalism. For years, she worked as a writer and editor in the field of arts and culture, where her passion for human-centered storytelling—especially narratives involving children and adolescents—led her toward filmmaking.
After completing specialized training at the Soureh Film Club and the Iranian Youth Cinema Society, she embraced cinema as a medium to explore her social, cultural, and emotional concerns. Her films reflect a deep interest in everyday realities, emotional nuance, and the inner lives of young people. “Pasta Alfredo” is her second short film.
Founded in 1995, the Zaragoza Film Festival has developed into a platform for promoting independent, emerging and auteur cinema, bringing together filmmakers, film industry professionals and cinema enthusiasts from Spain and other countries.
The festival focuses on supporting emerging talent and encouraging diverse cinematic perspectives through its various competitive sections and international programs.