Sculpture (film)
Sculpture is a 2022 Iranian short biographical film, produced, directed and screenplay by Ramin Hosseinpour. The film portrays the life of Iranian poet Jalal al-Din Rumi and famous mystic Shams Tabrizi.
Sculpture has been screened in film festivals including the Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival (TINFF) in Canada, and the Rhode Island International Film Festival and the Accolade Global Film Competition in the US, and won many accolades.
Plot summary
Rumi goes to Syria where he meets Shams. However, he gets influenced with Shams in 1244 during their second visit to Konya. Both interacts often, hence causing Rumi to neglect his family and followers.
In 1247, Shams gets missing at night. Following this incident, Rumi turns into a poet and continues expressing his experiences using poetry.
Cast and crew
Cast:
- Fazel Mosallanejad
- Davood Asadollahi
Crew:
- Ramin Hosseinpour, director, producer, and music composer
- Ehsan Vaseghi as editor
- Ali Ehsani as director of photography
- Mohammad Hesamian as still photographer
Reception
The film was screened in many film festivals, among them, the Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival (TINFF), Chicago, US, Rhode Island International Film Festival. Critics praised the film's use of mysticism and animation.
In 2022, the film was placed third in Best Short Documentary category at the Rhode Island International Film Festival. In 2024, it was nominated for Best Short Documentary at the 78th Salerno Film Festival in Italy. By December of same month, it won Best Director and Screenplay at the New York International Film Awards. Ramin Hosseinpour received the Merit Award for Best Short Film Direction at The IndieFEST Film Awards in April 2025, and the Merit Award at the Accolade Global Film Competition in July 2025.
In September 2024, Ramin Hosseinpour won the best director while Ehsan Vaseghi won the best editor during the 2024 Crown Point International Film Festival in Chicago, US. It also won the Best Animated Music Video in the HaLo International Film Festival in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
The film was ranked as the top 50 Short films and documentaries of 2025 by IMDb. Sculpture was praised for its use of mysticism, artistic expression, and spiritual transformation.