“The Last of the Whale Shark” Winning a New Award in China
The documentary film “The Last of the Whale Shark” directed by Ramtin Balef, and produced by Documentary, Experimental & Animation Film Center (DEFC), won the Jury Special Award at the 2025 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Film Festival.
According to the Public Relations Department of Documentary, Experimental and Animation Film Center (DEFC), the Iranian documentary The Last of the Whale Shark, directed by Ramtin Balef, received the Special Jury Award—which included the festival trophy and a certificate of recognition—at the inaugural Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Film Festival. The event was held from July 2nd to 7th in Yongchuan, China, following the BRICS Summit and the first Asian Countries Forum.
Two Iranian films—The Orange Forest, directed by Arman Khansarian, and the documentary The Last of the Whale Shark by Ramtin Balef—were selected to compete in the festival’s main competition. Meanwhile, two other Iranian films—No Prior Appointment, directed by Behrouz Shoeibi, and In the Arms of the Tree, by Babak Khajeh-Pasha—were showcased in the non-competitive section.
“The Last of the Whale Shark” won the Best Music and Best Cinematography at the 17th Iran International Documentary Film Festival- Cinema Verite, and received an honorable mention at the 42nd Fajr Film Festival. Furthermore, the film has been showcased internationally since last year, with screenings at renowned festivals such as the Cambodia International Film Festival (CIFF), the UK Wildscreen Film Festival, the Girona Film Festival in Spain, and Asolo Art Film Festival of Italy.
The documentary follows the journey of a whale shark in search of its soulmate in the ocean.
