Can I hug you?

Elahe Esmaili is an MA alumna in directing at National Film and Television School, UK.She was ranked 1st on the university entrance exams (Konkour) and did her BA in film at Tehran University of Art. Elahe’s first film was her BA graduation film, a short doc titled The Doll. It is awarded as Best International Short at Hot Docs 2021 and nominated/selected for prestigious awards like IDA, Critics Choice Awards, Student Academy Awards, One World Media Award as well as prestigious festivals include more that 10 Oscar qualifying festivals. ​Her second documentary Can I Hug You? was world premiered at the International Short Competition at Sheffield Doc Fest, Jun 2023. It won the award for best short documentary at SIMA awards. It also won the IDA ACI award, One World Media best short doc award, NHK Grand Prix of Japan Prize, and more. It is acquired by the DW Germany channel. A Move won the best short award by the youth jury in Visions du Reel, Gran Prix and Audience award at Uppsala FF, and the best international doc at Huesca IFF. It is also a BIFA nominated for Best British Short, and premiered at IDFA, Telluride FF, BFI London FF, Doc NYC, Dok Leipzig, DMZ Docs, Sheffield Doc/Fest, San Fransisco FF, PÖFF, and more. Shadow, her NFTS gradfilm and Elahe’s debut fiction short also premiered at Academy Award qualifying festivals such as Cleveland International Film Festival, ShortShorts Film Festival & Asia, and Bronzelens Film Festival.