The closing ceremony of the 22nd Third Eye Asian Film Festival was held on 15 January 2026 at the P L Deshpande Academy Theatre. The event marked the conclusion of the festival with the announcement of selected films and the presentation of trophies and awards. It was attended by a distinguished gathering of cultural officials filmmakers critics and cinema lovers and unfolded in a warm and culturally vibrant atmosphere.

Following an official invitation from Kiran Shantaram, President of the Third Eye Asian Film Festival, Mohammad Reza Fazel, Cultural Attache and Head of the Cultural Center of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Mumbai, attended the closing ceremony of the festivals 22nd edition.

The ceremony was graced by several prominent personalities, including Kiran Shantaram, President of the Asian Film Foundation and the Third Eye Asian Film Festival Mohammad Reza Fazel, Cultural Attache and Head of the Iranian Cultural Center in Mumbai; Prashant Sajnani, Joint Managing Director of the Maharashtra Film, Stage and Cultural Development Corporation Dr. Santosh Patil, acclaimed Indian documentary filmmaker, director, writer, and Chairperson of the 22nd festival edition; and Dr. Meenakshi Shedde, eminent film critic and curator.

Festival competitions were conducted in two categories Indian Films and Marathi Films with jury selected awards presented to outstanding directors and actors during the closing ceremony. The Sudhir Nandgaonkar Memorial Award, named in honor of one of the festivals founders, was presented to Dr. Meenakshi Shedde in recognition of her significant contributions to cinema.

The final segment of the program featured the screening of the closing film, Human Resources by Thai director Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit 2025,122 minutes.

The Third Eye Asian Film Festival took place from 9 to 15 January 2026 across Mumbai and the Thane region. This edition showcased 56 Asian and Indian feature length and short films from countries including China, Iran, Nepal,Thailand, and India, offering audiences a rich panorama of contemporary Asian cinema.

Organized by the Asian Film Foundation in collaboration with Prabhat Chitra Mandal and the Enlighten Film Society, the festival received support from the Department of Cultural Affairs,Government of Maharashtra, the MaharashtraFilm, Stage and Cultural Development Corporation, NFDC, and NFAI.

This edition also featured three Iranian films in the Asian section

• 6 A M directed by Mehran Modiri
• Tears of theHoor directed by Mehdi Jafari
• So to Speak directed by Mohammad Mehdi Katirchi

These films reflected the diversity of Iranian cinema from contemporary social themes to historical narratives and stories centered on the Sacred Defence and were warmly received by audiences and critics. Their screening reaffirmed the strong international standing of Iranian cinema.

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