Formation of professionally engaged spectators of Iranian films and the rise of successful post-revolution filmmakers are rooted in pre-revolutionary cinema and continued through the creative capacities of children’s cinema after the Islamic revolution. Using a qualitative case-study design, this research examines the current condition of children’s cinema in Iran—an industry now approaching extinction. The film that won Best Children’s Film at the 34th International Film Festival for Children and Youth was selected as the case example and analyzed based on established characteristics of children’s cinema and its intended spectators.

Subsequently, through the application of systematic observation techniques and structured questionnaires, data were collected from Alpha generation children as the film’s spectators to analyze the relationship between them and the film. The study aims to provide an in-depth perspective on the status and suitability of contemporary children’s cinema for today’s child audience. The findings, interpreted through Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of cultural capital, focus on the importance of children.