Iran has picked A Hero, Asghar Farhadi’s drama about honesty, honor and the price of freedom, to represent the country for the 2021 Academy Awards in the Best International Feature Category.
The Iranian-French co-production, which first bowed in competition in Cannes to critical acclaim, sees the Iranian auteur make a welcome return to his homeland following his Spanish-set Everybody Knows with stars Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem. In Cannes it won both the Grand Prix and the François Chalais Prize.
Even before it was selected by the Iranian Film Committee, A Hero was considered among the frontrunners to make the Oscar shortlist, largely thanks to it reception on the festival circuit and Farhadi’s two previous Oscar wins, first for 2011’s A Separation and again in 2016 for The Salesman, with the director joining an elite club of filmmakers to have claimed the prize twice. A third Oscar would see him bested only by Italian cinema icon Federico Fellini, who claimed four wins.
Set in Shiraz, A Hero follows Rahim, a divorced father who has just been released from jail on a two-day parole, having been imprisoned for debt, and a complicated plan hatched with his girlfriend aimed at appeasing his creditor and getting him off the hook for good. It stars Amir Jadidi and Mohsen Tanabandeh.
Although Farhadi’s film was considered a sure-fire bet to be selected to represent Iran, the committee said it reviewed 44 films, with A Hero, Wasteland and Bandar Band selected as the three finalists.
The shortlist for the 2022 Oscars will be unveiled on Dec. 21, 2021. Nominations will be announced on Feb. 8, 2022. The 94th Academy Awards will be held March 27, 2022
Source: HollyWood
