Date: 24 Nov, 2024 - Time: 01:01

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• Screenwriters select Iran’s top scripts of the year

2019-09-10
“The Underwater Cypress” co-written by Mohammad-Ali Bashe-Ahangar and Hamed Bashe-Ahangar received the award for the war film category. It is about soldiers from Iranian religious minorities who are still listed as missing in action, while the award in the action film category was presented to Mohammad-Hossein Mahdavian and Ebrahim Amini for “Lottery”, about trafficking Iranian women to Arab countries.

In the crime film category, “Sheeple”, written and directed by Hooman Seyyedi, was honored. The film also won the audience award for best screenplay. 

“Sheeple” tells the story of a family of three brothers and a sister living in the slums of Tehran. The elder brother owns a drug-producing laboratory and presides over the group, like a shepherd for sheep.

Kazem Mollaie, director and writer of the acclaimed drama “Kupal”, was honored in the experimental film category and the award for best comedy screenplay went to “Confiscation” written by Ali Forqani. 

“Kupal” is about a hunter and a taxidermist called “Dr. Ahmad Kupal”. On the last day of the year, just moments before the arrival of the New Year, he faces an unexpected challenge.

Set in the 1970s, “Confiscation” is about a man who works for the SAVAK intelligence services and is forced to flee the country after the Islamic revolution in 1979. 

“Lovely Trash” written and directed by Mohsen Amiryusefi, about the Iranian presidential election in 2009, won the award for best fantasy screenplay, “Auntie Frog” about a frog who is worried about her 98 children by Fereshteh Taerpur and Afshin Hashemi received the award for best musical. 

In the drama section, Peyman Maadi received the award for his work “Bomb, a Love Story”. 

The story of the film is set in 1988 when Tehran is being bombed relentlessly at the height of the Iran-Iraq war. The days that pass by are full of foreboding, and yet, love, affection, hope and life itself manage to sweep away the fear of death from those surrounded by it.

In this section, “Astigmatism” by Majidreza Mostafavi and Payam Karami received the special jury award.

The organizers also paid tribute to screenwriter Khashayar Alvand, who passed away in February at 51.

Accepting the award, his brother Sirus, who is a veteran Iranian filmmaker, expressed his hope that officials pay more attention to the screenwriters.

“When artists are honored posthumously it means they are still alive,” he said.

In addition, veteran screenwriter Siamak Taqipur was honored for his lifetime achievements.   

Photo: Co-writers Mohammad-Hossein Mahdavian (L) and Ebrahim Amini pose after receiving the award for best action screenplay for “Lottery” at the 8th Iranian Screenwriters Association Celebration at the Farabi Cinema Foundation in Tehran on August 28, 2019.