TEHRAN – The acclaimed anti-war drama “Breath” by director Narges Abyar has been selected as Iran’s submission to the 90th Academy Awards in the best foreign-language film category.

A committee of nine cineastes picked the film from a shortlist of 10 films, including “The Midday Event” by Mohammad-Hossein Mahdavian, “Malaria” by Parviz Shahbazi and “Subdued” by Hamid Nematollah on Tuesday.

“Breath” is about four children whose mother had died a few years earlier and their father decides to join the Iranian volunteers on the warfront following Iraq’s attack in September 1980.

The film has been acclaimed in several Iranian and international events.

The 20th Black Nights Film Festival in Estonia awarded Abyar the Golden Wolf for best director. She also won the award for best director for the film at the Vancouver International Women in Film Festival.

Iranian cinema has so far won the Oscar for best foreign-language film two times. “The Salesman” and “A Separation”, both by Asghar Farhadi, who won the prestigious award in 2017 and 2012. Majid Majidi’s “Children of Heaven” also received a nomination at the Oscars in 1998.

The 90th Academy Awards ceremony will take place in Los Angeles, California on March 4, 2018.

Photo: Sareh Nur-Musavi acts in a scene from “Breath”.

ABU/MMS/YAW