TEHRAN – Iranian Artists Forum (IAF) in Tehran screened “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,” a 2013 epic fantasy adventure film directed by Peter Jackson, on Friday.

Screened at 6 p.m. at the Nasseri Hall of the IAF, the 180-minute film was shown with Persian subtitles, Mehr reported.

The movie is based on the 1937 novel “The Hobbit” by J. R. R. Tolkien and a sequel to 2012's “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”. It is the second instalment in The Hobbit trilogy, acting as a prequel to Jackson's “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy.

The film follows the titular character Bilbo Baggins as he continues to accompany Thorin Oakenshield and his fellow dwarves on a quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from the dragon Smaug. Pursuing them are the vengeful orcs Azog the Defiler and his son Bolg, while Gandalf the Grey investigates the return of a long-forgotten evil force in the ruins of Dol Guldur.

The ensemble cast includes Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly, Lee Pace, Luke Evans, Ken Stott, James Nesbitt, and Orlando Bloom.

John R. R. Tolkien (1892-1973) was an English writer and philologist, known for his high fantasy works “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings”.

After Tolkien's death, his son Christopher published a series of works based on his father's extensive notes and unpublished manuscripts, including “The Silmarillion”. These, together with “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings,” form a connected body of tales, poems, fictional histories, invented languages, and literary essays about a fantasy world called Arda and, within it, Middle-earth. Between 1951 and 1955, Tolkien applied the term legendarium to the larger part of these writings.

While many other authors had published works of fantasy before Tolkien, the tremendous success of “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings” ignited a profound interest in the fantasy genre and ultimately precipitated an avalanche of new fantasy books and authors. As a result, he has been popularly identified as the “father” of modern fantasy literature and is widely regarded as one of the most influential authors of all time.

Peter Jackson, 63, is a New Zealand filmmaker. He is best known as the director, writer, and producer of the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy (2001–2003) and the “Hobbit” trilogy (2012–2014). He is the fourth-highest-grossing film director of all time, with his films having made over $6.5 billion worldwide.

Jackson has been awarded three Academy Awards for “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (2003), including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. His other awards include three BAFTAs, a Golden Globe, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and four Saturn Awards, among others.

SS/SAB