TEHRAN – Iranian director Sonia Haddad’s film “Exam” has received the Grand Jury Award - Live-Action Short at the American Film Institute - AFI FEST, the organizers announced on Friday. 

The award was presented to the film for “its bold directorial style, anchored by a stunning lead performance,” the jury said in their statement.

“‘Exam’ stood out from the other films for its bold directorial style, anchored by a stunning lead performance,” the jury said in its statement published by the Organizers.

“The result is a tense portrait that reaches past its specificity into the universal,” the statement added.

“Exam” is about a teenage girl who agrees to deliver a pack of cocaine on the day of an important exam at school.

The grand jury award winners in the live-action and animated short categories will be eligible for the 2020 Best Live Action Short and Best Animated Short Academy Awards. 

The Grand Jury Prize of the festival in the animation section went to “Something to Remember” by Niki Lindroth von Bahr. 

The film is about the challenges of the lives of some animals who sound and feel all too human.

The AFI FEST was held in Los Angeles, California from November 14 to 21. 

Photo: A scene from “Exam” by Iranian director Sonia Haddad.

ABU/MMS/YAW