TEHRAN – Mohsen Tanabandeh has been picked as best actor for his role in the Iranian dark comedy “World War III” at the Fantaspoa International Fantastic Film Festival of Porto Alegre in Brazil.

He won the award for his portrayal of Shakib, a homeless day laborer who never got over the loss of his wife and son in an earthquake years ago.

Over the last couple of years, he has developed a relationship with a deaf and mute woman, Ladan. The construction site on which he works today turns out to be the set for a film about the atrocities committed by Hitler during WWII. Against all odds, he is given a movie role, a house and a chance at being somebody. When Ladan learns about this, she comes to his workplace begging for help. Shakib’s scheme to hide her goes tragically wrong and threatens to ruin his newfound status and what seemed to be the opportunity of a lifetime.

Tanabandeh was honored with the Orizzonti Award for best actor at the 79th Venice International Film Festival for “World War III”, which also won the Orizzonti Award for best film. 

Directed by Hooman Seyyedi, the film was Iran’s submission to the international feature award at the 2023 Oscars.

Fantaspoa, a pioneer festival dedicated to bringing fantastic films to the Brazilian city of Porto Alegre, announced the winners on Sunday.

The award for best actress went to Tatum Matthews for her role in “The Artifice Girl” by the American director Franklin Ritch.

The American science fiction comedy “Molli and Max in the Future” by Michael Lukk Litwak was selected as best film in the international competition.

The film is about a man and woman whose orbits repeatedly collide over the course of 12 years, 4 planets, 3 dimensions, and one space cult.

Beth de Araújo won the award for best director for the American film “Soft & Quiet”.

The award for best screenplay was given to “The Uncle” written and directed by David Kapac and Andrija Mardesic

The co-production between Croatia and Serbia appears to be set in Yugoslavia in the late 1980s, as a family welcomes their beloved uncle, who has returned home from Germany for the holidays.

Photo: Mohsen Tanabandeh stars as Adolf Hitler in “World War III”.

MMS/YAW