TEHRAN-The latest directorial work of the famous Iranian actor Shahab Hosseini titled “Residents of Nowhere” will be screened at the cinematheque of the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art on Monday.

After the film screening, Hosseini will talk about the film and answer the audiences’ questions, ISNA reported on Sunday.

A production of 2023, the movie is about a young man who suddenly enters a guest house (hostel). At first, It is not known where it is, but the more he ponders on the coordinates of the guest house, the more it becomes clear that the young man is somewhere between life and death.

Hosseini also plays in the film along with Ahmad Saatchian, Parinaz Izadyar, Arman Darvish, Nahid Moslemi, Ghazale Nazar, Mehdi Hosseini, and Teni Avakian.

Hosseini has written the script based on the play “Between Worlds” written by Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt, which is about a hotel named Two Worlds where the new guests do not know how they have got there and how to leave there. In this strange place, anything is possible, even miracles - the lame walk again and liars tell the truth. 

Schmitt's play is a metaphysical suspense drama between dream and reality, life and death, comedy and tragedy. It is another desperate quest as well as a variation on the notion of “Meaning”. In the end, the mystery remains the sole reason for hope.

Schmitt, 63, is a Franco–Belgian playwright, short story writer, and novelist, as well as a film director. His plays have been staged in over 50 countries all over the world.

Hosseini, 49, is best known for his collaborations with Iranian Academy Award-winning director Asghar Farhadi in “About Elly” (2009), “A Separation” (2011), and “The Salesman” (2016). His accolades include a Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor, a Silver Bear for Best Actor, and a Crystal Simorgh for Best Actor among many others.

Born in Tehran, Hosseini participated in several student theaters in university, before officially starting his artistic activities by hosting a radio show. Then he moved on to hosting the TV show “Oxygen” which was welcomed by the people, especially the youth, as it was one of the first attempts made by the broadcasting officials at the time to make a program for and about the young generation. 

Following that, he appeared in some more TV shows as a host and played in a few series. “After the Rain” was his first television experience as an actor. He has since appeared in 15 more series.  His cinematic debut was in “Rokhsareh” (2001). His acting career took off the next year with movies like “The Woman Does Not Speak” and “A Candle in the Wind”.

In 2009, his outstanding performance in “Superstar” won him the Fajr International Film Festival Crystal Simorgh. At the same time, he won the prestigious Silver Berlin Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival for his memorable role in “A Separation”. In 2016, he won the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival for his role in “The Salesman”. During his 22 years of acting, he appeared in more than 60 feature films. He has also acted in five theatrical plays, two of which were directed by him as well.

Hosseini made his first feature film “Resident of the Middle Floor” in 2014. Since then, he has directed three more films. 

SS/SAB