TEHRAN-The 52nd Belgrade International Film Festival, which is set to run from February 23 to March 3, will present its Belgrade Victor Award for Outstanding Contribution to Film Art to the globally acclaimed Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi.

The two-time Oscar winner Farhadi, a film director and screenwriter, will receive the Belgrade Victor on February 29 in the Serbian capital, Mehr reported.

Considered one of the most prominent filmmakers of Iran and world cinema in the 21st century, Farhadi became interested in cinema in his teenage years, and started his education in filmmaking by joining the Youth Cinema Society of Esfahan in 1986 where he made 8mm and 16mm short films. He received his Bachelor of Dramatic Arts at University of Tehran in 1998 and his Masters in Stage Direction a few years later.

Almost all of Farhadi’s films have won awards at every festival where they were displayed. According to critics, his scripts are deep sociological, psychological, and philosophical studies of problems that are universal in society, and his films have gained recognition because of their focus on the human condition and because they describe intimate and challenging stories about family conflicts.

Farhadi made his debut as a director with the film “Dancing in the Dust,” which was awarded at the International Film Festival in Moscow. In 2004 he made “Beautiful City,” which won an award at the International Film Festival in Warsaw. His next film was “Fireworks Wednesday” which won the Golden Hugo at the Chicago International Film Festival in 2006. Then he made “About Elly” in 2009, which won the Silver Bear for Best Director at the 59th Berlin International Film Festival and the Award for Best Film at the Tribeca Film Festival.

In 2011, his film “A Separation” won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film and received critical acclaim inside and outside of Iran, as well as the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival, and won the Golden Globes and the Caesar Award. The film “The Past,” made in 2013, won the Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival.

His next film “The Salesman” brought Farhadi his second Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 2016, making him one of the few directors worldwide who have won twice this prize. His following movie “Everybody Knows” opened the 71st Cannes Festival, and his last film “A Hero” in 2021 won the Grand Prix at the 74th Cannes Film Festival.

Farhadi is on the list of directors who have won the Best Foreign Film Oscar more than once. The others are Vittorio de Sica and Federico Fellini (four times each), Ingmar Bergman (three times), and René Clément and Akira Kurosawa (twice each).

SS/SAB