TEHRAN-The Iranian feature film “The Last Act” directed by Shahab Hosseini will be screened at the 78th International Film Festival of Salerno, which will be held from November 25 to 30 in Salerno, Italy.

It will be the 14th international presence of the film that have gained several nominations and awards in the past two years, IRNA reported.

A 2022 production of the Seven Skies Entertainment company, the film won the Best Film awards at the Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival, the Gladiator Film Festival, and Web3 International Film Festival.

An adaptation of the play “Dernier Acte” by French novelist Gilbert Cesbron, the film story is based on true political events that often happen in many territories, but it was written anonymously without geographical specifications. Cesbron’s work is characterized by a great sensitivity to human suffering and an unwavering optimism about the possibility of change and progress.

It tells the story of a government criticizer who is prosecuted and arrested while he was visiting his family. The conversation between the writer and one of the authorities leads to an unexpected ending.

Gia Mora, James Wagner, Armin Amiri, Mohammad Motalegh, Shelby Seiler, Esmaeel G. Adivi, Shailene Farabi, and Danill Vederikov are in the cast.

Shahab Hosseini, 50, is an actor, producer, director, and screenwriter. He is 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.

He has played in over 60 films and 15 TV series in more than 20 years. He has also directed four feature films, a play and a TV show. “The Last Act” is his second directing experience in the U.S. following “The Writer Is Dead”.

The International Film Festival of Salerno was founded in 1946. Since birth, it has been characterized as a competitive event for Italian and international productions, offering a continuous comparison on the developments of world cinematography.

The festival assigns to cinema an important social function and its finality is to constantly adapt its line with an eye to the evolution of technologies and new audiovisual media. It absolves its original task of divulgation and cinematographic literacy, in line with its tradition.

SS/SAB