TEHRAN -- A committee composed of nine experts is reviewing five films to pick Iran’s submission to the 89th Academy Awards in the best foreign language film category.

Puran Derakhashndeh, the director of acclaimed drama “Hush! Girls Don’t Scream” and Shahram Mokeri, the director of award-winning film “Fish and Cat”, are among the members of the committee selected by Iran’s Farabi Cinema Foundation.

Among the films is Asghar Farhadi’s “The Salesman”, which received the awards for best screenplay and best actor, won by Shahab Hosseini, at the 69th Cannes Film Festival this year.

The film is about Emad and Rana who move into a new flat in the center of Tehran. An incident linked to the previous tenant dramatically changes the young couple’s life.

The lineup also includes “Standing in the Dust” by Mohammad-Hossein Mahdavian, which was crowned best film at the 34th Fajr Film Festival and the 18th Iran Cinema Celebration.
 
The film is a biopic on Iranian commander Ahmad Motevasselian who was kidnapped by the Zionist regime in 1982 in Lebanon.

Reza Mirkarimi’s drama “The Daughter”, the winner of the best film award at the 38th Moscow International Film Festival, will also be reviewed.

The film, which also brought Farhad Aslani the award for best actor at the festival, focuses on the generational gap in contemporary Iran.

“Lanturi”, Reza Dormishian’s acid attack drama, and “Nahid” by Ida Panahandeh are the other films on the lineup.  

The films were chosen from a shortlist of eight. “Wednesday, May 9” by Vahid Jalilvand, “A Dragon Arrives” by Mani Haqiqi and “Life+1 Day” by Saeid Rustai were dropped from the shortlist.

This year’s deadline for submissions is October 3 and the Academy announces the accepted eligible films later that month.

Photo: Hadi Haejazifar in a scene from “Standing in the Dust”

MMS/YAW