TEHRAN – Iranian director Shahram Mokri, whose drama “Careless Crime” won an award at the 2020 Venice International Film Festival, has been selected for the Orizzonti jury of the 78th edition of the Italian prestigious event.

Director and screenwriter Jasmila Zbanic from Bosnia and Herzegovina will preside over the jury, which also has Norwegian director Mona Fastvold, MoMA curator Josh Siegel and Italian writer Nadia Terranova.

The Orizzonti section is dedicated to films that represent the latest aesthetic and expressive trends in international cinema.

The Orizzonti jury will award the following prizes, with no joint awards permitted: Orizzonti Award for Best Film, Orizzonti Award for Best Director, Special Orizzonti Jury Prize, Orizzonti Award for Best Actress, Orizzonti Award for Best Actor, Orizzonti Award for Best Screenplay and Orizzonti Award for Best Short Film.

Mokri, who is also a screenwriter and film critic, made his first feature-length film “Ashkan, the Charmed Ring and Other Stories” in 2008. The film was presented at the Busan Film Festival. 

In 2013, his next film “Fish/Cat” won the Orizzonti Special Prize for innovative content at Venice. In 2018, he premiered “Invasion” in Berlin. In 2020, he returned to Venice with his third film “Careless Crime”. The film won the Silver Hugo award at the Chicago Film Festival.

The organizers of the 78th Venice Film Festival also announced the jury for the official competition.

Korean Academy Award-winning director and screenwriter Bong Joon Ho is the president of the jury.

His 2019 drama “Parasite” won a long series of prestigious acknowledgments including the Golden Palm at Cannes, a Golden Globe, a Critics Choice Award, two BAFTA and four Oscars for best film, best international feature film, best director and best original screenplay. 

Italian director Saverio Costanzo, Belgian-French actress Virginie Efira, British actress Cynthia Erivo, Canadian actress Sarah Gadon, Romanian director Alexander Nanau and Chinese director Chloé Zhao are the other members of the jury.

The 78th Venice International Film Festival will take place in the Lido from September 1 to 11.

Photo: Iranian director Shahram Mokri. 

MMS/YAW