TEHRAN – Iranian movies “The Wasteland” and “Sun Children” have each received two nominations at the 15th Asian Film Awards, which will be held in Busan, South Korea.

Ahmad Bahrami has been nominated for the best new director award for his debut film “The Wasteland”.

The other contenders in this category are Harumoto Yujiro from Japan for “A Balance”, P.S. Vinothraj from India for “Pebbles”, “Yin Ruoxin from China for “Sister”, Han Shuai from China for “Summer Blur” and Hong Eui-jeong from South Korea for “Voice of Silence”.

“The Wasteland” also grabbed a nod for its director of photography, Masud Amini-Tirani, in the best cinematography category.

“Any Crybabies Around?” from Japan, “Cliff Walkers” from China, “Deliver Us from Evil” from South Korea, “Limbo” from Hong Kong and “Yellow Cat”, a co-production between Kazakhstan and France, are other films competing in this section.

“The Wasteland” depicts the mounting tensions among the ethnically diverse workers of a crumbling, archaic brick manufacturing plant seemingly removed from civilization. The story focuses on 40-year-old Lotfollah, who has lived his entire life within the building and acts as a mediator between the workers and their boss.

Ruhollah Zamani, a leading actor of director Majid Majidi’s child labor drama “Sun Children” has been nominated for the award in the best newcomer category.

Zamani has won the Marcello Mastroianni Award at the 77th Venice Film Festival for his portrayal of 12-year-old Ali in the movie.

The film depicts the rough-and-tumble streets of Tehran where Ali and his crew of adolescent street urchins are recruited by a crime boss to steal some treasure buried beneath a local school. The kids will have to enroll in the school to gain access to the tunnels underneath. With the plan set in motion, these juvenile miscreants are soon exposed to a different kind of education.

Other nominees in this category are Gong Seung-yeon for “Aloners” from South Korea, Hattori Misaki for “Midnight Swan” from Japan, Liu Haocun for “One Second” from China and Chen Yan-Fei for “The Silent Forest” from Taiwan.

“Sun Children” has also been nominated for an award in the best editing category. The film has been edited by Hassan Hassandoost.

Iranian cinema failed to receive a nomination in the best film section.

“One Second” from China, “The Book of Fish” from South Korea, “The Disciple” India, and the Japanese films “Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy” and “Wife of a Spy” are contending for the best film award.

The 15th Asian Film Awards will take place on October 8 in conjunction with the Busan International Film Festival. 

The ceremony will commence in a hybrid form, which combines on-site attendance in Busan and online participation, the organizers have announced.

Photo: Ruhollah Zamani acts in a scene from “Sun Children” by Iranian director Majid Majidi.

MMS/YAW