TEHRAN – “A Hero” directed by two-time Oscar winner Asghar Farhadi has received a nomination at the 2022 Humanitas Prizes.

The film is competing in the Drama Feature Film category with the deaf family drama “CODA” written by Sian Heder, “Nine Days” written by Edson Oda and “The Starling” written by Matt Harris.

The Humanitas Prizes are awarded to honor film and television writers whose work explores the human condition in a nuanced, meaningful way. Prizes are presented in nine categories at an annual event in Beverly Hills, CA, where winners receive a trophy and a cash prize.

Winners will receive their trophies on September 9 during an in-person ceremony after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Humanitas Prizes are presented by the Human Family Educational and Cultural Institute – Humanitas, which is a nonprofit organization with no religious affiliations.

“A Hero”, which is a co-production between Iran and France, follows Rahim, who is in prison because he was unable to pay a debt. During a two-day leave of absence from prison, he attempts to have his creditor withdraw his complaint over part of the sum owed. But things don’t go as planned.

“A Hero”, the winner of the Grand Prix (ex aequo) at Cannes 2021, was shortlisted in the international feature film category of the 2022 Oscars. However, it failed to won an award.  

The film scored an award for Farhadi at the 1st edition of the Iran Screen Directors Celebration, which has been initiated by the Directors Guild of Iran to select the best directors of the year in cinema and home video network productions.

Farhadi was also picked as best director at the 14th Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) for the film in November.

Photo: “A Hero” by Asghar Farhadi.

MMS/YAW