French company to distribute Majid Majidi’s Venice competition title

France’s Celluloid Dreams has been selected to distribute ‘Sun Children’, the new offering by Iranian award-winning filmmaker Majid Majidi.

Celluloid Dreams is a major French film production and distribution company that will handle international sales for the Venice competition title ‘Sun Children’ from Iran.

‘Sun Children’ tells the story of four young friends. They work quite hard to financially support their needy families while they sometimes commit petty crimes to make easy money.

Everything changes, however, when one of them is entrusted to find a hidden treasure underground, but he must first enroll at the Sun (Khorshid) School, a charitable institution that tries to educate street kids and children suffering child labour.

This is the second film by Majidi being distributed by Celluloid Dreams. The French company formerly distributed his ‘Badook’ in 1991.

Majidi was earlier quoted by the local media as saying, “The message of ‘Sun Children’ is that we are all responsible for these children, many of whom are extremely talented and all of whom are precious.”

He also noted that “it is simply not tolerable that their social and economic status consigns them to a future of limited opportunities and poor prospects.”

‘Sun Children’ won the Crystal Simorgh for best film at the 38th edition of the Fajr Film Festival in Tehran this February.

Born in 1959, Majidi is an internationally appreciated film producer, director and screenwriter who started acting in amateur theater groups when he was 14.

He graduated from the Art University in Dramatic Arts and then joined the Islamic Art and Idea Center of Islamic Development Organization.

He starred in some movies such as ‘Justification’, ‘Two Sightless Eyes’ and ‘Boycott’.

After appearing in his last movie in 1989, Majidi quit acting and directed a few short films.

His first feature film ‘Badook’ won him a Crystal Simorgh at the Fajr International Film Festival.

In 1999, ‘Children of Heaven’ was the first Iranian film nominated to receive an Academy Award. ‘Children of Heaven’ lost the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, but it won many other international prizes.

He has also directed ‘Muhammad: The Messenger of God’ (2015) which enjoys domestic and international cast and crew.

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Iran mega director Majidi celebrates 1st Venice competition

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