‘Sun Children’ to open Oscar-qualifying Leeds film festival

Iranian feature film ‘Sun Children’ is set to open the 34th edition of Leeds International Film Festival (LIFF), an Oscars-qualifying film festival in the United Kingdom.

Media reports said on Monday that Majid Majidi’s ‘Sun Children’ will be screened at the opening ceremony of the LIFF on November 4.

Majidi’s film is about child labor. It narrates the story of a 12-year-old boy and his three friends, who have been asked by a neighborhood crime boss to find a treasure buried underground.

The film was one of the winners of the Collateral Awards of the 77th edition of Venice International Film Festival in Italy -- which are independently awarded by associations of film critics, clubs and cultural associations, and cinema professionals -- receiving the Lanterna Magica Award.

‘Sun Children’ also brought Rouhollah Zamani --one of the teenagers who took part in the movie-- the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Young Actor at the Italian event.

The film was also named the Best Film at the 38th edition of Iran's Fajr Film Festival, held earlier this year in February.

Iranian stars Mohammad-Javad Ezzati, Ali Nasiriyan and Tannaz Tabatabaee have also taken part in the flick.

LIFF is one of the UK's leading film events. The awards of the festival qualify winning titles to attend the Academy Awards and the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA).

SQ/AG