‘World War III’ premiering at Hainan Island Int’l fest

Acclaimed Iranian feature film ‘World War III’ has been competing at the 4th Hainan Island International Film Festival (HIIFF) in China.

The festival opened on December 18 in Sanya, a resort city in south China's Hainan Province, screening dozens of movies from across the world.

In “World War III”, director Hooman Seyyedi depicts Shakib, a homeless day laborer who never got over the loss of his wife and son in an earthquake years ago.

He works in a place where a movie on the World War is being filmed, and when one of the actors collapses, Shakib has been chosen as his stand-in.

Shakib is allowed to stay in the actor’s fake mansion, but on condition that he doesn’t receive any visitors, but he makes a decision that endangers his fate.

The film is co-written by Seyyedi himself, Arian Vazir-Daftari, and Azad Jafarian.

The cast members of the film include Mohsen Tanabandeh, Neda Jebreeli, Mahsa Hejazi, and Navid Nosrati.

The flick is the recipient of the Orizzonti Award for Best Film at the 79th Venice International Film Festival in Italy.

Mohsen Tanabandeh also received the award for best actor at the major international event for his portrayal of Shakib.

The film has already been screened at the 35th Tokyo International Film Festival where it won the second-place special jury prize of the event.

Two of the main awards of the 8th Asian World Film Festival- Los Angeles (AWFF) in the US are also among the accolades grabbed by the flick.

The 20th Chennai International Film Festival (CIFF) in India, the 34th Palm Springs Film Festival in the US and the 26th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (POFF) in Estonia also hosted ‘World War III’.  

The festival is hosted by the China Media Group, dedicated to accelerating and promoting cross-cultural exchanges and collaboration, establishing close connections between international filmmakers and industries.

The event will wrap up on December 25, 2022.

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