‘The Stranger’ shines at National Will Manifestation Awards

‘The Stranger’ has won big at the National Will Manifestation Awards on Tuesday.

The awarding ceremony, attended by the festival president Mojtaba Amini and representatives of public organizations, was held at the Azadi Hotel.

Receiving five awards, the Iranian film that portrays the military life of Commander Mohammad Boroujerdi was the big winner at the gala.

Directed by Mohammad-Hossein Latifi, ‘The Stranger’ is about Boroujerdi’s struggles against separatists in west of Iran to maintain territorial integrity of the region in the early 1980s.

Latifi and writer and producer Hamed Anqa and actor Babak Hamidian, who stars as Boroujerdi in the film, won the awards presented by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Finance, Bank Mellat, the Culture Ministry’s Quran Department, the Office of the Vice President for Women and Family Affairs, and the Public Culture Council.

‘Fragrant’ received awards from three organizations, including the Astan Qods Razavi, the organizational custodian of the holy shrine of Imam Reza (AS), Municipality of Mashhad.

Director Hadi Moqaddam-doust and writer Hossein Hassani were honored by the organization. The film tells the story of a happy couple, which faces some challenges as they are waiting for their first child to be born.   

The Astan Qods Razavi also gave its best film award to the animation ‘Smart Kid’ produced by Hamedi Jafari.

The movie tells the story of Mohsen, a little boy who loves film superheroes and tries to act like them. In his rare mission, he decides to help an animal from an endangered species in Iran.  

The film also won the best film awards of the Environment Faction of the Iranian Parliament and Bank Mellat.

The bank also honored Leili Aaj for her directorial debut, ‘Colonel Sorayya’.

Written based on a true story, the film portrays mothers longing for their children being held captive in Iraq at Camp Ashraf, the base of the MKO, which has officially been designated as a terrorist group.

‘Bavardeh Flowers’, ‘Metropol Cinema’, ‘In Arms of the Tree’, ‘Leather Jacket Man’, ‘Captain’, ‘Number 10’, ‘They Loved Me’ and several other films were also honored by some organizations.

The National Will Manifestation Awards is a supplement to the Fajr International Film Festival and the awards are presented by public organizations and institutes to those films that are in agreement with their goals and interests. 

Juries from the organizations select winners from the films screened at the Fajr International Film Festival. This year’s festival was held on February 1-11.

MG/MG