US filmfest to host Iran Oscar contender

Iranian movie ‘The Salesman’ is to be screened at Santa Barbara International Film Festival in the US.

Directed by renowned Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, the award-winning movie will be screened in Special Presentations section of the event dedicated to a selection of international award winning feature films and documentaries.

The film tells the story of a young couple named Emad (Shahab Hosseini) and Rana (Taraneh Alidoosti) who move into a new apartment in the center of Tehran. However, an incident linked to the previous tenant dramatically changes their lives.

Being Iran’s submission to the 89th Academy Awards in the best foreign language film category, the film has already won double awards for best screenplay and best actor at the Cannes Film Festival this year.

“SBIFF is a non-profit arts and education organization dedicated to making a positive impact utilizing the power of film,” the official website of the festival wrote.

It added that SBIFF is a year-round organization that is best known for its main film festival that takes place each year in February.

FM/AG