TEHRAN –- The Iranian film “About Elly” was selected by the Berlin International Film Festival for screening at the competition section of the 59th edition of the event, which will take place from February 5 to 15.

Directed by Asghar Farhadi, the film is about several families that have traveled to northern Iran to spend their vacations.
Shahab Hosseini, Golshifteh Farahani, Taraneh Alidusti, Merila Zarei, and Mani Haqiqi are the featured members of the cast.
Haqiqi has also collaborated in writing the screenplay of the film with Peyman Ma’adi.
Last year, Reza Naji won the Silver Bear prize for best actor at the 58th Berlin International Film Festival for his role in “The Song of Sparrows”.
A total of 25 other films from Argentina, Denmark, Germany, France, Greece, Great Britain, Italy, Iran, Peru, Poland, Romania, Spain, Hungary, Uruguay and USA will be contending for the Golden Bear prize for the best film at this year’s festival.
“With their very distinctive artistic styles, the films of the 2009 competition provide evidence of living conditions in our globalized world. We are also pleased to present many world premieres again this year”, festival Director Dieter Kosslick said in a statement on the website of the event.
Photo: From left to right, Merlia Zarei, Rana Azdivar, Shahab Hosseini, and Mani Haqiqi in a scene from “About Elly”