TEHRAN – “No Date, No Signature”, Iran’s submission to the 91st Academy Awards in the best foreign language film category, will go on screen at the Fourth Annual Asian World Film Festival, the organizers have announced.

The film written and directed by Vahid Jalilvand will be screened with 13 other foreign-language Oscar contenders in Culver City, Los Angeles at the event running from October 24 to November 1.

“No Date, No Signature” is about Dr. Nariman, a forensic pathologist who has a car accident with a motorcyclist and injures his 8-year-old son. He offers to take the child to a clinic nearby, but the father refuses his help and money. The next morning, in the hospital where he works, Dr. Nariman finds out that the little boy has been brought for an autopsy after a suspicious death.

The film won Jalilvand the best director award and its star Navid Mohammadzadeh was selected as best actor in the Orizzonti section of the 74th Venice International Film Festival in September 2017.

The festival invites all films chosen by their countries as Oscar or Golden Globe Foreign Film submissions to be part of the selection.

This year, 14 Oscar and 7 Golden Globe submissions are included in the program.

One of the festival’s sponsors, The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), recognizes selected showings as the required official screenings for their members who vote on the Golden Globes.

The competition, to be judged by a jury led by actress-producer Vivian Wu, includes Oscar titles “No Date, No Signature”, “Sobibor” (Russia), “Cake” (Pakistan), “Buffalo Boys” (Singapore), “Namme” (Georgia), “Ghost Hunting” (Palestine), “The Signal Rock” (Philippines), “The Journey” (Iraq), “Operation Red Sea” (Hong Kong), “Village Rockstars” (India) and “Panchayat” (Nepal).

Out-of-competition titles are Cannes entry “Burning” (South Korea), “No Bed of Roses” (Bangladesh) and “The Great Buddha” (Taiwan).

The 2018 Golden Globe submissions are “Love Sonia” (India), “The Lord Eagle” (Russia), “Butterflies” (Turkey), “The River” (Kazakhstan), “Night Accident” (Kyrgyzstan), “Million Loves in Me” (Malaysia/Hong Kong) and “The Road Not Taken” (China).

The AWFF brings a broad selection of Asian cinema – over 50 countries from Turkey, Japan and Russia to India and the Middle East – to Los Angeles to showcase the region’s filmmakers and strengthen ties between Asia’s film industry and Hollywood.

Photo: Amir Aqai acts in a scene from “No Date, No Signature” by Vahid Jalilvand.

RM/YAW