TEHRAN – Iranian drama “The Wasteland” won the Orizzonti award for best film at the 77th Venice Film Festival, while Ruhollah Zamani, the star of Iranian director Majid Majidi’s “Sun Children”, was named the best young actor of the Italian festival by winning the Marcello Mastroianni Award on Saturday.

Zamani missed the festival due to testing positive for COVID-19, but his co-star, Shamila Shirzad, Majidi and a number of crew members attended the event to promote the film, which was screened in the official competition.

“The Wasteland” by Ahmad Bahrami, also received the Fai Persona Lavoro Ambiente Foundation Award, and Majidi was handed the Magic Lantern Award for his drama. 

The “Sun Children” is about child labor in Tehran and won the Crystal Simorgh for best film at the 38th edition of the Fajr Film Festival in Tehran in February.

“The Wasteland” is about an old brick manufacturing factory that is going to be shut down, and all that matters to the factory supervisor is to keep his lover unharmed.  

Iranian director Shahram Mokri’s latest film, “Careless Crime”, won the best original screenplay of the Venice festival a few days ago.

The Venice 77 jury, chaired by Cate Blanchett, and comprised of Matt Dillon, Veronika Franz, Joanna Hogg, Nicola Lagioia, Christian Petzold and Ludivine Sagnier honored the winners in the official section. 

The Golden Lion for best film went to “Nomadland” by Chloé Zhao from the U.S., while “New Order”, a co-production between Mexico and France by director Michel Franco, won the Grand Jury Prize.
 
The award for best director was presented to Kiyoshi Kurosawa for the film “Wife of a Spy” from Japan.

“The Disciple” written by Chaitanya Tamhane from India won the award for best Screenplay.

Vanessa Kirby won the award for best actress for her role in the film “Pieces of a Woman”, a co-production between Canada and Hungary by Kornél Mundruczó, and Pierfrancesco Favino received the award for best actor for his role in the film “Padrenostro” by Claudio Noce from Italy.

Photo: Ruhollah Zamani acts in a scene from Iranian director Majid Majidi’s “Sun Children”.

RM/MMS/YAW