TEHRAN – The Cinematheque of the Iranian Artists Forum (IAF) will screen American filmmaker Wes Anderson’s 2025 movie “The Phoenician Scheme” on Thursday.

The screening will be followed by a review session, Mehr reported.

“The Phoenician Scheme” is a black comedy film based on a story Anderson conceived with Roman Coppola. Known for his distinctive visual style and offbeat storytelling, Anderson’s latest film features an ensemble cast including Benicio del Toro, Mia Threapleton, Michael Cera, Riz Ahmed, Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Willem Dafoe, and Bill Murray. 

Set in 1950, the story follows Anatole “Zsa-Zsa” Korda, a ruthless arms dealer and industrialist, who narrowly survives an assassination attempt. During his unconscious state, he enters the afterlife, where a divine court judges whether he deserves entry into Heaven. Faced with mortality, Korda seeks to repair his fractured relationship with his only daughter, Sister Liesl, a Catholic novice. He urges her to leave her religious life and take over his business empire. Their relationship is tense—Korda having sent Liesl to a convent at age five and rumored to have murdered her mother, accusations he denies. During this spiritual journey, Liesl also meets Bjørn, a Norwegian entomologist and Korda’s assistant.

Meanwhile, Korda’s unethical plans draw the attention of global authorities. He aims to overhaul Phoenicia’s infrastructure using slave labor, a scheme opposed by governments worldwide. A secret agent, Excalibur, conspires to manipulate the market by inflating the cost of construction materials, threatening Korda’s ambitions. Accompanied by Liesl and Bjørn, Korda tries to secure investments, but his manipulations lead to chaos—deceiving investors, blackmailing nightclub owner Marseille Bob, and threatening East Coast businessman Marty. Despite his efforts, only half the funds are raised, endangering his project.

Throughout, Korda’s past is revealed: he faked stories about his wife’s infidelity, which led to her murder by Liesl’s biological father, Nubar. Korda admits to continuing dealings with Nubar, who remains an investor. Liesl, appalled by her father’s morals, vows to help him but also seeks justice for her mother’s murder.

In a last attempt to secure funding, Korda proposes marriage to his cousin Hilda, an heiress to his armaments fortune. She accepts but refuses to increase her investment. Returning home, saboteurs destroy Korda’s plane, revealing Bjørn as a spy working for Excalibur. However, Bjørn’s love for Liesl prompts him to switch sides. The story concludes with Korda’s transformation—he converts to Catholicism, pays his workers, and invests everything in completing the Phoenician project, seeking redemption. Though bankrupted, Korda earns Liesl’s forgiveness, and they settle into a simple life running a small bistro. Hilda’s marriage is annulled, and she gives her ring to Bjørn, who proposes to Liesl.

SAB/