Miami festival picks “Sun Children” for Intl. Oscar Contenders

TEHRAN –(Iranart)- The 38th Miami Film Festival plans to review the acclaimed Iranian drama “Sun Children” in the International Oscar Contenders, the festival program that will screen a shortlist of the foreign-language submissions to 2021 Oscars.

Directed by Majid Majidi, the film tells the story of 12-year-old Ali and his three friends. Together, they work hard to survive and support their families, doing small jobs in a garage and committing petty crimes to make fast money. Everything changes, however, when Ali is entrusted to find a hidden treasure underground but must first enroll at the Sun School, a charitable institution that tries to educate street kids and child laborers.

The movie had its Iranian premiere during the 38th Fajr Film Festival in Tehran last February, garnering the Crystal Simorghs for best film, script and set design.

Numerous international events, including the 77th Venice Film Festival, have also screened the movie. The festival honored the film’s star Ruhollah Zamani with the Marcello Mastroianni Award. 

The 33rd International Film Festival for Children and Youth in Isfahan also awarded Majidi as best director and Zamani as best actor.

Strand Releasing, a leading U.S. distributor of foreign language, American independent and documentary films in theaters, on DVD/Blu-Ray and via video-on-demand, has purchased U.S. rights to “Sun Children”.

Eight other submissions to the 93rd Academy Awards in the best foreign-language film category will also be screened in the International Oscar Contenders of the Miami Film Festival, which will take place in the U.S. city from March 5 to 14.

“And Tomorrow the Entire World” by German director Julia Von Heinz and “Apples”, a co-production of Greece, Poland and Slovakia by Christos Nikou, are highlights of the lineup.

“Charlatan” by Agnieszka Holland from Czech, “Memories of My Father” by Fernando Trueba from Colombia, “A State of Madness” by Leticia Tonos Paniagua from Dominican and “Quo Vadis, Aida?”, a co-production of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Austria, Romania, Netherlands, Germany, Poland, France, Norway and Turkey by Jasmila Zbanic are also among the movies.

source: Tehran Times