On 29 February, in front of the FEST audience, two-time Oscar winner Asghar Farhadi was presented with the Belgrade Victor for Outstanding Contribution to Cinema in the packed MTS Hall.
‘Thank you for this award. This is a great honor for me. This is a very emotional evening for me, in this magnificent cinema, in front of this audience and something I will remember for the rest of my life. I thank FEST for inviting me,’ said Farhadi upon receiving the award.
The artistic director of FEST, Jugoslav Pantelić, stated that the Iranian director had had the opportunity to hold a masterclass for the students at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts before the award ceremony. He also said that the awarding of the Yugoslav Film Archive's Golden Seal prize awaited the Iranian director, as well as the screening of his film ‘About Elly’ at the Yugoslav Film Archive and mingling with the audience. Pantelić asked Farhadi whether he was aware that he was also very popular with the audience in Serbia.
‘It is true that I met with many students and had very good conversations with them. And considering their talent, I think that film in this region has a bright future and that we will see quality films in the future,’ said Farhadi.
To Pantelić's question about his new film, the great director stated that he had finished the first draft of the new script two weeks before, that he was working on the screenplay and that it was his first film in the English language, for which he expressed the hope that it would be shown at the following FEST.
Pantelić revealed that Asghar Farhadi knew our literature, and the Iranian guest said that the advantage of Serbia was that foreign co-productions, which came to Serbia, had started filming there, and that that opened the door for all kinds of cooperation.
After the award ceremony, the audience had the opportunity to see Jonathan Glazer's film ‘The Zone of Interest’, which Farhadi, having already seen it and considering it outstanding, warmly recommended.
Before the award ceremony, the FEST audience saw a short film about the Iranian guest and his work.
Asghar Farhadi is considered one of the most prominent filmmakers of Iranian and world cinema of the 21st century. According to critics, his screenplays are deep sociological, psychological, and philosophical studies of problems that are universal in society, and his films have gained recognition for their focus on the human condition and for telling intimate and challenging stories of family conflict.
