by Nathaniel R
Iran is sending their favourite filmmaking son to the Oscars again. Sixty-one year old prolific filmmaker Majid Majidi brought Iran the first of their three Oscar nominations with his fifth film Children of Heaven (1998); they've submitted him almost every time he's made a feature since. This year his latest film Sun Children, which you'll recall won the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Young Actor at Venice this year, about poverty stricken chilldren trying to support their families, will compete for the coveted Best International Feature Film Oscar prize.
After the jump key Iranian submissions over the years and Oscar trivia...
IRAN'S OSCAR STATS
Submitting since 1977
26 Total Submissions
3 Nominations
2 Wins
KEY SUBMISSIONS
Iran's first Oscar nominee
- Through the Olive Trees (1994) The only time Iran submitted Abbas Kiarostami. Oscar passed.
- The White Balloon (1995) One of the most celebrated Iranian films of all times. Oscar passed. An arthouse success in the US
- Children of Heaven (1998) Nominee from Iran's most often submitted director Majid Majidi. An arthouse success in the US
- The Color of Paradise (1999) Majid Majidi's family drama was the most successful pre-Farhadi Iranian arthouse hit in the US. Oscar passed.
- A Time for Drunken Horses (2000) won the Camera d'Or at Cannes. Oscar passed. This is one of the rare times Iran sent a non-Persian language film. It's in Kurdish.
- About Elly (2009) the first submission from Asghar Farhadi, the Iranian director Oscar loves most. But they passed the first time.
- A Separation (2011) Winner Farhadi's masterpiece is the most successful Iranian film ever in international release with $22 million globally.
- The Past (2013) The only time they've submitted a movie not in either Persian or Kurdish. This Farhadi movie was in French and managed a Golden Globe nomination but Oscar passed.
- The Salesman (2016) Winner
Most Oscar-Honored Iranian Artists
- Asghar Farhadi (3 nominations* one for screenplay and two for Best International Film which both won)
- Ray Aghayan (3 nominations in Costume Design in the 1970s - officially the most nominated Iranian of all time)
- Habib Zargapour (2 nominations in Visual Effects: Twister and The Perfect Storm)
- Rayka Zehtabchi (1 nomination/1 win in Documentary Short: Period. End of Sentence) Several other Iranians have received a single nomination but Iranian-American Zehtabchi is technically the only Iranian to ever be rewarded an Oscar (since Farhadi's wins officially belong to Iran the country)
* we realize directors aren't the official nominees or winners... BUT THEY ARE TO US!
Most Frequently Submitted Directors in Best International Film
Majidi on the set
- Majid Majidi (6 submissions - 1 nomination plus 1 pending right now...)
- Asghar Farhadi (4 submissions - 2 nominations films, which both won)
- Reza Mirkarimi (2 + submissions, neither nominated. He had been selected for a third submission in 2012 but Iran opted to boycott the Oscars that year so he didn't actually get that third try.)
- Bahman Ghobadi (2 submissions, neither nominated.)