The Iranian feature film ‘Bodyguard’ written and directed by prominent filmmaker Ebrahim Hatamikia collected three awards at the Vienna Independent Film Festival (VIFF), July 3-7, in Austria.
Competing in the official competition section of the festival, the movie won the awards for the best director, Hatamikia, best supporting actor, Babak Hamidian, and best art direction, Iran Students Correspondents Association (iscanews.ir) reported.
A political, action, thriller film, ‘Bodyguard’ delivers an intriguing and exhilarating narrative. It tells the story of an old war hero assigned with the task of protecting one the country’s most important assets: a young genius working at Iran’s atomic agency for producing peaceful nuclear energy.
Whilst on duty, he encounters a threat from a suicide bomber. The threat is ultimately dealt with, but forces him to examine both the personal and professional ramifications of the event.
Starring Parviz Parastoui, Merila Zarei, Mahmoud Azizi, Amir Aqaei, Farhad Qaemian and Babak Hamidian, the movie won two Crystal Simorgh awards for the best actor (Parastoui) and best special field effects (Hadi Eslami) at the 34th Fajr Film Festival last February.
The film’s visual effects also won another award at the 17th celebration of House of Cinema last September as well as its score (Karen Homayounfar).
Screened last spring in Iranian cinemas, the movie earned over $1.85 million in the box-office, becoming the seventh bestseller of the year and also Hatamikia’s highest grossing film. It was also praised by critics.
‘Bodyguard’ has so far been shown in a number of festivals in Germany, Canada, Australia and Britain.
VIFF is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the discovery and development of independent artists and audiences. It seeks to discover, support, and inspire independent film and theatre artists from around the world, and to introduce audiences to their new works.
Add new comment
Read our comment policy before posting your viewpoints