Original name: (Winners / برنده ها)

United Kingdom / Iran, 2022, 85 min.

Written and directed by: Hassan Nazer

Cast:  Reza Naji, Hossein Abedini, Parsa Maghami, Helia Mohammad Khani, Malalai Zikria, Shahrzad Kamalzadeh.

Synopsis:

In a poor Iranian village, the children work hard to support their families. One day nine-year- old Yahya and his friend Leyla find a precious statuette in the desert. As the authorities search for the lost treasure, sharing Yahya’s passion for cinema, Yahya’s boss Nasser Khan (Reza Naji) decides to help the children find its rightful owner.

Director’s Profile:

Hassan Nazer, born on September 8, 1979, is an accomplished British writer/director with Iranian heritage, currently residing in Scotland. In 2000, Hassan sought refuge in the United Kingdom at the age of 19. In 2006, he embarked on a journey to study film and media Aberdeen. Hassan’s early feature films garnered recognition in Iran, including notable titles such as ‘BLACK DAY’ and ‘HERE IRAN’. His internationally acclaimed film, ‘UTOPIA’, represented Afghanistan as the foreign film entry for the Academy Awards in 2016. His latest masterpiece, ‘WINNERS’, received co-financing from Screen Scotland and was chosen as the official UK submission for the International Feature Film category at the 95th Academy Awards in 2023. Furthermore. Hassan has enriched his cinematic experience by serving as a Jury Member at esteemed film festivals, including the All Lights India International Film Festival (ALIIFF), 2016, as the head of the Jury at the SAARC Film Festival, Sri Lanka, 2019 and BAFTA Scotland 2022.

Festivals & Awards:

BAFTA Scotland 2023 “Best Film”

*UK’s Official Entry for the Oscars 2023

Winner Audience Award, Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF), UK, 2022.

Winner Best UK Feature Film Award, Raindance Film Festival, UK, 2022.

Winner BIFA 2022, Discovery Award’ (Hassan Nazer), British Independent Film, Festival, UK.

Winner BIFA 2022, Breakthrough Producer (Nadira Murray), British Independent Film Festival, UK.

*Premiere Status: Australian Premiere