Sony Pictures Classics which has acquired all North American rights to 'A Separation' directed by Asghar Farhadi released the acclaimed Iranian film in three movie theaters in Los Angeles and New York to give it the chance of competing for the coveted Best Foreign Language Film trophy at the 84th Academy Awards.
Based on the rules set by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences simply those films will be able to run for the Oscars competition which are released by the midnight of December 31, and being screened for at least a week.
The five productions nominated to compete for the coveted Academy Award trophy in the category of Best Foreign Language Film will be announced on January 24, 2012.
The most successful Iranian feature film in recent years revolves around the story of Simin, a middle class Iranian woman who wants to leave the country, taking her husband Nader and their young daughter in the hope of a better life. Nader refuses to leave since he wants to care for his old father who is suffering from Alzheimer. The course of events leads to a dispute which ends up in family court.
'Nader and Simin: A Separation' was first premiered at the competition section of Berlin Film Festival (Berlinale) in February when it was praised both by the viewers and critics at the festival and won the prestigious Golden Bear of the festival as the best film. The cast of the film also received the best actor/actress award at the Berlinale.
Since then 'A Separation' has participated in almost 30 film festivals and has garnered several awards. The film was already a hit this summer in France, where it attracted 900,000 moviegoers.
Moreover, the prominent British film magazine Sight & Sound, selected the Iranian drama second best film of 2011 after ‘The Tree of Life’ written and directed by Terrence Malick.
Farhadi's film has been already selected as the best foreign film by the national board of film criticism of Chicago Critics Association, The New York Film Critics Circle, Online Film Critics of New York, The Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association, The South East US Film Critics Association and was given the best screenplay award by The Los Angeles Film Critics Association.
As a result, seems that the ground is provided for 'A Separation' to compete and even win at the Academy Awards 2012 in the category of Best Foreign Language Film. However a survey on the history of this category reveals that the attitude of voters in this section toward the films is at times different from those of the film critics.
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