Yahoo News Amazon Studios Scoops U.S. Rights to Asghar Farhadi’s ‘A Hero’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Amazon Studios has acquired U.S. rights to two-time Oscar-winning filmmaker Asghar Farhadi’s “A Hero,” which shot in Shiraz, Iran, and is now in post production. Amazon Studios is planning to release “A Hero” later in the year with an eye towards a 2022 awards corridor.
UTA Independent Film Group negotiated the deal with Memento Films International on behalf of the filmmaking team.
More from Variety
Netflix Wins Seven Oscars, Biggest Haul Among All Studios This Year
Cannes 2021: Stars and Big-Name Auteurs in Pipeline for Festival Comeback (EXCLUSIVE)
“A Hero” is one of the prestige films in the pipeline for this year’s Cannes Film Festival. The film stars well-known Iranian actors and boasts a suspenseful plot that’s still under wraps. Memento Films International said the script “tackles many contemporary issues of our modern societies.”
The anticipated Farsi-language movie marks Farhadi’s return to Iran, his homeland, where he previously directed “A Separation,” winner of Berlin’s Golden Bear, and “The Salesman,” both of which won Oscars for best foreign-language film.
“A Hero” is the second film by Farhadi that Amazon Studios will be handling after the critically lauded “The Salesman,” which world premiered at Cannes in 2016 where it won two prizes, for best screenplay and actor (for Shahab Hosseini). On top of winning the Oscar for best foreign-language film, “The Salesman” also earned BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations. “The Salesman” was jointly acquired by Amazon Studios and Cohen Media Group.
Farhadi last directed “Everybody Knows,” a Spanish-language mystery drama with Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem, which opened the Cannes Film Festival in 2018. “Everybody Knows” was nominated for eight Goya Awards (Spanish Oscars) including best film, director, actor, actress and screenplay, among others.
Farhadi is producing “A Hero” with his regular collaborator, Alexandre Mallet-Guy at Memento Films Production, who teamed with Farhadi on his last three movies. Memento Films Distribution, whose track record also includes Olivier Assayas’ “Wasp Network” and Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s “The Wild Pear Tree,” will release “A Hero” in France.
Asghar Farhadi is represented by UTA.
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
