My Journey to The Oscars: Asghar Farhadi, Director of Iran’s Shortlisted Entry ‘A Hero’

Sam Asghari is celebrating Valentine’s with his wifey-to-be … or is it his “wife” now?! The Iranian actor posted an adorable mirror selfie with fiancée Britney Spears and technically called her his “wife” in the post, causing many to wonder if the two have already tied the knot.

Star Wars trilogy has become legendary, with countless stories surfacing from the development of those iconic three movies. Rumours were flying around about a potential affair, one that Harrison Ford denied even when he was confronted by Luke Skywalker star Mark Hamill. Partying was also a regular occurrence off the set, with a particularly infamous evening being shared with The Rolling Stones.

Star Wars trilogy has become legendary, with countless stories surfacing from the development of those iconic three movies. Rumours were flying around about a potential affair, one that Harrison Ford denied even when he was confronted by Luke Skywalker star Mark Hamill. Partying was also a regular occurrence off the set, with a particularly infamous evening being shared with The Rolling Stones.

Kourtney Kardashian, 42, and her fiancé Travis Barker, 46, are clearly in it for the long haul! On Feb. 8, Kourtney shared photos on her Instagram of a romantic late-night car ride in Travis’ Ford Bronco, which is equipped with stars on the interior roof! Kourtney captioned the series of sweet snaps, “Ride or Die.” Moments after she shared the pics, Travis agreed — commenting back, “you are my ride or die forever.”

Naman Ramachandran Mohsen Makhmalbaf, the Iranian auteur who is a leading voice in art house film, says independent cinema is dying in the era of streaming video. Makhmalbaf, director of Cannes prize winner “Kandahar,” Sitges and Tokyo winner “Gabbeh” and Venice winner “The Silence,” says that while streaming presents an opportunity to show a film to many people, it also “destroys other kinds of medium.” “You can eat your food in your room, but why do you go to a restaurant to eat with others?,” asks Makhmalbaf.

Robert Irwin has been helping an angry bird — and it hasn’t been going so well.

< 1 min read The nation of Iran has reportedly executed two men following six years of imprisonment after they were convicted under Iran’s anti-gay laws. According to the Human Rights Activist News Agency (HRANA), Mehrdad Karimpour and Farid Mohammadi are said to have been executed in the Maragheh prison in northwestern Iran following their arrests over six years ago.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorA moral dilemma faces Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi’s protagonist in his latest film “A Hero.” Rahim, played by Amir Jadidi is on a two-day leave from debtors’ prison when his girlfriend Farkhondeh (Sahir Goldoust) finds a handbag filled with gold coins. Faced with a choice, the two opt to use it to pay off some of Rahim’s debt. In the end, they return the money to its owner.Farhadi says the subject of charting how a person can ascend very fast and descend just as fast was fascinating to him.

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorPicture Tree Intl. has acquired Iranian genre crossover feature “Without Her,” and will introduce the film to buyers during the upcoming European Film Market at its Marriot Hotel located office in Berlin.

Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi had been thinking about the concept behind “ A Hero ” long before he started making movies.In fact, the spark came before he even knew that he’d ever make a film. As a theater student, he saw the Bertolt Brecht play “Galileo” and it triggered an idea about a person who does a good deed, has a quick ascent and even quicker descent.

Naman Ramachandran In a new series, Variety catches up with the directors of the films shortlisted for the International Feature Oscar to discuss their road to the awards, what they’ve learned so far, and what’s taken them off guard.Two of Abner Benaim’s films, documentaries “Invasion” (2014) and “Ruben Blades Is Not My Name” (2018), were Panamanian entries to the Oscars, but his “Plaza Catedral” is the first time a film from the country has been shortlisted. The film, which portrays a violent society with a gulf between the rich and poor, won major awards at the Guadalajara and Panama film festivals.