Asghar Farhadi has built a career out of making breathtaking family dramas. With "About Elly," "A Separation," "The Past," and "The Salesman,” the Iranian-born writer-director cemented his name on the shortlist of modern-day world-class directors. I can count these rare and talented filmmakers in less than two hands. So it came as a major disappointment to dislike the 46-year-old director’s last film, the Spanish-language drama “Everybody Knows,” which I saw at Cannes 2018. It was a half-decent whodunnit affair, but we’ve come to expect much more from the Iranian-born director.
Regardless, there is absolutely no reason to not anticipate a new work from Farhadi, and earlier in the year Deadline mentioned something was coming much sooner than previously thought. The two-time Oscar winner was heading into production on a new film titled “A Hero” which had its eyes set for a Cannes 2021 bow.
Despite a few delays due to the pandemic shutting down productions in Iran, according to stillacwap (who hails from Tehran) over at Awards Worthy, Farhadi has actually completed principal photography on “A Hero”:
“The shooting of ‘A Hero,’ the latest work of two-time Oscar winner director Asghar Farhadi, ended in Iranian city of Shiraz. Iranian film editor Hayedeh Safiyari has begun the film’s editing. Amir Jadidi, Mohsen Tanabandeh, Fereshteh Sadr-Orafai and Sarina Farhadi star in the film. As expected and scheduled, Farhadi’s ninth production, which officially entered pre-production stage in June, finished after 75 shooting sessions.”
Plot details are being kept under wraps on the film, which marks a return to Iran and his native language. We hear the drama is suspenseful – in keeping with Farhadi’s oeuvre – and that the director will be working with well known Iranian actors who haven’t worked with him before. “A Hero” will be the 9th feature length-film of Farhadi’s career.