Oscar Nomination Helps Iran Movies
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Although Iranian films have won awards at international
festivals for years, Tuesday's Oscar nomination for ``Children of Heaven'
is a first for a movie from the Islamic Republic.
Despite strict government rules for filmmakers, Iranian films have won
praise for their frank portrayal of social issues in Iran's restrictive
society.
``Children of Heaven,'' directed by Majid Majidi, is the story of a
9-year-old boy named Ali who loses his sister's shoes.
His family is too poor to buy new shoes for his 7-year-old sister, so
the siblings must share Ali's shoes. The sister, Zahra, wears the shoes
to school each morning, and Ali wears them in the afternoons.
Ali enters a running contest in hopes of winning third prize -- a pair
of running shoes.
Other nominees for best foreign language film were ``Central Station''
from Brazil, ``The Grandfather'' from Spain, ``Tango'' from Argentina and
``Life Is Beautiful'' from Italy.
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