Oman today_ The Iranian-Canadian film Mortician, directed by Abdolreza Kahani, has won the Sean Connery Award at the Edinburgh Film Festival. This £50,000 prize, decided by audience votes, is awarded to the film that receives the highest popularity among viewers. Kahani had also participated in last year’s festival with his film A Tomb.
Mortician tells the story of a mortuary manager in Canada who is confronted with an unexpected request from a singer. The cast includes Nima Sadr, Gol-Azin Ardestani, Pouya Razavi, Erfan Bakayi, Rahim Bahrami, Sarva Hassani, Kimia Motavalli, Mehdi Salar, Shima Saber, Mahmoud Ramazanpour, Camelia Simab, Hamidreza Hosseini, and Hesam Sobhani.
Screen magazine’s critic commented on the film: “Mortician delivers a sharp and uncompromising look at the darkest aspects of exile, particularly for those who have faced punishment.”
At the same festival, the Telma Schoenmaker Award for Best Short Film was presented to Mother Goose, directed by Joanna Wiemeris.