Film Co-Written By Roxana Saberi Wins Cannes Prize
CANNES, France — A film co-scripted by U.S.-Iranian journalist Roxana Saberi won a prize in one of the Cannes Film Festival competitions on Saturday.
"No One Knows About Persian Cats" won a special jury prize in the festival's Un Certain Regard competition.
The film is a lively look at Tehran's underground music scene and the risk of censorship and jail faced by Iranian musicians.
Saberi shares a screenplay credit on the film, which was directed and-co-written by her romantic partner, Bahman Ghobadi.
"Dogtooth," a film about an unusually isolated family by Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos, won the top prize in the Un Certain Regard competition, which focuses largely on new and emerging filmmakers from around the world.
Second prize went to Romanian director Corneliu Porumboiu's "Police, Adjective," while "The Father of My Children," by France's Mia Hansen-Love, also won a special prize.
Saberi, who worked for news outlets including U.S. National Public Radio and the BBC, was freed from an Iranian prison May 11 after serving four months of an eight-year sentence for allegedly spying for the United States.
Cannes' main competition prizes, including the coveted Palme d'Or, will be handed out Sunday.
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May 23, 2009 02:53 PM EST |