�Henas�, a drama that portrays the true story of the assassination of an Iranian nuclear scientist who was shot dead by Mossad gunmen, has won an Award of Excellence at the Accolade Global Film Competition in La Jolla, California.

Directed by Hossein Darabi, it is the final episode in the life of Dariush Rezainejad, the 35-year-old Iranian nuclear scientist who was shot dead by Mossad gunmen before the eyes of his wife and little girl in front of his house in Tehran in July 2011. The movie portrays the terrorist attack through the eyes of his wife.

The jury of the seasonal competition described the film as �gripping and chilling with deft direction and memorable performances led by the exceptionally talented Merila Zarei.� They also called �Henas� a �well-crafted and well-paced� film.

Accolade, a unique industry leader in virtual film competitions, announced the winners of its latest season last week.

�Conscience�, a short drama by Iranian filmmaker Ehsan Eslami, also won an Award of Excellence.

�Still Working 9 to 5�, a documentary by American directors Camille Hardman and Gary Lane, was selected as best film at the competition.

The film examines the 40-year evolution of gender inequality and discrimination in the workplace since the 1980 release of the classic seminal comedy, �9 to 5,� starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton and Dabney Coleman.

When the highest-grossing comedy, �9 to 5,� exploded on the cinema screens in 1980, the laughs hid a serious message about women in the office. �Still Working 9 to 5� explores why workplace inequality 40 years later was never a laughing matter.

Spanish director Fernando Bonelli�s short drama �Ellie� won an Outstanding Achievement Award.

On a night that will change them forever � an Emergency Room doctor dashes into work coming from a serious car accident where she herself was hurt. What follows is a gripping story that involves moral decisions about family, life and death judgments, honor, selfishness, selflessness and the unfortunate circumstances and scarcity that even modern medical facilities face.

�Utopia�, a short documentary by the German filmmakers Angela Andersen and Claus Kleber, was also given an Outstanding Achievement Award.

The film takes a critical look at developments in topics such as brain research, genetic engineering, political decision-making, human relations, architecture and materials research, transportation and tourism.

 

 

By TEHRAN TIMES